Open Avatar: Charismatic Conspiracy

[allitersonance]

It wasn't right to say that the riot wasn't their problem, Yue thought, and it wasn't right to let it continue when people would get hurt, but there was nothing they could do here. Now they could only minimise damage and get out of the way of the police.

She glanced back at the crowd. One of the metalbending police had risen a rock platform to give himself a better vantage point, and was shooting a metal cable at what Yue assumed was the firebending idiot. Others were fanning out around the fence.

Yue peered down the vertical shaft with obvious doubt on her face. When she looked back up at the earthbender, she saw he was grinning.

Yue shook her head, smirking, and, after a count to five to let June get to safety, let the water drop to the floor before hopping down the shaft herself. One of the walls had a slight incline, and she used it as best she could to slow herself down. It unfortunately stopped working after one harrowing second, and she found herself falling without respite. Still, she landed in a crouch, only stumbling slightly.

The electricity was no longer working down here, so they'd probably be depending on Shion. Having a varied set of benders among them was really quite useful. With that in mind, Yue moved out of the way so Shion wouldn't crash into her.

-

On the surface, the police had stopped shouting warnings, and it soon became obvious why. The police who weren't already speaking with the Avatarist guards who were trying to get the injured out of the way, or dealing with especially unruly elements in the crowd, stepped into formation around the fence and stomped onto the ground.

In a scene some of the crowd might be familiar with, the cable railings bent around them and trapped crowd members in a circle, and, with another stomp, the corrals were lifted up on a stone platform dug right out of the ground.

 

[Lil Kuchiki]

Ami heard hardly anything going on by now. It was all pretty fuzzy, really. The Firebending girl told her to help them get out. The water tribe boy disappeared into the crowd.

Well.

She was about to say something to the Firebender when the cable began wrapping around whole sections of people, restraining them by the dozens. If that wasn’t unpleasant enough, each of the groups of wrapped-up rioters were being carted off. So not only was she on her way to jail, but a jail that would be overflowing. Beautiful. Well, she had no intention of going that way. The Firebender, or Rai, as she recalled the water-tribe boy yelling, needed out, though. As fortune would have it, tying a bunch of humans in a circle doesn’t work well; the human body doesn’t pack efficiently, and it's like trying to put a bunch of coins together. No matter what you do, there’s always some empty space.

Even though she was in the middle of the crowd, and people in all directions were pressing on her, she figured she could get out. She shoved back for a moment, and managed to get her waist above everyone else. She gave an apology to the people on her sides as she pushed down on their shoulders to get herself out. Sitting on top of their shoulders (and catching plenty of flak from them for it), she glanced around for… Oh, what did she hear? Rai. She shouted the name a few times, but could hardly hear herself, much less any response she got, over the raging crowd. "Ugh. Rai!! Where did- WATCH IT BUDDY, I'M NOT YOUR- gaaah, Rai!"

 

[Stormecho]

Shion took one last look at the riot and the police's attempts to control it. Eventually, this would all be fixed - the world would be enlightened, and benders would guide the world into a new era of peace.

However, for now, all she could do was leap into the hole the earthbender had made. Knees bent as she landed, she winced and straightened, brushing at her clothes and with some mild shock noticing that her cape was... still intact. It was hardly something to be grateful for in light of the current situation, but surprising nonetheless. Looking around at the tunnel, she sighed and firebended, the flame large enough to cast some flickering light on their surroundings. "I may not like these tunnel's origins, but they certainly serve a useful purpose now," she murmured. She had studied maps of the city, and the maps of the tunnels themselves, but that had been some time ago. Still, there had been multiple exits, and any would be suitable as long as it got them away from the riot.

"We should plan on what to do next. I will deal with the media, but Kanzan must be notified of the... situation. We should also investigate the speaker." He could have been a spy or a plant, meant to cause unrest and trigger a riot. If that was the goal, he had been disturbingly successful, which reflected badly on her. She was the one with informants, after all, the one who protected the movement and always knew of potential threats and plots. To have had something so dire happen... and so many innocents were hurt or imprisoned because of it. Clearly, it meant she would need to work harder to prevent a disaster like this happening again. Still, they could come out of it practically untouched. It wasn't as if they had been anything but polite and rational in their dealings with the crowd, and it had been the younger ones, especially that first bender, who had riled everyone up.

It would be handled. She just regretted such a situation coming up at all.

 

[allitersonance]

The earthbender dropped in after them and closed the newly-made entrance behind him. He trailed after the three girls, barely within the light cast by Shion's flame.

"There should be someone tracking him," Yue said. She thought she's sent someone after him, at least, but looking back, it hadn't gone beyond some nods, which could be misinterpreted, oops. "We can send others if necessary. We'll keep the search low-key, though." Even if he'd been a trigger of some sort, after all, it was definitely that waterbender who started the whole riot. June might have been able to calm them down otherwise.

She sighed. "More importantly, we'll bring in as many healers as possible to deal with the wounded. Some healer schools might be good for that, since not all wounds will be serious."

Idiot Neo-Equalists. People were getting hurt because of them, and the last thing she'd seen of them, they were just trying to get away to avoid justice.

"We can use that as part of PR, I guess. I don't know. But the healing happens, no matter what. Anyone who got hurt in the riot, even the people who are in prison. It doesn't matter how expensive it is. If possible, we negotiate for the release of the worst injuries in prison, since not everyone who's getting captured remained behind because they want to." She paused. "We'll have to go after those Neo-Equalists, too - did you see how apparently-random people came to support the waterbender? And how they riled up the crowd without giving us a chance to prevent the chaos? They're organised. They've got to be."

