Official pro-bending matches are held in Republic City's Pro-bending Arena, a large glass-domed building located at the end of a pier extending into Yue Bay. As a testament to the sport's popularity, this building's exterior has a golden appearance and is lit at night, making it a prominent city landmark. The arena is spacious enough to hold the pro-bending ring on which the combatants compete, a large pool of water far below the ring, and great numbers of spectators. It has been rebuilt and revamped its its destruction years ago and has returned as one of the greatest attractions to the city.
Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 11:12 pm
Anika actually liked Pro Bending. She was sitting the middle of a giant crowd of people who's attention was completely given to the platform in the center of the building. The current teams were unknown to her though, some purple bannered guys and gals against an ugly shade of yellow. A nasty hit to the face with a strong blast of water and someone was tumbling over the edge of the ring. The roar from the crowd was deafening, but Anika really only needed her eyes for this. It was so interesting how people had completely altered the traditional styles of fighting. In this arena there were hardly theatrics pulled off. Quick jabs and rapid movement was necessary here. She could appreciate the unique forms that had been born from such a sport. Even so, there was no doubt in her mind that put in to a situation she could take all players from both teams at the same time in a battle to the death. There were no rules in war, and Anika could be ruthless if she needed to. Two blows from earthen discs knocked another one off the back end and successive blasts of fire pinned the last opponent down. The heartbeat of the mass of people hammered with excitement and thrummed with a primal satisfaction when the final player was knocked right off as well. The purple team won their final round and now they would be between matches. Moving like a leaf on the wind the woman would make her way to one of the hallways in search of some kind of stall for food. She deftly moved around people and through the throng of sheep, hazel eyes constantly taking in new information. Locks of white hair trailed behind her as her pace never slowed. That was until she spotted a burger vendor.
Odd how even though she had nearly thrown out every other aspect of life as an air nomad except her eating habits. That was a super tough one to break. She gazed upon the greasy mess known as a 'sloppy joe' and grimaced softly. No, she'd pass on that one. Instead she selected some popcorn. As everything happened around her Anika did her best to remain completely unassuming. There were so many people here it was almost like she was invisible. Nothing about her seemed particularly unique. Her clothing reflected that of an average citizen of republic city. Anika wore a tight, white turtleneck sweater with a pair of black pants and boots. A black scarf was wrapped around her neck. All around her there were colors of cultures proudly displayed. A burly man with cut off sleeves was clad almost entirely in green and brown. People were pretty obvious about it, but not Anika. The only thing interesting about her was how very uninteresting she seemed in a crowd full of otherwise unique individuals. Her eyes were on the crowd again as she slowly winded her way back towards the arena, keeping a look out for anyone who may actually prove worthwhile company.
Mei wandered the halls of the bending arena as she looked around at all the different people and little kiosks selling food or team merchandise. It was funny in her nearly ten years of residency in the RC she had never attended a bending match. Why was tonight different? Well a combination of boredom, donated tickets, and possibly even destiny but mostly alcohol. While many of the people simply blended into a crowd she was not one of them. Even if you ignored her darker complexion the bizarre style of clothing, clearly custom made, combined with her wild hair colors she was immediately marked as a different. As such it was only a matter of time before some of those that took notice actually realized who she was. 'Hey wait isn't that the Lightning Queen?' someone murmured. Here it comes.... she sighed, this was another reason that she'd never come here before. 'I think so but isn't she supposed to be nearly forty? That girl barely looks like she's in her twenties' another whispered back. 'No no I heard that she looks young or something because of all the meditating she does.'
A moment later Mei found herself surrounded by fanboys asking her to sign autographs or go out on a date. She smiled and laughed whiled trying to just move past them but it wasn't working too well. Eventually she pushed past the ring of fans before running around a corner and ducking into the women's restroom to catch a breather. Having apparently given them the slip she breathed a sigh of relief.
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:45 am
In her haste to enter the woman's restroom, the woman probably didn't realize there was another within it as well. A woman with eyes as hard as the stone tiles below her bare feet held an askance look as she watched her sigh. She rose an eyebrow, not in judgement but in slight surprise. When she felt the woman running towards the bathroom, with a mob behind her she assumed that she'd be graced by the presence of a pro bender escaping pining fans. Imagine her surprise to see the all too well known visage of the Lightning Queen. The Earth's Daughter allowed her askance look to melt into one of almost knowing surprise. She herself wore what was considered to be odd clothing, at least here. Back on Kiyoshi no one cared what you wore, so she didn't wear a lot. A sports bra and shorts were actually comfortable clothing for her wherever she ventured, and don't even think about asking if she lost her shoes: No earthbender worth their salt wore shoes.
