Endgame

Astarte looked guilty, "Ah, sorry, we weren't hitting anything, I mean, just practising..."

"You there," Eduj called out to Tirea. Hector started jabbing at Stefan with the arm holding his water whip. It uncoiled in sections as he jabbed, sending the end further as Stefan blocked it in a boxing stance with small flames around his fists.

Dalia dived under a table and popped up on the other side, throwing a fire whip towards Kane's face with one hand while growing a large fireball in the other.

Noctis stands, "I was actually about to suggest we continue this elsewhere." With that, Noctis motions towards wherever the back courtyard is.

--

"Thanks," Mortal said in response to Roatha.

<Ms. Aurora has a training room, of course. However, I actually have her on hold. She wants to speak with Ms. Talea.>
================================
*And so they're trekking back through the dark tunnels again.*

E"I don't sense any more people down here. I don't know if that means they're gone, though."

V"...Do you really think you can learn Metalbending on such short notice?"
=============================
*He lets the wall fall apart in chunks.*

<Getting better.>

<Who were on the motorcycles?>

<The Purists, or Equalityists, or whatever they're calling themselves now. But their new equipment, it's...well, the bolas were old hat, but those motorcycles are definitely top of the line. And I don't know what's up with those masks.>

<Some kind of darkvision, we think. Don't know how it works, but they've been attacking our patrols, mostly in the dead of night.>
===============================
*Kane ducks, grabbing the table with his cable & yanking it up into the air. Sirens can be heard approaching the building.*

Noctis smiled, feeling like she should have known Keter would have a training room in her home. "Right, well, I apologize Astarte, but I must take this," Noct said before turning to the attendant, "Please show me to the phone."

--

Mortal just follows along, holding onto Euryale, and contemplating how she was going to hurt Kane when they met again.

"Oh, of course," Astarte nodded. "Thanks for the help."

When Hector had extended the whip as far as possible Stefan met it with a short, strong burst of fire from the end of his fist, then swung up into it further down the length with a firey punch which split it, and followed up his punches with a sidewards kick that sent a thin arc of fire at Hector himself. Hector ducked to the ground to avoid it and shot back up to one knee, making a grabbing motion at seemingly nothing. The water which had splattered to the ground after Stefan's punches shot back up and hit him in the cheek. Hector held up his hand to make a 'stop' signal and put out any of Stefan's flames that had spread.

Dalia threw her fireball at Kane.

*Eve points back to where the tunnel had opened up*

<They were trying to drag use into a tunnel that opened up over there. you might want to investigate it.>
===
Tirea:<Yeah?>
===
*Monu also checks with Seismic Sense, just to make sure*

<(I hope so.)>

*The assistant leads them down the hall, stopping at a phone that's off the hook. She turns to Astarte.*

<The training room is further down this hall.>
=================================
*Eventually, the group piles into the foyer.*

R"Where's Astarte?"

E"Want to show her your tool? Be real embarrassing if it's a short sword."

R"What?"

E"Just don't ask her to polish it on the first date."

R"Are you...implying implications...?"

E"Careful, you could put an eye out with that thing."

R"Stop."
===========================
*Kane drags the table in front of him to block it & then kicks it at her at a high velocity.*
===========================
<We'll send a memo back to headquarters. Right now, we need to continue on to the safe house.>

Eve:<Alright, let's try and stay together this time.>
---
*Monu smiles*

<Roatha, stop reading too much into things.>

Mortal giggled a bit before saying, "If she was going to be training she is probably in the dojo I saw last night."

--

Noct puts the phone to her ear and says, "Hello, this is Noctis speaking."

"Thank you," Astarte hurried down the hall to the training room and looked around inside.

"Can I help you?" Eduj asked, pointedly glancing around the hall she was apparently standing in.

Hector and Stefan started again, this time Stefan taking the offensive.

Dalia tried to leap out of the way.

Keter<Noctis. What is going on? I am hearing strange stories over the radio. All of the news stations in Republic City claim that your police friends are conspiring with the Triple Threats, & that you yourself are under investigation for being in the Red Monsoons...did I just hear something break?>

*As per below, she sees the others rounding the corner.*
==============================
*Astarte finds herself in a room much like [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], but of course in Fire Nation reds & golds, & with more Fire Nation weapons instead of tapestries or plants. In addition to fluorescent lights, the room is also lined with candles near the ceiling, though they are currently unlit. All surfaces appear to be covered with some kind of rubber material, with odd metal rods occasionally sticking out of the ceiling, & a fire extinguisher on the east wall. The assistant eventually walks up behind her.*

<For training dummies, Ms. Aurora uses a series of sturdy metal poles adorned with classical Fire Nation armor. The pads on the floor can be rearranged, revealing holes that allow these dummies to be secured in various patterns. She also has a number of other exercise equipments, besides the weapons that you see in this room.>

*She heads over to a closet & opens it, revealing the aforementioned dummies, a medicine ball, leg & arm weights, various types of chains/ropes/cords, & so on.*
===================================
*Kane then picks up another table & throws it at her.*
===================================
*Roatha stops giving Monu a dirty look to smile at Mortal as they walk down the hall.*

R"Great, we can train together!"

E"Are you sure you know how to use that thing safely?"

R"Oh, come on, you worry too much. It's like riding a bike, you never forget."

*As he talks, he generates a short blade of flame & makes a few cutting & stabbing motions. As he performs the finishing swipe, he decapitates a bust of Keter.*

R"...But maybe you shouldn't stand near me when I use it. Just in case."

