Avatar Rp: Book One: Earth (Closed/Started)

[Muffin Button]

Chi listened to Senji's stories, swapping a few from her travels on the road herself. She was glad to see a couple of the others come in. She saw them greeting Senji and was relieved to see they got on better whem he wasn't firebending everywhere.

"Hi guys! We weren't sure how to sort out the rooms. We heard there was a little shortage earlier, and when we went up, they got the idea that we were a couple, which was a bit awkward!" she laughed.

"I'm also looking into someway to get cleaned up if anyone else has been on the road for a while."

Spoiler: OOC

I'm reasoning that none of the waterbenders want to get their bending water all gunky.

 

[Ruedyn]

Spoiler: OOC

please god someone progress the plot ;_;

 

[Muffin Button]

Spoiler: OOC

I don't mind if we skip forward a little bit to the avatar temple instead of just faffing about sorting rooms out and stuff (though I'd put it to a vote first). It's nice to roleplay casual character interaction, but some people might be holding out for more action before posting.
Might also be worth the gm checking if anyone's dropped out (easy to explain in character at this point - didn't want to do the mission) or if the posts have just slowed down beyond the initial excitement of a new rp.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Back at the teahouse, Daiyu finished her drink and got to her feet, saying, "Well, it's late, guess I should be off to the inn, then. You coming, 'Stone Fist'?" She smirked at Geb as she said this.

 

[Redryhno]

The rest of the day passed quickly enough, each of them treated to a good meal and a warm bed, and introduced all around to each other, some began the forging of new relationships, others just wanted to get the job done and start their rich lives. The twins played whoever wanted a game of traditional Pai Sho, their natural aloofness and arrogance showing through, causing only Monsin to win by the barest of margins. The group slept through the night with no sudden awakenings, no secret ninja police of cabbage-cruelty, nothing, it was a quiet night of the Avatar's birth.

They awoke the next morning and arrived downstairs to find the twins already up and about, playing their version of Pai Sho, though they still seemed to be looking for something that was amiss. The inn let them leave and they were soon on their way to the Avatar temple, a day away on foot. The group was led to the walls and allowed passage out, and then, they were off to an adventure of grand proportions. What they didn't know is how much peril the world at large was in.

Walking through the plains that was much of the Earth Kingdom, the group happened upon a road leading two directions, one had the backdrop of the Temple behind it far off, the other going in the complete opposite way, the twins took the latter without batting an eyelid.

"This is a-"
"-Shortcut"

Sure enough, somehow, some way, the Temple grew closer and closer as time went on. As the sun dipped over the horizon, they reached the base of the Earth Temple of the Avatar. Great and majestic were the only words to describe the building, it looked not so much carved out of the mountain that rose above it, but a part of it, despite all the columns, statues, and stairs. A twelve-strong group of individuals greeted them, each dressed in the same robes as the twins.

"Rika, Rokka, you have brought the Seekers?" One of the ones at the forefront said, head bowed and head covered in the deepening darkness. His voice a rumbling baritone, and it surprised more than a few of the group that the stones themselves didn't shake at the strength of it.

"Yes, Master Sud." Both bowed deeply.

His voice shifted, now sounding slightly annoyed,"You know the rules, each take your candidate and step forward, the rest we will deal with. We must be sure of their courage and commitment to our cause. I trust you two to choose wisely."

"Yes, Master-"
"Sud"

The twins took the arms of Monsin and after a moment of contemplation from Rika, she took the arm of Euion, her cheeks slightly red. They rejoined the group at the back, explaining the following.

"The rest of you must face a test, a simple one, we simply need to judge your bending, or fighting skills."

Each of the ones in the group spread out in a half-moon. there was one for each member, the remaining ones walked to the back along with the two that had been chosen and thought to be able to be trusted right off.

"Now,"the voice beneath the hat said,"Come at us." The robe was opened and throw behind him onto the steps and before them all stood an old man, hair white and face wrinkled, but his body still strong and resembling the mountain behind him quite nicely. Underneath the robe he wore a pair of black pants, loosely fitted and a pale green shirt, also loosely fitted.