The hair was a different story altogether of course, but that was a different matter in of itself over all.
She cleared her throat, giving a small wave, but otherwise staying quiet. She lightly stomped and closed her eyes. She giggled a little opening her eyes and putting her lips over her. She stomped a bit harder and pushed with both of her hands and a short exhale. Above them, the ceiling seemed to open, leading a bathroom a floor up, identical with the one the pair were trapped in. With grace only an airbender could have taught her, Ban jumped to the wall, then off of it and up out into the bathroom a floor up. She'd offer a hand to give the girl a lift if she needed it, but she doubted it was necessary. Once she had left the prison, she would close the hole made with a pull of her arms and a nominal level of earthbending, and then she'd audibly sigh. "Well now, that takes care of that. No one's up on this floor, at least anywhere close. Name's Ban Shi Dan, the Earth's Daughter. Pleasure's all mine," she offer with a warming smile and a wink. Mei probably knew of Ban, as most people did after she saved Western Air Temple from collapse, and then proceeded to beat the living hell out of the angru few who had caused the collapse in the first place. She opened the door leading out of the bathroom and stepped into the hall. "So, Lightning Queen," she began interlocking fingers behind her head as she felt the vibrations of people walking about the floor aimlessly as she waited for the bending competition to begin. Deep in her, possibly in the chi, possibly in the Wu-Fu, she felt like something big was going to happen today. That, and she'd hoped to find the Avatar here, but hat was wishful thinking on the whole. Either way it would appear she had no real goal as she stepped with that ingrained swagger and carefree nature forming an easy aura around her for the present. In the crack of a whip she could be all business, but for now everything about her screamed apathy... perhaps aloofness even to how perilous things currently were.
With great power did indeed come great possibilities, even for those without the goal to express it upon the world.
1200/1200
___youwillknownihilism Vice Captain
Offline
A faint smile Vice Captain
Dedicated Friend
Offline
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 11:08 am
What a day this was turning out to be. From her wallflower position Anika could see so much happening. At first she chalked it up to one of the pro-benders having walked out from their quarters but the crowd was much bigger than that. A brief bout of silence halted by whispers of lightning queen before it all erupted once more. That was something she always found distasteful about people. How easily they could succumb to hive mentality and revert to bleating animals in the span of a heartbeat. What did they actually expect from someone like that? An autograph they could cling to and nostalgically remember the time they almost touched Mei Yun? Ugh. It was all so very pathetic. Still, Anika was undercover here. She showed no negative expression upon her face, merely a faint smile. Her popcorn landed neatly in the trash when she spotted yet another interesting woman earth bending her way to a higher level. Wow. It was completely out of place for her to bother with this during a scouting mission and potentially a serious distraction but that woman was drop dead gorgeous. That was something for her to admit. She was very human and had learned to appreciate the pretty things and pleasures in life. It was rare for someone to catch her eyes this hard though. If these two lovely ladies failed as potential prospects for the shadow organization she served then maybe they could at least provide a night of entertainment.
The woman would take her time winding her way up to where the two ladies had gotten off to. She climbed the steps gracefully and turned a corner in search of a bathroom. The beautiful thing about being Anika was that no one actually knew who she was outside of the name "Breathtaker". She had never been a public figure and life in the Chen Rai had made her somewhat of a ghost. Maybe at some major disaster there were reports of an air bending woman or talks of one world leader or another suddenly suffocating to death. No one knew what she looked like or what her name even was. Right now she could be absolutely anyone. When she was near the bathroom she caught the name Earth's Daughter she stopped. A smirk would spread across her face. It seemed that Anika was exactly where she needed to be. What were the chances that three out of four of the masters in the entire world were all about to be in the same dingy bathroom at the same time? Astronomical. Knowing she was on the right path encouraged her. So it was just after introductions were made that the white haired woman would walk in with her eyes cast down and then come to a sudden stop when she looked up and saw there were people in this secluded section of the arena.