*Staring at it, he shakes his hand until the flames disappear. Ven had the good sense to follow from several steps back. Rounding the corner, they spot Noctis on the phone.*
=================================
*The police look resentful at being patronized, but eventually take her to a small penthouse with not too many windows. The apartment is decorated in a water tribe aesthetic, with shaggy blue carpet resembling waves; black-topped counters supported by thin, arched white legs; & pictures of the capitols of the Northern & Souther tribes, & their various landmarks, adorning the walls.*

<This will be the safe house.>

Mortal smiled back, "That would be great, just try not to break anything else. I'm not sure we can afford to replace anything."

--

Noctis frowned, unsure of how to answer, "Well... the stories are greatly exaggerating. There is a corrupt police officer trying to stage a coup, and is doing his best to discredit his opponents. Namely Euryale and Mortal, and their friends, of which I am one, but also Chief Bei Fong. Also, I'm not sure what that sound was."

Mortal hearing the tail end of Noct's call, says, "Oh, that noise? I think I saw Stefan knock something over in the hall."

Tirea:<Not really.>

*With that, she heads off to join the returnees*
---
*Eve doesn't feel bad, since they kind of deserve it*

<Alright, thank you.>

*Roatha snickers at mention of Stefan & whispers, "Thanks for covering." Noctis hears an irritated sigh, along with the distinct "swoosh" of fire.*

Keter<Who is...Stefan?>

E"Is that Keter? I can field any questions that she might have."
===============================
<We will be in some of the other rooms, on-call if you need us.>

*Eve nods, sitting down in the nearest chair*

<Thank you.>
---
Tirea:<(What happened?)

Astarte took it all in, looking a bit overwhelmed, "I see... thank you..."

Stefan knocked Hector's feet out from under him before Hector raised the 'stop' signal and they fixed the garden in places their combat had affected it. Eduj came back from the hall and sat down on the stone bench.

Dalia tried to leap out of the way again and bring herself closer to the door.

"Euryale is here," Noctis said, "And she can probably answer that question better than I can, would you like me to put her on?"

Mortal smiled, and gave Roatha a thumbs up.

*Instead, she is hit with a table. While it's on top of her, Kane stomps towards her, knocking over the other tables in his way.*
================================
*And so they fuck off, giving her the key.*
================================
R"Nothing, we got what we needed without incident. Oh, but I guess they fucked up Mortal's & Euryale's apartment."

<As long as somebody sees fit to explain things to me.>
================================
<I'd offer to help you, but I'm not really qualified to use half of this stuff. Keter is stronger than she looks.>

Noct hands over the phone to Euryale, then says to Mortal, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Mortal shook her head, "It is fine, just more reason to drive my fist through Kane's face."

Tirea:<(Hey, at least no one got hurt.)>
---
*And so Eve stares out a window, assuming there is one*

"That's okay, I'll figure something out," Astarte smiled at the assistant.

Dalia heaved the table off of herself and sat up, pushing herself backwards and away from Kane.

<It's over. Just lie face-down with your hands behind your head, & get ready to join your parents in jail!>
==============================
*And so the assistant heads out.*
==============================
R"Well, physically, no. Euryale's got this shrine in her room that they smashed up. She didn't seem to take it very well."

V"Angering the Spirits is a very foolish action."

*Euryale frowns after taking the phone, but then forces herself to smile & take a pleasant, even tone with Keter.*

E"Hello, Ms. Aurora. This is Euryale."

<Explain.>

E"I'm...sorry, but I just got in, so I don't know what you & Noct were talking about."

<The news says that you're scheming with the Triple Threats. And that Noctis is in the Red Monsoons.>

E"Oh, that. Bizarre lies, told as a cover story. They don't even really make sense, if we were in rival gangs, why would we be teamed up?"

<A cover story for what?>

E"I guess we didn't explain the situation fully. I'm sorry, but we were trying to get off of the streets as quickly as possible. The attacks on Chief Beifong & Saikhan were both orchestrated by an officer named Kane. Apparently, Saxeus & the reinforcements from Ba Sing Se were involved as well. That is the real reason why Senthose tried to kill him. Their plan was to take over the department, & they're now discrediting us, as we are witnesses."

<It seems rather convenient that all of the other witnesses are dead.>

E"No, the Chief & Saikhan survived. Oh, but they are missing. If you want someone to corroborate our story, we did manage to make contact with Councilman Tenzin."
================================
*There are a few windows, which are small, relative to the penthouse. It isn't much of a loss, seeing as they overlook the Dragon Flats, so there isn't much to see. In the distance, Harmony Tower is visible. As the afternoon wanes, activity is gradually returning to the city streets...particularly cyclists with dark jumpsuits & helmets.*

*Eve sighs, wishing she had brought her research*
===
*Monu and Tirea wait silently*

"We'll fix the shrine before any angry spirits come seeking retribution," Mortal said.

"I should hope so," Noctis said, "We know how that song and dance goes..."

Astarte rummaged through the closet, looking at the various tools and trying to put names on them, and giving each weight an experimental lift. She finally took out a dummy and tried to find a spot to place it.

As they struck and parried, Stefan suddenly dropped into a wide stance and stretched his arms out, one pointing back and the other at Hector with two fingers outstretched. Eduj stomped a foot from his position on the bench and the ground under Stefan's foot twisted. Hector froze all of his water without thinking and bashed it into Stefan's stomach. Stefan stumbled but just caught himself, and the lightning flickered at his fingers without releasing.
"What do you think you're doing?" Hector demanded.
Stefan made a sour face, "What do you think? Practising."
"And if you didn't fry the shit out of me you just would have brought the whole house down on us. Both, really," Hector stared him down. Stefan crossed his arms and looked away like an insolent child.

Dalia bit her lip and looked sharply over Kane's shoulder. She suddenly put on a false look of hope and called out, "Do it!"
Whether Kane took the bait and looked or not, Dalia kicked with both legs and launched a blaze at him.