Spoiler: Sud

"Now, each of you, come at us. Whoever believes they can take me, attack now. Your trust depends on it. The rest of you, choose your opponent. First to drop wins."

Each of the robed members took off their robes and were dressed similarly to Sud himself. There was nothing indicating what bender they were beyond a few stances, and judging from that, they were mostly Earthbenders, not that strange seeing as this was the Earth Avatar Temple, but still, any advantage they had was better than none.

Euion and Monsin were told the particulars of the ritual, it was simply a fight, a scuffle really, and almost no one was hurt in any of the matches they'd seen. In fact, Rokka had had to go through it himself, though he'd been stupid and fought Sud himself.

 

[Ruedyn]

Senji was still sore from yesterdays romp with a cabbage stand, and had gained a new found respect for his elders. He decided that this 'Sud' would be more than a match for him, so he looked over the rest of the guys there.

'They all look trained, so at least it'll be fun for me. Feel bad for the guy with the batons... Bah, they all look the same!'

"I'll take the guy on the left." He said pointing to one of the many earthbenders.

 

[Muffin Button]

'Flat, open terrain, not much bending water or plants to speak of 'cept what you bring, and direct, one-on-one fights. Not my usual style, and definitely home advantage to whomever I'm facing. Even Senji's not taking that Sud guy on.'

Chi looked around at the other fighters. There were one or two waterbending stances that seemed familiar, but the rest she struggled with a bit to recognise. Finally, she saw a man, one of the more muscular ones admittedly, but crucially with the most obviously solid stance, and one of the few she could be sure was an earthbender.

'If I don't have much cover, maybe my opponent will bend me some. Gotta get him worked up a bit, though, so he'll rip up the ground loads. I just need to be evasive at the start someho... aha!'

Making fog that dense would leave them both fairly blind, but if her plan failed and he was more patient than she'd figured, she could work with that too.

"Hey! Big guy! Hope a puny little thing like me ain't too much for yeh!"

'Well, couldn't hurt to make a start on wearing his patience a bit thin from the get-go.'

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Daiyu smirked and cracked her knuckles. "I'm always up for a good fight." She said. "Who's first?"

 

[JokerboyJordan]

Geb gave out a long yawn as he led Coco by the reins, she let out a soft squawk in reply. As they reached the foot of the mountain, he stood in awe of the immensity of the Avatar Temple, it's structure carved out from the very rock itself, yet also as if it was a natural formation, always having stood here.

From the Temple, came a dozen figures cloaked in hooded robes, who proceeded to present themselves to the twins who had guided them here. Once they had reconvened, the pair came took the Air Nomad in their arms, followed by a shaggy haired boy of his own age being escorted away with Monsin.

"The rest of you must face a test, a simple one, we simply need to judge your bending, or fighting skills."

Geb watched as one by one the robed warriors revealed themselves and assumed battle stances. By the looks of things, the majority of the members present were naturally Earthbenders, and although they were most likely veterans, they failed to impress upon him a sense of threat.
Then, a lone old man removed his hat, his face creased with age, his eyes were still filled with a hardiness and force of will that is the essence of an Earthbender. His voice accented his commanding presence, his words subtlety plying for a confrontation.

"Now, each of you, come at us. Whoever believes they can take me, attack now. Your trust depends on it. The rest of you, choose your opponent. First to drop loses."

Geb brought his open palm upwards to raise a pole from the earth, before securely tying Coco, she was a rascal.
He stepped forward towards the old master, bringing his fist and palm together in front of him and giving a short bow.

"I, Geb Ruamoto of Omashu, challenge you"

Giving a short hmph, Geb brought down his stone foot to the ground, lifting out of the earth a large boulder which he caught with his fist mid-air, sending it hurtling towards the old man. Following suite, he melded his ring crystal around his fist, before causing a large pillar to ereupt forth at a angle, propelling him forwards in the same trajectory, his movements obscured by the rock. Mid-flight, he prepared a massive right hook.