There was surprise etched on her face at the sight of them. Anika would allow a beat of silence to further the idea that she had no idea that solitude wasn't what would be found up here. "Oh. H-hello." Her voice was soft, not inaudible though. Her wide-eyed expression shifted to a pleasurable excitement and a bright smile was offered to both women. It would be dumb of her to pretend she had no idea who they were especially after the crowd and bending. "What on earth would bring two prominent women such as yourselves to this place? Serendipity, I'd call it. " An inquisitiveness was allowed for her tone, though not to pry. The arena was pretty full today but it wasn't any kind of championship night. That was when it occurred to Anika that maybe, just maybe, one of them knew where the Avatar had squirreled himself away to. Hiding in plain sight possibly? A thrill of excitement shot through her small body. The slightest change in demeanor would be seen then as appearances were taken in. She had heard that the Lightning Queen was eccentric but to see her exemplifying some kind of underground hip-scene was surprising, though not at all disappointing. The fact that Mei had found some fountain of youth was incredible. Despite being over ten years older than Anika she looked just as young as her. The rebellious nature of Mei's appearance appealed to the rebellious nature in Anika. She had turned away from practically every cultural aspect of her heritage and embraced a chaotic new order. A fine appreciation was given, like how one would appraise a beautiful painting of a beautiful woman. Angling her head to the side as for a better look at the rock slinger, the woman would commit Ban Shi Dan's appearance to memory. She was definitely a hard person to forget. In fact Anika would bet that her face would make its way in to her dreams. Too beautiful for this world, really. The most interesting thing about her was how thin she was for an earth bender. As lithe as the air bender seemed it looked like she weighed more than the taller woman. Ban Shi's power must not actually come from physical prowess. One did not achieve the title of master without an awe inspiring level of bending though. Best not to underestimate her. "My name is Ana. I am honored to meet the both of you." Things were destined to become interesting. Anika just had to wait.
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 12:30 pm
The sound of a clearing throat caught her attention as her head turned to the one who had made the sound. Her eyes could easily see that the woman before her had a strong and vibrant chi, meaning she probably wasn't going to be a crazy fan, or at least not the usual kind. No if this meeting was going to be a negative one that would be derived from a request for training. However that too was unlikely. The way she carried herself, the lack of shoes, and the pattern of her energy indicated that she was no fire bender. Indeed the woman before her was most likely an earth bender, though who and what kind she couldn't say. Hmm scanning the ground? What an interesting behavior. Intriguing, who was this woman? A persons chi very rarely if ever lied and combined with her flawless technique the woman was clearly someone of skill. This encounter was not one she had expected to have tonight. Red-gold eyes looked up to the hole in the ceiling that had been opened while the unknown woman jumped her way up there before offering a hand down to Mei.
Not one to make things harder on herself she casually jumped just high enough to grab the woman's hand and let herself be hoisted up to the next floor. After all was said and done Mei found herself smiling at the adventure of it all. "That name reminds me of something..... what was it.... Oh yeah! Now I remember!" she said while slamming a closed right down onto her open left palm. "There was a man named Danshi that asked me out to a place called Banying!" she said excitedly before slowly scratching at the back of her head for a moment with a slight frown while seemingly counting her other hand's fingers. 'Hmm I should probably let him know I can't go.... and the other six too' she sighed quietly. The whole display must have been quite a sight for Ban as this eccentric woman chattered on by herself. Suddenly she brought a hand to her mouth, "Oh my, I can't believe how rude I'm being. It's nice to meet you Ban Shi Dan." she smiled and gave a quick shallow bow. Was this girl really a master bender of nearly forty? She sure didn't seem like it. However before she could lazily introduce herself they were interrupted by a newcomer.
She seemed oblivious at first, this girl with platinum blonde hair. Still she soon realized that others were there as well and after a moment of surprise she seemed to recognize them with some measure of excitement. Mei's eyes were a funny thing though, bright and gentle looking they were rather deceptive about their perceptive ability. This girl was an unknown, but her chi was strong, something reflecting training. What an auspicious occasion this is, to have a world renowned earth bender and fire bender together at the same time as someone like her... but I wonder is this perhaps an inauspicious omen? Only time will tell I suppose she told herself. After the woman's question and offered guess of chance Mei smiled while resting her hands inside pockets on the back of her pants. "I've found that rarely in life is something chance, we tend to be where things need us to be when we are needed there." she offered almost jokingly in a sort of mock sage voice. "Nice to meet you Ana it's always fun to meet new friends, I'm Mei Yun and I'd offer your some tea but our present location isn't really suited to such a thing."
