Scene #3948: A Blast in the Earth Kingdom

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Toph Beifong	The war might be over, but while the world of the four elements might be faring better, there's still elements of trouble brewing. Especially in certain areas where the war raged on the last years. Reports through the Union spoke of disturbances along the western coast of the Earth Kingdom, not too far from the colonies where the Beifong family's trade caravans had been robbed. So of course Toph had been curious, and well... since she had a particular house guest nowadays, she had practically dragged him with her while sending out some messages to other Union personell that might be interested in checking the disturbances out. It might take them a little longer to arrive. In the meanwhile, Toph is first on the scene and inspects the area through her seismic sense as she steps onto the hill overlooking the small town. This looks like trouble. The town itself is fairly large, but not quite big enough to be called a city. The style is clearly Fire Nation inspired, as most of the colonies along the western coast is due to the Fire Nation's invasion and attempt to overtake the mighty Earth Kingdom during the hundred year old war. However, the streets do seem to be too quiet. Just what is going on? Where are all the people? There are no carriages to be seen from afar, and no guards at the gates leading into the town. The blind girl crouches down and touches a hand to the ground, closing her eyes with a frown on her face.
Ziggy Grover	Being woken up way, way too early to attend to some disturbance in someone's homeland wasn't pleasant, and Ziggy shows up, hair wet and plastered to his face. A simple reason for that: A bit of sand in his face and then being sloshed with milk after falling asleep in the cereal bowl later, Ziggy manages, after a fashion, to somewhat be presentable, if dripping wet after having to hold his head under the faucet to rinse off. But back to the scene. Ngh." No, not terribly scintillated at what Toph was doing, other than "... point me to the nearest rock bed."
Eve	Eve, for reasons entirely unrelated to her age, needs a chaperone in the field. Toph will do for reasons. When she heard of this incident, she was willing to come along. Not eager perhaps. It's hard to recognize an eager state for Eve that doesn't involve ice cream. But certainly willing. She pads along after Toph like a small blonde shadow. "Aren't you supposed to put your ear to the ground?" she mutters Toph's way, recognizing she must be 'listening' to the situation but not recognizing the difference between Toph's ability and the typical characters of the books she's read.
Toph Beifong	if Ziggy wasn't awake earlier, he will surely wake up now. Besides, he's a Unionise, so he better help out now and then too! Especially since he isn't paying any rent to stay at the Stark house nowadays. So when he makes that comment regarding his wish to go back to sleep, Toph snorts. "You can sleep later, Snooze Lord. Can you see anything from the sky?" As for Eve... Toph arches an eyebrow. "I'm not listening, I'm looking." Then, realising that she needs to spell it out, the earthbender points towards the town ahead. "There aren't any people in that town. A whole town doesn't just up and disappear like that. Not unless there's foul play involved." With that she stands up, her expression serious. "There were reports of people going missing in this area, and well... I think that's an understatement."
Yari Takane	Kidnapping. It's a job that Yari is more than familiar with. Gaining favor with Firebenders of a criminal sort is certainly helpful to the Confederacy, and a few extra coins to throw towards her daughter's education is always good. Thus, she took the job from the rather untrustworthy gang. Helping kidnap a village isn't the most pleasant of tasks, but she knows when she has orders. If they all prove to be scum, she can always kill them later. After a successful rounding up of the villagers, it's Yari's job to help destroy evidence. A rampant fire is one way to do that. Several buildings are already festooned on the inside with multiple blocks of thermite, and other Fed incendiaries attached to remote charges. She's about a third of the way done, but Yari is nothing if not thorough. She's inside a building that was once a small storefront, currently rigging up a firebomb to a bunch of hay and various scrolls. For now, the ninja has yet to notice the small party entering.
Sarah Rogers	Due to some legend about flight being a mythical airbending technique is this world, Sarah's decided to walk. She's lagging behind a bit, pausing to take a boot off and dump a rock out of it. She reaches the group just in time to overhear Toph asking if anything's visible from the sk. "What!?" Is it okay to fly here!? Why didn't anyone tell me?" She asks in annoyance, thuogh she flashes a grin at Ziggy, "Sleep well last night did we?"
Eve	"Hm." Eve muses, carrying on a tradition of not speaking sentences when mere sounds will do. She looks from Toph and the others towards the village, then back to the group. "I could go in? Dress as a local girl, see if whatever's doing this is still around." she suggests. Never mind there's not likely to be any blondes in the Earth Kingdom. Toph doesn't know that anyways.
Ziggy Grover	Eyes still fixated on the ground, Ziggy grunts, before slapping himself on the cheeks, and then ruffling his hair out, trying to dry it out faster. Right. Soon enough, as his hair returns itself to its springy, wild glory, Ziggy perks up as well. "Looking, looking... you know, I think, I don't see anything. A building here, a building there, empty streets... it's like the place's a ghost town. Although I -swear-, there's some movement here and there... like, uh..." Ziggy points to Sarah. "Hey, hush. Like, if I'm going to play eyes, I'm not also going to play ears. I'm watching you and..." He peers at Eve, before wringing his hands. "You know, that's not a bad idea, other than the possibility that if you go in by yourself, you're a sitting duck. We need a distraction, I think."
Toph Beifong	"I never said it wasn't okay to fly here, now did I Babycap?" Toph asks, then turns her head slightly. Is... something going on in the village? There's something moving there. She narrows her eyes, then she begins heading towards the village, sliding down the hillside. "I can see somebody in one of the buildings! Come on, maybe somebody escaped!" she calls, then gestures for the others to follow her. "Get your butts in gear!" Why make things complicated when you can go and check it out? Especially if this one person needs help. From the opposite end of the town, three of Yari's cohorts are heading into town, muttering amongst themselves. "You really sure about hiring her? Is she really going to be able to hide our tracks from this?" "Hey, if she's with the Confederacy, then she's bound to have some skill. And well, if not we can just get rid of her, right?" one of them responds with a casual shrug. "What matters is that nobody can track us down before they've been led to the camp."