 

[VuvuZelaMan]

Do we really have to? Kara didn't much like spars like this, especially given her weapon choice. She sighed. Well, if I must...

Watching the others pick their fights (noticing that Chi was the only one to try for what seemed to be some kind of tactical pick), Kara weighed over her options. Let's see... I might as well try for someone I'll fare well against. She noticed one of the monks had a large weapon strapped to their back (A polearm? ) and was taking a firebender-looking stance. That should work, if I'm figuring it correctly. A highly-offensive art with long range... quite the difference between our styles. The main thing will be getting in close.

Kara indicated the monk. "I guess I want you to be my opponent."

"I, Geb Ruamoto of Omashu, challenge you"

Kara sighed.

 

[Shadowstar38]

"Now, each of you, come at us. Whoever believes they can take me, attack now. Your trust depends on it. The rest of you, choose your opponent. First to drop loses."

Kuma sighed and rubbed the back of hi head.

"We seriously have to fight just to get on board? This is so ass backwards"

Kuma looked around to the fighters that were not already taken by Kara, Geb, Chi, and Senji. He went over the choices carefully in his head. The sparring matches he had against the few earth benders on his crew always sucked. Kuma lacked the finesse and flow that came with most traditional waterbending, and an earthbender would always outlast him. His eyes stopped at a monk who's stance was a bit less grounded. He couldn't quite make out what style he used, but whichever other bending he used, Kuma could adapt.

"Alright. I'll take you on I guess," Kuma said, pointing out the bender. Kuma spread his legs apart and raised his fists, taking the stance closer to a brawler than a bender.

 

[Redryhno]

"I, Geb Ruamoto of Omashu, challenge you"

"Very well."

Sud spaced his legs apart and readied himself against the attack that the man had begun. The boulder he slammed his fist into, shattering it with his bending and stood resolute against the slam of the Earthbender barely a heartbeat behind. He was jerked around, Geb flying past him and rolling to his feet behind him, only to slam face-first into a wall pulled up from the ground by The Earthbending Master.

Sud had regained his balance from the punch and re-set his legs even with his shoulders. He slammed his fists into the ground and pulled the earth up in twin pillars in front of himself. Breaking each into three equal segments, he punched them in Geb's direction, who was surrounded by a fan-like wall, no obvious place to go but forward, and that was currently filled with six blunted "arrows" flying directly at him.

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry if I didn't make it very obvious, but everyone but Sud is a mook here, general rule of thumb from now on, if they don't have a name given by me, then they don't have to be controlled by me, unless you'd prefer it. Go on and beat them however you want, just don't make it super duper easy, there's a reason these guys are here that I'll explain about the time this is over.

 

[Ruedyn]

The mook Senji chose cracked his knuckles and stomped on the ground making a pillar for him to stand on, and surrounded himself with boulders. He began throwing them at Senji rapidly, barely giving Senji time to react.

The first and second ones were blown up from fire balls, but he had to quickly dodge the next 3 that were aimed for his torso. Senji quickly hid behind a nearby rock to form a plan, only for it to lift up into the air,

"Why did I think that could work." he muttered blowing it up with a quick fireball before throwing another into the ground, creating a smokescreen. The earth bender attempted to look through the smokescreen, panicking slightly, before feeling a tap on his shoulder.

"Hi there." Senji said, delivering a roundhouse kick, which he barely managed to dodge, but he was not so lucky with the fire dagger in his hand. Knowing it was just sparring, Senji only singed his outer robe, but it was still enough to cause him to stumble backwards in surprise, falling off his perch and landing with a loud crack.

"Ehm, you okay down there." Senji asked with genuine concern. "I guess you win." the monk replied getting up and cracking his back.

"There was never any doubt. Do I need to fight another, because I kind of want to." Senji then sat down and pulled the hat from his back, and plopped it on his head. He decided to watch over the rest of the battles, and guage the general skill of the fighters he would be working and travelling with.