{Location: Women's Bathroom |Chi Levels: 1200 |With: Ban Shi Dan, Ana}
XXXXXXXXXXXXAVATAR HAN Not as the Avatar did Han arrive - but instead as a persona forged to protect him from peering eyes. He was Wei Long to the others here, a sturdy earthbending man from Guangshi to the Southeast. The artists of Zaofu did his make-up, giving his skin a darker more caramel-brown shade and his hair a slicked, brown and fashionably rugged appearance. As someone from the Earth Kingdom, and as a nomad for all his life, he was well versed in the dialects and demeanor of people from different areas of the land. All-in-all, his disguise was well, and it would take an expert of investigation to even begin to discover that perhaps he was not who he said he was. Of course - there were others here that were not what they said they were, and he had begun to decipher that as well. For example, there was a commotion about how three bending masters were coming to the tournament. Would they form a team together, many asked? Would they fight against one another, providing an epic source of entertainment for the masses? Personally Avatar Han did not find that Probending was a true gauge of one's bending skills. It was a particular sport. In this area, a Master could be defeated even by a student. It was all up to their adaptiveness to the new set of rules.
"Wei Long", of course, was allegedly an esteemed earthbender from Guangshi. He was the man who repaired the great stone bridge of Ton Mu Teng, allowing the people of Guangshi to once again safely travel to Ba Sing Se for trade and education. In reality that was Pao Long, the Avatar's close friend, though the man did not appreciate the stardom that came from being the one to repair the bridge. He passed the honors to Han to do with however he liked.
Of course, some of the girls and even boys swooned over Wei and how he entered - with a tank top revealing his nicely colored biceps and his chest through the outline of his shirt. He acted like a total charmer, a celebrity face that said everything right to the microphone for the Republic City listeners at home. Han could only remark in his mind that he might have been more liked as Wei Long than as Avatar Han. Of course, either way he was not as well known as you'd expect. The Probending Arena had only recently opened, and so no Probender yet had found true stardom among the hearts of the people of the city.
As he spoke to fans of the game and those excited for his entry, his actual focus shifted to the other players in the game - and specifically to one white-haired woman . . . it's her! he lamented in his mind. It was the one who tried to slay him, who had wrecked his train coming towards Zaofu - who had killed all of those innocents and his defenders. He could not recall her name if she'd ever even spoken it, but he would not forget her face. She had looked him deeply in the eyes and stood over his failing body as she sought out his demise. However, so much as he was afraid of this woman discovering him and attempting to finish the job, he could not be distracted by the positive prospects that existed around him. There were others here that interested him, too, people that could very potentially provide a boon. He had heard that the legendary Ban Shi Dan was here, a Matron of Earthbending Arts in her own right. While Avatar Han had begun developing new styles such as the Open Palm, Ban Shi had already mastered others. He was excited to find where she might be. And so Wei Long moved through the crowd, spoke to fans, and searched for others who would provide him with what he wanted - a team for Probending, to keep up his guise while he gained wealth, practice and information on other famous benders in Republic City.
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 6:22 am
Ban watched the woman's face as it went through three separate stages of emotion and held that warming smile, flashing bright teeth ever so slightly. She was a card, this one. She'd heard this woman was twice her age, and that she looked young, but never had she thought that perhaps the woman acted in such a way. It was refreshing compared to all of the dry, dull characters that passed through her life here and there. She sort of floated along through the world for most of her life, studying air benders and water benders as well as learning of the disciplines of fire. She was well versed to be so young, but never had she let go of her youth, her jovial nature. In a world as crazy as this one, it was nice to meet another one so like her in some ways. When she introduced herself Ban gave a light bow after their hand shake and felt the crowd growing down the halllway with people approaching them. Of the group was Anika, who until reaching the group didn't register as special in her vibration sensing. Everyone had their own signature in their feet, the way they walked. Anika was lightfooted, much like the nomads she had spent time with in the Western Air temple, and not too different from the ones she spent less time with in the east. But if she spent too much time analyzing footsteps she'd never move. Most of it simply went in and out of her brain. But air benders, as of late, had been on her mind after what happened in Zaofu. She turned to see the woman, wide eyed, smiling like herself. She returnd the look in kind, feeling especially friendly today.
"Well, what kind of bender wouldn't wanna be a part of the pro bending league," she replied looking out through an oepning where people could go to their seats and look down upon the arena. It was one of two reasons, actually, why Ban had decided to come to the town that had made leaps and bounds of progress, even if it was loud and there were a lot of things going on at any given time. The other reason was that, much like Anika, she was on the look out for Han. It was clear to here that balance was completely out of whack, and that Han was in the greatest danger than any Avatar in history. Just as mankind was in danger greater by far than anyone was aware. Long gone was the time that Ban could be passive and uncaring as one of the four masters. It was high time the Earth's Daughter acted like an Earthbender. Still, in the now she bowed to Ana and clapped. "So nice to be meeting new people. Say, you wouldn't happen to be an airbender would you? I don't mean to pry but their's something in the way you walk, Ana." she said as her toes tapped the ground and she narrowed her eyes looking her over, biting the tongue. "The three of us could make a Pro Bending team of our own! No way to get to know someone like watching them bend, right? And I'm sure super stardom would get us through any formalities. What do yah say?" she asked the two directly.
