Game-Changers & Grudge Matches

"Because trials always are?" Mortal replied.

--

"Basically, yea," Gabe said, "You're also going to want to avoid hitting them in the head, like we discussed. Oh, and try not to get hit with their attacks."

Astarte's thoughts echoed the words of Mortal and Euryale. She sighed.

Dalia grinned.

Eduj woke up, and the three of them enjoyed a bland breakfast.

*The prosecutor recounts basically what happened that night, gesturing at certain parties where appropriate. Senthose then stands up again.*

Senthose<And this is where the prosecution's story begins to fall apart. They claim that a civilian fought me, but this couldn't have happened. Were I truly the head of the Red Monsoons, I would just find this person, and kill them as payback.>

*He turns to look over the audience, and pauses at Roatha, who tries hard to pretend he's not locked in a staring contest with a serial killer. Then Senthose smiles.*

Senthose<...So, you see, no one would possibly be that stupid.>

Lawyer<I object, this is a blatant threat.>

Franz<I'm inclined to agree. Mr. Senthose, do you perhaps have any way to refute the evidence that was recovered at the scene? Footprints, scraps of clothing, your sword. What about the witnesses who placed you at the scene?>

Senthose<I am told there was a lot of Cactus Juice going around that night. Now, I try not to judge, but this is a courtroom, so I suppose it's appropriate.>
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Reporter<I have to say, it doesn't look as though they're taking this trial seriously. I don't want to alarm those of you at home, but Senthose did inherit his position from Yakone. Perhaps he knows how Yakone managed to escape from prison?>
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*Venezuela furrows her brow.*

"So, now what? The game doesn't start until after this 'trial' lets out, right?"

Mortal bites her tongue to keep her from shouting that he was the one who brought the drug in the first place.

--

"Yes, lets suit up and practice until then," Gabe said.

Astarte looked to Roatha, deeply concerned. She gently put a hand on his wrist in an attempt to be comforting in what she felt was a terribly awkward few moments.

*Roatha looks at Astarte & smiles, in spite of himself.*

Franz<Please state your closing arguments.>

Lawyer<Esteemed Council Members, I have provided a mountain of evidence, carefully collected by our hard-working police department, that conclusively proves that Senthose was behind the recent Red Monsoon attacks, and that Voland worked by his side. Meanwhile, he has done nothing but insult this court, both as an institution, and all of us, personally. He has broken the law, flagrantly mocked justice, and doesn't show the slightest bit of concern for anyone he harms. We cannot allow him to continue to get away with his crimes.>

Senthose<Heheh...Sorry, it's just that, from where I stand, all of you are the mockery. What was really accomplished here today? Were we to accept the premise that I am the most powerful Bloodbending Triad Leader since Yakone, do you really think that this is even going to slow me down? While you insist on patting yourselves on the back, you never do any significant damage to the Triads. Even the Agni Kais you are arrested are most likely going to end up walking free soon. Furthermore, "Lightning Bolt" Zolt is still at large. Perhaps that was the plan from the beginning. He does have several officers on his payroll. So do whatever you want. It won't mean anything.>

*The 2 sides sit down & the Council follows out of the room to deliberate, all looking visibly upset from Senthose's ranting.*
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*Now decked out in pads, Venezuela sits on the dressing room bench & sets to work braiding her hair. She keeps fidgeting, unused to the stiff, relatively restraining clothing.*

Astarte returned a smile, however, it had faded by the time Senthose finished his statement.

The trio each freshened up in turns, using Stefan's cramped bathroom, and then went out to start their day. They decided to walk to Stefan's parents store where they would leave him while they did some minor investigation of their own.

Dalia listened intently.

Gabe sat down behind Ven and asked, "I could help you if you want."

--

Mortal is also a bit annoyed, but figures that his 'reasons you suck' speech is going to do little to distract from the fact that he is a criminal and deserves to be sent to jail.

*The Council returns after a not-so-shockingly short deliberation.*

Franz<We find the defendants guilty & sentence them to life in prison.>

*He bangs the gavel. Booing & cursing can be heard from outside of the courtroom. Senthose's smile does not falter.*

Senthose<You know, you really ought to kill me while you still have the chance.>

Franz<The United Republic does not have the death penalty. Avatar Aang did not believe in it.>

Senthose<Ah, yes, I recall how well that worked out. Yakone definitely met justice for about 10 minutes. Did you ever find him, by the way?>
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*Ven tosses her hair back over her shoulder.*

"Okay. Please. Thank you."

Astarte frowned, wishing that they would haul Senthose away before he could talk anymore.

As planned, Hector and Eduj left Stefan to meet with his parents alone. They walked down the street, glancing casually into shop windows. They looked for a bar.

*Tirea gets on her stuff in silence. She does not appear to be sad, but rather incredibly nervous*
---
*Monu helps the next customer in line*
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*Eve laughs at the "handsome" line, then turns the page, ignoring the stupid ads*

For once, Mortal agreed with him.

--

Gabe smiled and went to work braiding Ven's hair. "Is everyone ready for the game?" She asked in a voice loud enough to be heard, but not so loud to startle Ven, who was obviously close.