Spoiler: OOC

Some background; The pillar was roughly 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide, Senji always makes his fireballs in pairs, and the earth bender was too focused on the smoke screen expecting him to attack through it, he didn't notice Senji run behind him and climb up. Just in case of any confusion or me not describing things well enough. There was also a minor edit, though not much changed.

 

[Dr. wonderful]

Hao merely began stretching at the choices of fighters before him; They were all dress in Master Sud's attire. Mayuka spoke up, "H-hey, come on, I didn't start training yet."
"Don't worry, This is just to test our nerve. You won't have to fight, not yet." Hao finished his stretching and pointed toward an opponent. "Care to dance?" Hao asked.

The man step forward from the half--moon formation; He wasn't particularly older than Hao, at least two or three years older than him. The man had black hair tied into a knot, a blue eyes and a serious expression. His body looks build for strength but is fast enough for speed.

"This is simply a test." The opponent remarked.

"Didn't your master, just explained that?" Hao said. "If you don't want to fight me, you can just give up now; there is no honor lost in standing down." Hao finished with a smirk. The trainer face was almost expressionless.
Almost expressionless in that there was a telltale irk in the trainer eyebrow, betraying his anger.

Hao withdrew his Escrima sticks, and twirl one in his left hand. The Trainer place one leg forward and assumed a battle stance.

"Any time, you're read-" before Hao could finished talking, The trainer push his fist forward; shooting out a blast of fire toward Hao face. Hao quickly dropped to his knees; feeling the intense heat past overhead; If it wasn't for years of experience Hao was certain he would of died.

The trainer push forward, shooting burst of fire at Hao, who merely rolled and jumping out the way. His style is strong and focus; he really doesn't leave much room for attacks. In this case I need to make one. Hao thought to himself.

Hao tossed his escrima sticks toward The trainer who eyes widen at the attack. He sidestep the first stick and barely dodge the second stick as it sailed past his head. The trainer turned back toward Hao; only to received a kick in his chest.

Hao smirked, he managed to close in on the fire-bender reducing one of his advantages in the fight. Oh sure he had to sacrifice his sticks but at this point all he had to do was control the fight.

The trainer cursed himself for failing to the ploy. This guy was tricky, and wild. His movements were hard to predict. The trainer also realized that the trickster managed to obtain the first blow; an action that would hurt his performance in front of Master Sud.

The trainer perform an roundhouse kick, leaving behind a trail of fire. Hao merely crouch below the kick; "Aren't you supposed to test me?" he noted. Hao rolled forward toward an handstand, stretch his legs upward and playfully slapped the bender with the sole of his feet.
The trainer was now angry but he realized that he couldn't fire-bend without actually killing the trickster; so he have to get mundane. The Trainer pushed Hao's legs away from his face, forcing the acrobat on his feet....

...only for the jerk to start swaying his body.

Hao dropped his smirk, allowing himself to go back to his serious expression. The easiest part was done; again he still needed to maneuver the bender but if he could do it to where he needed to go, the fight would be over with."Come on, just a few more ft." Hao thought to himself.
The trainer pushed forward with punches and kicks; hoping he would at least hit the Trickster, Hao danced around the attacks, twisting himself to dodged the blows and circling the blows. The trainer was starting to get tired, he didn't realized he was letting his emotions get the best of him.

Hao was breathing harder, not because he was tired but because he was ready to spring the trap, "Here goes nothing" Hao thought to himself. Hao then parry the kick from the Trainer and deliver a kick; knocking the Trainer backwards.

The trainer eyes widen as Hao simply bend down to pick up the sticks he discarded earlier. The trainer soon realized the full extent of his folly; The trickster managed to maneuver their fight quite a distance from its starting fight toward his weapons, and at the same time turned the distance to his advantage.

To put simply: The trickster managed to trick him.

The trainer raised his fist forward in an attempt to shoot more fire, but Hao struck The trainer's wrist redirecting the shot. using his free hand, Hao struck the Trainer across his face, knocking him off balance. The trainer taken a few steps back, lightheaded from the pain. Hao himself seem unsure how to take his foe down, and merely kicked him in the chest so he could end the match.