1200/1200
___youwillknownihilism Vice Captain
Offline
Imperial Flow
Offline
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 6:44 am
"Did you all have fun today?" All of his students jumped for joy and bowed to there master. With mixtures of "o yeah" or "Of course we did" and other things they all said, Soha was relieved that everyone had a good time once the matches were over. Getting up from his seat Soha's white and blue robe would follow towards his legs as he stood, "Alright everyone, lets get back home now!" Soha ordered. All of his students were saddened that they couldn't stay in republic city any longer but they had already been there for a few days. Since everyone had passed the training course, Soha decided to bring everyone to the pro bending area to watch some matches. They had always heard about the events but never got the chance to see them living so far away.
As the group walked with Soha up the stairs and into the main area of the area where food venders and small shops were located, maybe he would be able to let them get one last chance at having fun before the dreadful ride home. Soha looked to Liliko, the leading student of the class, and assistant. grabbing his bag, Soha placed it in Liliko's hands and smiled. "Everyone may buy one thing before we leave" he smiled. keeping his arms within his robes, allowing the sleeves to rest at his sides, Soha watched his students scatter about the area looking for anything they could buy and take home. How wonderful youth was.
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:53 pm
Anika played along nicely with their little chat. Everyone wanted to be polite and upbeat so that was what she was. Being honest with herself it would have been better if they had not been in this area, dirty with grime and sweat from way too many different people. Not once had she even touched the walls nor did she ever intend to. The woman would offer a laugh in response to Mei, a sound akin to chimes ringing in a light summer breeze. Even if it had been a joke Anika would like to think she really was in the right place at the right time. What had first started out as a simple expedition in to the wild underground of Republic City ended up being a great opportunity for knowledge gathering. These masters were the stuff of legends. Their exploits told in stories that grew in exaggeration each time they were shared. Seeing them in person would bring clarity to it all. Knowing what they were capable of would lead to Anika knowing if these women would pose a threat to her or if they could become powerful allies. "Well then I am glad that I am needed here. I doubt I could be with more interesting company right now." That much was at least true. While there was little trust betwixt the three of them in this moment whatever happened next would surely be interesting. When Ban bowed to her the gesture would be returned in kind with a slight curtsy. Her question didn't catch Anika off guard though, she usually had plans for situations like this. A sadness entered those hazel eyes as she looked briefly to the ground and shook her head. When she looked back up it seemed that she was trying to be strong about something. "No, actually. I used to be a dancer. My company and I would travel the world visiting the oldest and most cultured towns to try and watch how they would bend their elements. Its beautiful how different their forms are. Earth. fire, water, air; all possessing unique patterns and tones. I learned them all, but I guess it was the elegant air style that stuck with me." The way she spoke made it seem like she was wistfully waltzing through old memories and a past life. It would suffice to explain her graceful and delicate steps, now to solidify the facade she was putting up. On the inside she was calm and unwavering with the lie. That talent had become as easy as breathing to her. "An...injury has kept me from performing for the past year. I've been recovering." She let an awkward silence pervade them before moving on to show that she was okay with what had happened. An incredulous look crossed her face as she waved a hand through the air. "Besides, I would only hold you two back! All I know from bending is what I've seen from others. I'm afraid if I was on a team we wouldn't get very far." As fun as the prospect seen she had not come here to play games with the girls and gain a fandom. That would work completely against her goal anyway. Keeping the Breathtaker as naught but a whisper was how she was able to move around freely like this. If people knew who she was and what she looked like then it would be a rare thing for her to be able to enter a city without a hundred benders chasing her down. The Chen Rai were expecting something of her and she would not forget why she actually came here. Anika clasped her hands behind her back and gazed out towards the arena. The next match would be starting soon. Turning back to her newfound 'friends' she gestured out to the seating area. "Shall we find seating for the coming match? I'd like to see the last one before its over." She sounded excited to see it, as anyone currently here would be else why would they have come. Sadly though, not a single one of these probenders had caught her eye. They were bending merely to play a game, their skills were sub-par compared to those filling the ranks of the Chen Rai.