<Yup, I'm ready.>

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Lin<I've heard enough.>

*She swings a hand out, a cable emerging & splitting in 2. One half attaches to each Voland's & Senthose's hand cuffs. As she starts leading them away, Senthose chuckles.*

Senthose<I thought citizens had the right to free speech.>

Lin<Well, you'd better finish speaking, because you're going to jail either way.>

Senthose<Fair enough. In that case....>

*He looks once more at the camera.*

Senthose<...I will be back before you know it.>

*He & Voland finally disappear behind courtroom doors.*
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"I can only hope."
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*The last page is comics. Most are super-deformed chibi style characters from the Hundred Years War period. The stories are "Path of Zuko," "Bobble Battles," "Bending Battle," "Swamp Skiin' Throwdown," & "School Time Shipping." The one detailed cartoon is "Escape From the Spirit World."*
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*Eventually, the cafe clears altogether.*
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*They eventually find a joint called The Blue Spirits. True to its name, the inside is lit with soft blue lighting. The wall behind the bar is decorated with [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].*

*Eve takes a look at Escape From the Spirit World*
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*Monu starts cleaning up the cafe*
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*Tirea finishes putting on her gear and puts her hair in a ponytail*

Astarte looked back at Roatha and said in a low voice, "That was... interesting."

Sidon emerged from the kitchen, rubbing a minorly burned finger.
"I hate it when things get so busy, but I guess we've gotta' think of the money," He said. "It would have been nice if Astarte had been around to help. Would have appreciated some of that Healing stuff, too."

The pair walked up to the bar and sat on stools. Hector looked around to see how many people were sharing the room, and if any of them seemed to stand out.

Mortal lets out a sigh of relief and looks at Euryale, "We got him. He's going away."

--

Gabe finishes with Ven's hair and smiled, "Well, you're going to have to do more than hope. Just remember what Euryale and I taught you, and you should do fine. And, just, try to ignore any negative feedback from the audience, just in case."

*Ven turns around, visibly shocked.*

"You think they're going to hate me?"
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*People stand up & begin filing out of the courtroom while murmuring about the verdict. Euryale still looks worried.*

E"Yeah...I hope he'll stay that way."

*Elsewhere in the room, Roatha stands up.*

R"Yeah...I, too, regret coming to this thing."
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*The Dumbass Duo are the only people in the bar. A bartender in short sleeves, an apron, & a deerstalker hat approaches from behind the bar.*

<Can I get you gentlemen anything?>
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*In the comic, a young Aang is in a misty swamp, stating that he feels shameful at being unable to master the Avatar State. He is talking to Roku, a Fire Nation Avatar, who explains to him, in flashback, that he himself had attempted to use the solstice sun to enter the Avatar State. It seemed to work, but he ended up being unable to exit the State, & destroyed the Fire Temple roof before he could be forced out of it. It also has a trivia question.*

"Where did Aang, along with his friends Katara and Sokka, first learn about the past Avatars?"

"Of course not," Gabe said, "The crowds are just known to be fickle. They'll love you one second and point out all your flaws at the next. If you're not careful things like that can come to really hurt. I just want you to try to ignore some of the more negative things that get said."

--

"Agreed," Mortal said. She then smiled slightly, "Cheer up though. We got him, and if he gets out we'll just put him right back in."

"He is away, at least," Astarte tried to switch to sound optimistic, standing up with him.

"Just water for me, thanks," Hector said.

Dalia listened for what would be following this coverage.

*The bartender pulls a couple of swords out from behind his back. He slaps the water on with one, then swings both swords over to pick a cup up like a pair of tweezers. He moves it under the facet, sliding it across the table when it's sufficiently full. With the hilt, he turns the water back off, as he puts the swords together & re-sheathes them behind his back.*

<Anything else?>
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Reporter<We'll be taking reactions to the verdict. Ma'am, were you surprised?>

Woman<Even if they say he's guilty, life in prison is just such a waste.>

Reporter<He was declared guilty of several counts of attempted murder.>

Woman<He said it was an elaborate conspiracy by our incompetent, drug-addled police force.>

Reporter<He did say that, yes.>
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"Oh...I see...."

*She looks out the window to see that a group of men with mops & brooms are on the arena, cleaning it up.*

"It looks like they're getting the ring ready."
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*Euryale thinks that Mortal's logic is insane & happenstance, like that of a troll, but she tries to put on a happy, optimistic appearance.*

E"Yes...yes of course."

*Suddenly, Roathstarte.*

R"Yeah. That one guy certainly won't be seeing the light of day again, at the rate he's going."

E"Voland."

Astarte inclined her head slightly in greeting.

"Oh, wow, that is quite a talent," Hector accepted his water. "That will be all, though. If I could ask a few questions though? Are you busy?"
Eduj looked down at the floor for a moment to see what it was covered with.

Dalia stifled a little chuckle and checked the time.

"Hello you two?" Mortal said, "And what about Voland? He is going away to jail too."

--

"Indeed they are," Gabe said, "It is almost game time."

--

Noct was chillin' in the upper class seating, which I assume would be the owner's sky box.

*Tirea stretches before sitting down on the nearest bench*
---
*Eve bits her lip*

The Southern Air Temple?

*She checks for an answer*

R"The joke was that he'll never get out. Because he's really old."
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*This is correct.*
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*The floor is tiled in a dark color.*

<Thanks, the skill is a requirement to be employed here. Anyway, shoot.>
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"So what do we do until the game begins?"
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*It is now about 6 PM.*

Reporter<So, what do you plan to do now?>

Woman<We were thinking of marching on police headquarters, & rioting.>