"I yield" The trainer said, weakly.

Hao crouch to meet his opponent, "That was a really good, dance. Despite what I said earlier, you did test me, so thank you...um, what is your name?"
"It's Bing." Bing said.

"Thank you, Bing."Hao bow to his opponent., "but please don't think you could of gotten away with that cheap shot at the start of the fight.'
"Hey, you have to prepare for moments like that." Bing countered. "However, I see why you were one of the chosen to find the Avatar."
Hao merely nodded, and walked back toward Mayuka.

Spoiler: Hao's sway

 

[VuvuZelaMan]

Kara had set her hat aside, and her face was exposed for the time.

Kara and her opponent approached each other, the monk grabbing the polearm off their back. Its blade quickly lit with fire as Kara unsheathed her cane sword, tossing the sheath away. She held it with two hands, her right being nearer to the blade.

The two bowed toward each other.

"My name's Kara," Kara offered. If she had to do this, she would at least try for politeness.

"I am Nishi," the monk answered in a feminine voice, holding the polearm in her right hand. Nishi took this as a signal to begin, as her left hand lit up in fire, launching a blast of fire at Kara. Kara dodged left to avoid the flame, landing with her left foot forward.

Nishi grabbed her weapon with both hands, charging forward and bringing the blade up. Once in range, Nishi swung the blade down toward Kara.

Block up, dodge right. Kara ducked down and swung her blade to the right (stepping forward with her right foot) to parry the blow leftward. Kara then swept her left foot back and moved to the right, advancing slightly on the firebender.

Nishi, though annoyed to see the blow so easily blocked by the smaller sword, adjusted her grip and swung the polearm around back for a powerful blow, the ignited metal appearing to leave a streak of light momentarily behind it.

Kara saw the blow coming. Block up, move forward. Kara swept her left leg forward, ducking and swinging her blade counter-clockwise (while her right leg swept back) to deflect the blow above her. Her hair started to come loose as the polearm passed overhead; the momentum of the swing kept Nishi from being able to change its direction.

Nishi, seeing the imminent follow-up, dropped her weapon and pulled her right hand back for a fire attack, but Kara was already moving forward. Kara's blade swung forward and came to a rest under Nishi's left armpit just as her right hand had been moved back for a fire attack. Kara looked at her opponent, her eyes calm but slightly tense.

"I yield," Nishi replied, her fist's flame dying out. Kara nodded, lowering her weapon and returning to a normal stance.

Kara smiled. "You're good with that weapon of yours," she complimented, clearly back to normal.

The two bowed toward each other.

"Thank you, but it seems you are better with the blade than I. I wish you luck in your quest, Kara," Nishi replied.

 

[Muffin Button]

Chi made sure to allow plenty of space for this fight. She bent roughly half the water she had around her body, making out she'd be using it as a projectile. Her opponent seemed a little irate at her comment earlier, but maintained his composure.

"BEGIN!" her opponent barked.

She immediately pushed her arms out blanketing them both in fog, shifting position straight afterwards. She kept the rest of the water ready to deflect attacks in case he got lucky with a blind throw. She was completely silent, not even daring to breathe. She crouched low to the ground, keeping light on her feet in case she needed to dodge.

Her opponent was quiet too, if a little more clumsy with his movements. He was possibly waiting for her to strike first. The silence was maintained for what seemed like an age.

Just as Chi was about to switch tactics, she could hear the man start to hurl rocks in all directions. One emerged out of the swirling mist, just clipping her left shoulder a little. She grimaced a bit, but kept silent and still.

After this failed, he began to switch to a more desparate tactic. The whole ground started to swim beneath her, churning like a stormy sea. Walls and pillars emerged out of nowhere.

'Perfect!'

She started to move evasively now, focusing on maintaining her balance while keeping close to the new cover. This would tire her opponent out a little too, helping with the next stage.

Suddenly, she dropped the fog, covering the ground with a thin film of water. Recovering it at this stage would give away her position.

She peered around the big pile of rubble that concealed her. Her opponent was searching for her franticly.