"You have a very pretty laugh Ana" she smiled while just sort of rocking back and forth on her heels a little bit. Hands still inside her rear pockets she rocked silently seemingly not knowing what else to say as she waited for Ana's response to the questions posed to her. A dancer? Interesting, but why would a dancer have such strong chi? A lie most likely but, not really any of my business. Perhaps she doesn't like to talk about her culture just as I don't she thought while her expression and mannerisms remained unchanging. "Like a perennial flower I'm sure you'll bloom again Ana" Mei offered before ceasing her movement and turning to Ban. "Oh my I think I'm with Ana on this one, I'd rather not embarrass myself with the whole city listening Ban. Fire bending really isn't my jam let alone in such a face paced environment." In reality Mei simply had no desire to associate with Ban as the media circus was sure to grow as the result of such a thing. It was hard enough to find quiet time for meditation without adding more attention to the mix. As it stood she was quite okay with her current level of attention.
At the mention of finding seats she would nod while walking into the actual arena area. As she looked around some people cheered and called out to her. With a smile and a wave or the occasional blown kiss she'd reject them. Having been in Republic City for about ten years now she had quite the following in this growing culture of celebrity and yet somehow it was still less irritating than the nobles of the capital. These people were excited just to see her and something as simple as a wave could make their day. While bothersome in the end it was nice to be able to help people get through their days even if she was only a distraction from their problems. As she walked down the aisles and scanned the area for seats her eyes caught something, unusual. Hmm? Is that spirit energy over there? Now that's interesting, but not something I wish to deal with. So probably best not to stick around here. Suddenly she stopped walking and slapped her own forehead with her palm. "What a total dummy, I can't believe I forgot this but the two tickets I got gifted to me are for seats in a private viewing box. Aww but there's three of us..... and only two tickets....." she spoke with dismay before her eyes lit up again. "Say, I honestly don't know a single thing about pro bending and since you seem like such fans why don't you girls just take my tickets?" she'd say while pulling them out from a pouch strapped to her leg so that the two of them could take the tickets.
{Location: Main Arena Seating|Chi Levels: 1200 |With: Ban Shi Dan, Ana}
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 8:31 pm
She felt it through the floor. A flutter in the heart that couldn't be turned off, not easily anyway. She rose her eye brows as the woman told herself as a dancer. Ban would have believed it. The woman looked like she could carry grace on the dancefloor just as she did in her steps. But that flutter in her heart told ban a whole different story. Either way she would buy into the story. "I'm from Kiyoshi, at least originally. I learned, for a short time, to be a warrior there. Dancing and fighting are not so different, especially for benders. Alas, I cut my lessons short because in my youth I wanted to travel the world with my Badgermole Gnar. But I digress," she gave as the group began to move, her hands locking behind her head again, revealing a toned bit of muscle about her arms and allowing her smooth but still somehow strong midriff to show. She stepped over rocks, around trash as they looked for seats, eyes all but blank though she was aware of everything with each somewhat loud step she took. It was deliberate, and weather people took notice made no matter to her.
She was still searching, still looking for any sign that someone could be here that she was looking for. The people waving at the pair did nothing to distract her; all the same she waved back however. About when Mei turned to the group to speak Ban let her dark eyes fall upon her and heard her words. She grinned at the woman. Though she offered the tickets up, Ban honestly didn't want to take them. She usually watched from up in the rafters since it took little effort for her to get there. She'd been caught once or twice, but it made no difference since once the people recognized her she'd bat an eyebrow, flutter an eyelash and get away with murder. "Oh I couldn't take those from you, really," she began. She was cut off by something. A rumble in the floor no one else caught. She became deadly serious, looking over her shoulder past Anika. She would close her eyes and give a hearty stomp, lowering her heads as the world was painted in her mind differently. Metal railing carried the vibraiton all around the stadium, it rumbled through the earthen arean's stands, to both floors, above and below. She could see the people attached to the ground and as this perception made its way to the outer halls... she felt it. Something large, with many limbs bending at impossible angles. She opened her eyes with a start and jumped from her position using a small bit of earthbending, right back out to where they had been.