Yue would be less useful with this than she'd like to be. Ideally, she could have just followed the Neo-Equalists and dealt with them, but there were too many people around. She'd still get a chance - she'd make sure she got a chance! - but even now, they had more important things to do.

 

[Black Yoshi]

"Kaskae, don't take this the wrong way, but save your bitching for someone who actually gives a damn, will you?"

Kaskae felt his anger rise a bit. “Oh, I see how it is. That’s fine. I’m not saving you next time.” He looked at the fence just as it wrapped itself around him and the people near them. The cable grinded on his arm, leaving red marks. He felt the ground begin to shift under them. When a though occurred to him. Groundwater.

He wasn’t skilled enough to draw water from the craters made by the police, but the general idea was there. A manhole. He needed to find a manhole-THERE. Behind the police line, just to his left. It wouldn’t be difficult to get water from that distance so much as odd-feeling, since he couldn’t see it. I should start sparring with a blindfold on. He thought. He had tried it once, but hadn’t had the patience to deal with it.

“Adelé, see that manhole?” He forced his arms out of the constricting force of the fence. “We need to do this quick, or we’re stuck in cute little cells for who knows how long.” His arms began waving in circular motions, gathering as much water from the sewer as he could. Actually, he didn’t know if he was getting any at all, but he kept swirling his arms around in high hopes. His hands stopped, pointing below the manhole, and he took a deep breath. “And here it…. Comes!” He threw his hands into the air, and… Nothing happened. He held the position, feeling a little ridiculous.

Then it happened. The water thundered out, and the manhole cover was blasted off. Plenty of water to go around. Even if it smelled terrible. “I think it’s time for us to go, now. After you.”

 

[Mai]

While falling, June stuck the spear she had brought along into the wall of the tunnel; it slowed her descent, but only barely, and she landed without much grace. Making way for Yue and Shion, she took her cactus strips out of her sack and bent the sand out of them. They tasted just as good as they did beforehand, and after her comrades arrived June easily fell into rhythm and followed the light created by Shion's fire.

"We can use that as part of PR, I guess. I don't know. But the healing happens, no matter what. Anyone who got hurt in the riot, even the people who are in prison. It doesn't matter how expensive it is. If possible, we negotiate for the release of the worst injuries in prison, since not everyone who's getting captured remained behind because they want to. We'll have to go after those Neo-Equalists, too - did you see how apparently-random people came to support the waterbender? And how they riled up the crowd without giving us a chance to prevent the chaos? They're organised. They've got to be."

"If you say so," June replied readily. "Still, I don't think it's that necessary; and if we're going to do it, we better milk it for all it's worth and more. It'd be nice to heal everyone, sure, but what would we have to postpone to do it? Is that really the best use of our limited resources? I doubt it. Personally, I'd think it'd be best to track down those rioters and make them pay. We can't make another scene out of it or let the reporters know, of course, that'd be bad for our relationship with the public--but still. They definitely came here with a purpose in mind, I agree; although I doubt they're that disciplined. All in all, they're probably just skilled at stirring up trouble."

Taking another bite, June looked at her partners and grinned. "I'm sure we can beat them if it comes to a fight, and if we can get the press uninvolved, that's all that matters."

After all, she never had her chance to speak; now it was too late. Wouldn't it be easier - and better for the cause when compared to making speeches - to show the physical reasons benders were superior? Her earthbending certainly needed some practice, even though she'd like to ignore it.

---

Ugh. We should've lifted them up first and then secured them.

The officer doubted he was the only one thinking that. Too many rioters were escaping; just now he saw a girl from the Fire Nation scurry off. Realizing that spending time to capture her individually would be wasted, the policeman turned his eyes toward a much more significant target; the one spilling sewage onto the streets. Forcing the manhole cover back on, dammit, and trying to focus despite the horrible smell, he forced the ground beneath him and the other waterbender upwards.

He didn't subscribe to the Avatarists' cause, but rioters were rioters, and he had a job to do.

((This is rushed and I haven't proof-read it properly and I was really afraid of ninjas, sorry.))

 

[Phantom]

[I really like this RP and I want it to live]

"Ugh. Rai!! Where did- WATCH IT BUDDY, I'M NOT YOUR- gaaah, Rai!"

The fire nation girl was up on the shoulders of a very annoyed looking rioter. "Here!" she called over the crowd, hoping her potential ally could hear her over the chaos of the riot. The police were rounding up rioters with metal cords, and despite the chaos, they were doing a good job of it. Rai cursed to herself as she dodged the angry crowd members. She didn't want to hurt anyone, but things were already way out of hand. She turned to the stage, finding the three benders had disappeared, escaped.

That was when she heard a familiar voice over the din. Rai looked and saw a manhole explode, spewing sewage into the crowd, with Kaskae at its helm. Really?! Ew, she thought, very wary of the very smelly water. Well, I guess that's using your surroundings. But that had drawn even more attention to Kaskae, and Adelé, who now seemed to be more than conscious. A police officer blocked Kaskae by bringing up a chunk of earth. She shouted louder to her friend above the crowd, "We need to move! With me!" She hoped the fire nation girl could hear her.

He wasn't that far, sprinting and throwing the occasional rioter aside, Rai sped towards him, eventually taking a place by Kaskae's side. She nodded to him as she once again dropped into the Dragon stance. "Sewage," she said sarcastically, "greeaat one."