Chi grabbed a small pebble, testing its weight between her fingers. Choosing her moment carefully, she hurled it in a high arc over the man's head, landing with a clatter on the ground roughly the opposite side of him.

As the man turned to investigate, she sent two vines forth, disrupting his stance before wrapping around his arms and legs. As he toppled, she sprinted forwards, readying her spear just in case.

"Are we done here?" she asked, much more polite than before.

He grunted, nodding his head in reply.

She released him from the vines and helped him to his feet, subtly checking him over to see if he was okay after the scuffle.

"Sorry 'bout the rudeness earlier. It was just part of tactics and stuff." she apologised, recovering the water she'd used earlier.

"I should've known. You didn't really strike me as the disrespectful type. Guess you never stop learning." he smiled warmly, before her shaking her hand firmly and sincerely.

'I think he almost broke my hand back there! It might have been better to lose than get congratulated this enthusiasticly!'

 

[TheIronRuler]

The night was silent in Malik's mind, but all around him he heard the others converse and spend the night together. Flirts were exchanged, trusts were founded, and the young performer did nothing else besides staring at the stone covering his small room. He had no need for companionship, he was certain of it. It all felt surreal, and Malik was glad he had the chance to partake in such a unique experience. He knew that if he had no other place to go to or a goal to work towards, he would have nothing left for him. His last goal of visiting all of the Earth Kingdom's city states had been finalized with him entering the grand city of Ba-Sing-Se, but a man with no direction was as good as a leaf in the wind.

Directionless and without spirit, Malik would have surely fallen from grace and continued to indulge himself with luxuries, building his fortune illegally and squandering it on simple matters. He knew his life was getting emptier by the minute, but perhaps a good 'ol rocking would bring him back to his sense.

Speaking of rocking, Malik was already eyeing the dozen or so fighters the twins lead them to the day after. Going to the temple was a strange experience, and meeting those inside seemed to be even more unreal. These people's lives were dedicated to this place, but they weren't really happy ? Malik was certain of it. Nobody could be happy if they were bound to one place and one place only.

Malik decided he could fare well with an earth-bender and picked the third lass from the left. She was a fairly skinny one, boyish even, if it weren't for her long brown hair nearing her buttocks. Malik approached her and took a quick bow, extending his hand forward.

"A pleasure to meet you, miss. Would you honor me with a sparring match?", Malik's words were slick and sweet, as if he was flirting with the woman. He smiled at her and straightened up when she pulled back her cloak and assumed the stance. Before Malik could even begin to visualize how the earth-bender would attack him, the young woman let out a thin flame directed at his abdomen. Malik barely dodged the surprising attack and was stunned he couldn't tell the woman's stance was that of a fire bender.

"Doing well, boy-o?", the woman asked Malik in a condescending voice.

"Doing real fine, peach.", Malik returned the favor.

He watched as the woman moved forward in what again looked like earth bending, but she instead released a wave of fire on the floor, forcing Malik to jump up and preform a summersault forward. Malik then fell forward at the woman and threw a punch at her, missing her face by two inches and letting his right hand move to the left even more. Before she could move back, Malik pushed his arm forward at her chest and pushed her down.

She fell on her back, her hands in the air as a sign of surrender. When Malik came up to her to help her up, she bending a whirlwind of fire that caught him and pushed him away from her. As she stood up she stared at the distraught Malik and let out a hint of a smile.

"Doing fine, darling?", she asked him. The enraged Malik calmed his temper and instead of awaiting her attacks raised his hands and made a sign of his own.

The colorful fire shot out in the heavens and engulfed the girl, the parade of colors dazzling her and almost making her fall down to her knees. She snapped out of the hypnotizing swirl of fire and dispelled it, only to meet Malik standing right next to her. He leaned in and kissed her on her cheek, then took a step back, jumped up and preformed a backflip.

He landed on his feet and bowed to the young woman.