A scream sounded just before she landed, a second too late to save the woman who was now merely a blood stain crushed under the many limbed creature. "Spirit! Why are you harming people?" she challenged steeping forward and splitting her arms as the creature, barely able to fit in the hall approached. The motion pushed a bit of stone up from the floor and split it at either side, pinning most of it's limbs to either wall. A nonsensical roar was her only response as another scream echoed from behind her. Another spirit had appeared around the corner. This, as far as her vibration senses told her, was only the beginning. She had to act... or innocents would die. The other spirit spew something akin to a screech from its maw, a gutteral sound that defied what she thought was possible for a living being. A chill crawled up her spine as the one she was restraining broke free and approached her. She needed to get this thing out of the hallway before civilians got hurt. It lunged and Ban dove forward, sliding under the creature as it all but wrecked the ceiling. She grasped at falling rocks with her bending and slammed the rocks down over the spirit. She kicked her foot out to the side, the wall beside it collapsed over it, revealing the situation to the civilians, who immediately went into a panic. With all her might she held the rocks down on top of the thrashin creature as people ran. In the air above a flock of flying spirits, similar to that one, flew in. Ban sucked her teeth using her free hand to launch the metal railings at the side of one of the encroaching aerial spirits, impaling it and sending it out of the way as people began to run away towards the exits. That moment of distraction provided enough time for the spirit to lash out and slap down the hallway. She hit the ground hard, digging into it seemingly out of impact but really because she was allowing herself to slip out of its view.
As for the water bender, he would turn to find one of his students brutally impaeld through the neck by a spirit remnant of an angry armadillo with spikes lining his back. Sensing the chi in Soha, the beastial thing made a beeline for him, moving surprisingly fast.
1200/1200
___youwillknownihilism Vice Captain
Offline
A faint smile Vice Captain
Dedicated Friend
Offline
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 9:35 pm
Mei leaving was not a change she wanted in this scene. Having two of three other masters in the world right here with her had made things convenient. Now she had to make a choice and decide who it was to spend the night with. Luckily for Anika the earth bender had already politely declined. She followed suit and held a hand up to her chest while shaking her head. "I could never take something from someone without having done something to earn it." That was actually not a lie. Even though she did often steal things Anika considered it her earning it because she had to do something for it. This situation was different though and she was trying to portray someone polite. A sudden shift in the air had the woman glancing out of the corner of her eye. Ban had become deathly serious and started focusing after a rigorously performed stomp. Anika knew what she was doing. The bender was sending a vibration out in to the building to 'see' what was happening. This ability had been explained to her before and numerous times had Ani seen it in battle. The earth bender would receive a feedback of sorts from that initial vibration. It would reverberate and come back to them, painting a kind of picture of whatever made contact with the tremor. Anika stepped back to make way for the earth bender just before she launched herself through the air, having felt the disturbance just as it was happening. Wind rushed past her and carried her gaze to where it all was happening.
Maybe if this was the first dead body she had ever seen would Anika have been phased by the woman being crushed. Hell, this wasn't even the hundredth body she had seen. But this would have to be the first body Ana had seen. So gathering all her theatric abilities honed over years of subterfuge Anika pretended to be absolutely horrified. She took a step back from the whole thing as if that would help her but the chaos had already spread. People were running over each other trying to escape and creating a serious blockade at the stairs. Now if at any point she felt herself to be in any real danger there was always the option to literally just fly the hell out of there. Anika was not all that worried though. What she had to focus on was not giving herself away to the wrong people. More screams from the staircase and as if they had been the theme song for it a spirit came hurtling up, blowing people back with its fantastic strength. She could feel the waves on her body, the rushing of the winds and knew where to step. Bending her torso slightly back and twisting to the left the air master deftly avoided being slammed in to by someone's hurtling body. She wound up closer to the Lightning Queen and 'accidentally' bumped in to her as if she had took a wrong step.
Now there were so many options. They could make an escape together down the hall and away from the spirit. A lot of people would die, not that Anika cared. There were already a few brave benders trying to fight but at their level any blow they landed would feel like a tickle to these angered spirits. She decided at that point she would follow Mei's lead. Should it be completely needed Ani could always stick to traditional bending. It would be feasible to assume that an airbending woman would not want her abilities to be known because not long ago the Avatar was attacked by someone of that same description. So long as she never had to use Breathless then it would be fine. "Mei! What do we do?" Maybe her voice didn't sound as terrified as it should have been but excitement had flooded her body. She had a morbid fascination with all things fighting and there was so much of it going on around her. Through the windows in to the arena she could see benders trying to beat back the spirits and fail mostly. A beat of elation would flood her every time one of them was beaten or otherwise eradicated by these angry spirits. They had no idea what to really do against them. Surely they were horrified at how impotent they were. Surely now they would see how futile their attempts at living were. It took a second for her to tear her eyes away from it all but when she did a look of faith was given to Mei. Ana was trusting in the older woman to figure out a plan.
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 6:21 am
Modesty can be such a pain sometimes, occasionally good people should indulge someone else's kind gesture. Of course I suppose fate is a strange mistress. Long before even Ban decided to scan the area Mei had sensed the disturbance. Each dark spirit which entered the physical world created an imbalance in the energies around them, it was like the ripples in a still pond to her senses. However before she was able to comment Ban jumped into the fray while the dark spirits began their assault. A drop of chi was obliterated as a woman's screams reached her ears. This assault is disturbing, I've never encountered something like this before. It's almost like an organized attack.... against humans
"If a hunter becomes a raging avalanche then chaos ensues while dinner escapes, but if you are like the patient hog monkey you may snatch a tasty treat when the farmer is oblivious" Mei sighed as the spectators panicked and fled in a disorganized manner once elements and spirit attacks started flying. As Ana bumped into her, Mei's hands steadied the woman as her face bore a calming smile. "Stay behind me and you'll be fine Ana." With that said the old master seemed to glide past her towards the beast in front of them. Although I'm sure you'd be fine without me. Still, much like a perennial flower the truth always comes to the surface she thought idly as her left hand started to circle gently at the wrist, index and middle finger extended outward. As she moved it almost seemed like others moved around her to the point where she easily and simply walked through the panicked masses. The spirit roared as she approached it with a calm steady walk. The numbers and size may have been different but how to solve this issue was no different than the incident on Ember Island.
Her right hand was suddenly thrust back in a sweeping motion as her left was shot forward, two fingers still out stretched. A cream colored light encircled the demon as her left wrist continued to cause her hand to circle. Soon the light formed a wobbling spinning ring as as the yang energy in the spirit was brought back into balance via the siphoning of it's dark energy and the addition of positive yin energy. Slowly the spirit's natural coloration began to return and soon the process was finished. Now returned to balance the spirit soon vanished from normal sight before departing back to the spirit world.With the spirit now dispersed the surrounding crowed began to flow at least a little bit more orderly through the exit.
Mei too moved into the hall Ban could probably handle herself, if only at great expense to the arena owner. That was of little consequence to Mei as material possessions were fleeting and replaceable. What did concern her was a fourth source of great chi surrounded by developed but smaller ones. One which had already been destroyed. "Ban you got that right?" she beamed, practically sticking her tongue out to match her youthful smile while Ana followed close behind her. "By the way Ban these spirits aren't angry really, they've been forced out of balance, chatting is gonna be kind of pointless" Any of the smaller spirits which got in her way were easily and quickly converted as she approached the water bending master. Hmm why hasn't he dispersed the spirits here yet? Don't tell me one with chi as strong as his doesn't know the water tribe's method of spirit cleansing?
{Location: Outer Halls|Chi Levels: 1150 / 1200 |With: Ban Shi Dan, Ana, Soha}
The moments Soha realized something was happening, his chi picked up a massive amount of chi forming in the arena. Turning around, Soha's eye widen as his arms came out off his sleeves. The sight of Liliko being pierced through the neck...by a spirit...The sight was horrifying, this was something he had never seen before, not to someone close to him, not like this. The spirit creature had set its sights on Soha and now his face was that of something else. The students around him had never seen this face before and they all feared what was going to happen next as they all cried. With all of the memory's of Liliko rushing through his mind, he placed both palms in front of him as he started to rotote them up and down, left to right, while pivoting on his left foot. Soha stole all of the water from the food stands and Kiosk and began to collect and expand the water as the spirit got closer and closer. Shooting the water forward in a large wave type blast, the spirit would become covered in water, in that very instant, the water would turn to ice instantly freezing the creature in its tracks right as it was a few feet away from Soha. Even if this was a spirit, the ice from a water bending master was not easy to break out of. Even though the spirit was still aware of what was going on, it would not be allowed to move at this time.
Leaving this spirit for the time being, Soha noticed the kids had recovered Liliko's body. They all cried tears over her, while her dead gazed stared up at them. The water bending students tried there hardest to heal the wound through her neck. Soha slowly walked over as he placed his heads on two of the students heads. "She's with the moon now." was all he could really say, but that didn't stop all the water tribe bending children tears from falling. Today the water tribe lost a smart young child to the hands of a spirit, Soha's right hand during his lessons, the one who took care of the group when Soha wasn't there, the big sister to all these children. The anger built up in Soha but he understood that the children.. were more important right now. Taking off his water tribe robe, he moved in more past the students, closing Liliko's eyes, he would place his robe over her body as he closed his eyes and and prayed. "I'm sorry i couldn't save you...Liliko..".