"Aren't we getting along?", Malik remarked. The woman charged at him, this time her stance much more aggressive and visibly a fire-bending one, sending a flurry of strikes and flames with her arms, but Malik deflected all of them. It was then that he grabbed her by her waist and let her fall down, following her down to the earth. The young woman tried to fight against Malik's grasp, but her attempts quickly faded the more she blushed.

"Uhh? first to drop loses?", she blurted out as Malik was getting closer. He nodded and raised himself up from the ground as if he were an air-bender and offered his hand to her.

"It's fine, darling. You're not my type anyway", Malik said.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

The fist connected with the Earth Master's face, but he did not yield, his legs shifted, but his stance stood resolute. As Geb rolled to his feet, he was immediately met with a stone wall to the face, bringing him to an abrupt halt.

"Ouch"

As he shook off the pain, he rubbed the rising bump in his forehead as Geb turned to face his now aggressor, only to find himself facing a volley of stone projectiles that resembled pillars.
With no time to think, Geb brought up his forearms, skilfully deflecting 4 of them with his bending, the 5th sending him spinning as he grabbed it slightly haphazardly mid-air, before using his own momentum to return it to sender.
Seizing the moment, he capitalised on the presumed surprise at successfully countering the attack, by pounding his fist into the ground, sending a localised fissure towards Sud, hoping to throw the monk of balance, as Geb charged forwards to close the gap, sliding at speed on his stone sandals, his Rock Gloved hand extended, ready to launch it at the Old Master.

 

[Redryhno]

The fissure sent by Geb did unbalance Sud, allowing the stone projectile to slam straight into his body, knocking him back a few steps whilst the younger Earthbender closed the distance between them. He slammed a foot into the ground, creating a small hole, then doing the same with his other foot, and stood resolute to meet Geb's charge, the old man Earthbending to secure his stance.

Geb charged, his punch strong enough to have sent anyone, including Sud, reeling from the blow under normal circumstances, but he was stuck in the ground and although he was sent backwards, he sprung back with just as much force, slamming his head into Geb's chest, following up by causing a pillar to erupt from the ground, sending the young man flipping through the air, though he somehow landed on his sandals once again. Two spots on the man's face were prominent now, one a light purple, the other still red.

The Earthbending Master spit a bit of blood out and ripped a foot out of the ground, slamming it down on the ground once more, again pulling a chunk of the earth, this time disk-shaped, out, and kicking out with all his might at this young resolute man. He was not as young as he used to be, and although he was still powerful, age still took a toll on even the toughest of Earthbenders. Though he wasn't about to let some whipper-snapper take him down.

 

[Pappytech]

Yawning, Jin tilted his neck to the side, a sharp crack splitting the air as popped his joints. Staring through half-closed eyes, the vagabond offered a sheepish grin to the acolyte standing before him; clearly, Jin still hadn't quite caught up on his sleep. In his defense, his profession was a fairly exhausting one. Sleep tended to be an expensive commodity when you spend most of your time dragging, mostly violent, people across the countryside to a place they don't want to go.

His body's need for rest, combined with his distinct lack of enthusiasm for this new job, had led to Jin turning in early the previous night. He had gotten his share of drink and food from the teahouse, stumbled over to the inn, and passed out the second his head slammed onto the mattress. Socializing had been ignored in favor of the body's more basic needs, but the bounty hunter hoped to amend that today.

First, however, it looked like he would have to prove his fighting skills.

"So," Jin spoke as he continued his stretching, his eyes gleaming as they scanned his opponent, "what's the deal here? I have to beat you if I want to go on this whole, magical searchy quest thing?"

"Yes," the robed woman replied, as she meticulously shifted into a fighting stance, bracing her legs and spreading her arms. "In order to ensure that you can successfully find and, if need be, protect the new Avatar, we must be allowed to observe your fighting and bending abilities."

"Huh. You don't say."

As he dropped into a crouch, Jin extended one of his legs, loosening the limb's muscles as he analyzed the woman standing before him. Light brown hair that hung down to the base of her neck, gray eyes that gleamed with will and wisdom, brown, almost chocolaty skin. Even if her stance hadn't been a dead give away, there was no doubting her nationality; water benders stuck out like a sore thumb, especially in the middle of the Earth Kingdom. Hmm... He hadn't really had to fight that many members of the Water Tribe. Even ignoring the fact that he so rarely encountered them, the few that Jin had seen tended to maintain pretty good behavior.

Eh, it wasn't like it was going to be much of a problem.

Rising back to his full height, the wanderer slid his rough cloak off, gathering the dirty garment in one hand before tossing it carelessly to the side. Zulf, annoyed by the sudden intrusion of sunlight ending his nap, growled irritably from his perch on Jin's shoulder, before leaping to the ground and scurrying over to the discarded cloak. While his pet buried himself in the heap of fabric, Jin reached towards the loop of iron cord wrapped around his waist, loosening the coils so that he could easily slip out of them. Grasping his weapon in one hand, the vagabond offered a wolfish smile to his foe... before tossing the kusarigama away, sending the Fire Ferret scrambling for cover as his bedding was disturbed yet again.

"Yeah, just one problem with that," Jin commented as he dropped to the ground, crossing his legs as he sat down. "I'm not gonna fight."

It was a testament to the water bender's training that she didn't react to Jin's outlandish statement, her stance not wavering in the slightest. Even so, there was a moment of hesitation, a slight look of confusion filling her eyes, before she managed a response. "What?"

"Yeah, can't say I'm really in the mood for it. Look, it's no offense against you or anything, but I don't particularly enjoy fights that don't have to happen, you know? Wouldn't it just be easier to just sit down and talk things out?"

"Tha-that's not the point of this spar!"

"And I can't say that I like that either," Jin spat back, his once cheery voice tinged with annoyance and the slightest hint of anger. "Now look, I've done some weird jobs. I'm used to bizarre employers and even stranger companions, but this? This is just downright crazy.

"I could handle this if it was some straight up job offer. 'Here's some cash. Go find the new Avatar, and we'll give you some more.' That I could deal with. But being told that I was summoned here by the 'Grand Spirit' (Which I totally don't buy, for the record), that this is my 'destiny,' and then that I have to prove that I'm good enough for this quest which, as I've already said, I'm apparently destined to go on? Yeah, that strikes me as just a little fishy.

"Obviously, I'm not gonna turn down a free night of room and board," Jin continued, jerking his head towards the twins' receding backs, "but forgive me if I don't blindly accept all of this as absolute truth."

"That," the woman hissed as she swung her arms forward, a spout of water bursting from a nearby barrel, "is enough!"

The crystal clear liquid glittered in the sunlight as it tore through the air. Like some kind of transparent whip, the water arced towards Jin at a tremendous rate. The blow would likely leave the bounty-hunter with a painful welt, but it served him right, making light of this momentous undertaking! At least, it would if it could connect.

In the instant before the water slammed into him, Jin moved. Like a wraith, the vagabond dodged the blow, ducking to the side and allowing the whip to wetly smack into the ground. Rising to his feet, Jin slowly stepped back and forth, his shoulders and arms swaying slightly. "Come on, you can do better than that."

Evidently, yes she could. Throwing her limbs into a variety of acrobatic positions and movements, the water bender lifted several galleons of the liquid into the air, lashing out at Jin with a dazzling array of attacks. Whips, spikes of ice, even the occasional massive wall of water, she threw everything she had at the bounty-hunter, all to show him the true seriousness of this situation. There was no doubt about it, the women was a truly gifted water bender.

If only her opponent wasn't Jin.

Like some kind of street dancer, the wanderer dashed through the assault, flipping over whips and spikes, rolling to the ground to dodge the walls, and generally just being an annoyance. The woman was throwing out attack after attack, never letting up the barrage for an instant, and yet Jin moved through it all completely untouched. Battle-honed reflexes, accompanied by eyes that had seen dozens of different fighting styles, carried the bounty-hunter through the fight unscathed.

Seconds slowly stretched into minutes as the stalemate continued, the water bender unable to land a blow, Jin refusing to. It seemed like it would take some kind of outside interference to resolve the battle.