Eve	Eve directs a look at Ziggy, trying to decide if he just insulted her ability to defend herself or not. By the baleful expression, she's not assuming 'not'. "Toph could see anyone sneaking up on me." she says after a moment. Eve's glower fades when Toph indicates something's happening. Talk is one thing, but action is important too. Eve takes the Earthbender at her word and breaks into a sprint, legs flying. She's fairly quick, not supernaturally so but certainly faster than a prepubescent girl typically is. Her muscles pack all the power of a fighting teenager into her small and agile frame, so she's surprisingly fast.
Yari Takane	Yari finishes her latest bomb, blissfully unaware that the gang-thugs are making their way /back/ into the village that she's rigging to blow. The paranoid ninja only briefly pokes her head out of the building, checking her corners. She catches someone in the distance, though at this range she doesn't yet recognize Eve. Toph's earthbending might give her a clue as to the nature of the person here: her movements are light, cautious, and as she slips out a back window, she keeps to cover from where Eve is traveling. Eventually, she'll leap onto a rooftop, taking out a pair of binoculars as she lays still, trying to see just who this intruder happens to be. Otherwise, she lays in wait, making sure she won't accidentally activate her firebombs below!
Ziggy Grover	"Hey... you have gears in -this- world?" Ziggy calls out, before following. "Besides, I can't get in gear -unless- we really need to...! Like, well, if we're in for a fight, or I desperately need to teleport or... hey, you're right, someone's in there...!" Moving towards where Toph is heading, he's soon caught up and is trying to get ahead of her, mostly because, well, better to scout the situation first, and he'd be better for it! Even if he's not a fighter, at least.
Sarah Rogers	"Well I read up on this place and flying is suppose to be-- Crap, Nevermind." Sarah focuses her attention on the town and tries to make out what Toph 'saw'. She's in the air now without any further hesitation and unslinging her shield. She's trying to stay high enough so that anyone in town there won't notice her, and yet low enough that she can get an idea of what's going on down there. It's a lot like trying to 'Fly casual.'
Toph Beifong	Whoever this person is, they're awfully light on their feet and obviously sneaking around. But it might just be somebody who's not wanting to get noticed. Like a villager who escaped whatever ill fate befell the other people here... Toph walks up towards the gates, pointing towards the building that Yari is making her way out of. "Over there... and sheesh, it's not like this is a secret mission or anything, Snooze Lord," Toph says with a slight eye roll at Ziggy as he passes by her. "Somebody is sneaking out the back there, let's find them!" But... hey, where did that person go? The blind earthbender stands still, looking confused for a moment. The person just disappeared... but to where? As Ziggy heads on ahead, rounding the corner to the building, he might notice something. And something notices him in return. In front of him is a large market place, and it appears that a river is running through the middle of the town, the two sides connected by a wooden bridge. On the middle of said bridge, quite visible in the open area, are the three men, rather sinister looking. And they don't look friendly as they spot Ziggy. "Hey, is that... a villager?" one of them asks his companions, and they turn to look at Ziggy, immediately stepping forward and making their way towards him. "Hey, get back here!" They might be some hundred feet away, but they're not exactly slow as they hurry onwards towards him. From her vantage point up high, Sara will have no problem seeing all of this; the three men heading towards where the group of Unionites are, the fact that the town is empty, and maybe Yari on the roof.
Eve	Eve's not the fastest one here perhaps, but certainly she's well ahead of Toph's walking pace. She goes right past the closest houses, probably even passing right by Yari's hiding spot without noticing, heading inwards looking for something of a disturbance. Fastest way to find trouble, after all, is to let it find you.
Yari Takane	Yari isn't one to pass up an opportunity. Particularly when this mission calls for 'no evidence'. She spies the girl...and recognizes her! Shaking her head, she inwardly sighs. They really need to not meet like this. Still, she has a job to do. One moment she's on the roof, the next she's shadowing Eve from rooftop to rooftop. She manages to get ahead of the girl, and then flicks her wrist! Several sharp, poisoned needles lash out from the roof, aimed for the back of Eve's neck! They're coated in paralysis poison, and a different one than she used last time. Should it take effect, poor Eve's legs will tingle, then her entire body in a slow gradual sleep. Then Yari triggers her bombs, and a good third of the village lights on fire.
Eve	The sting of needles is Eve's first warning, and the small girl reaches up to brush at the source of the annoyance. By the time she figures out she's been stung by needles, she starts to feel that familiar tingle. "Oh no." she says, more of a grumble than actual anger. This totally sucks. Not that Eve is helpless, mind you. Even if the paralysis totally took her, she's still got her will and certain non-muscular options available to her. Her hair rises, then begins to lash about, weaving itself into a series of foot-long golden blades on the ends of suspiciously-longer-than-normal hair. Anything coming within five feet of her had better be friendly. Even as Eve starts to collapse, she tries to keep her head up, tries to look around to spot her attacker. "You!" she hisses. In recognition though, not with actual heat. This is annoying. And... well, probably at least a little shameful.
Ziggy Grover	Slowing down a bit at Toph's outcry, Ziggy exclaims, "But I saw -something-... and it's moved away somewhere, and I lost it..." Whatever words he had to finish his sentence was lost in explosive noise and fire. And some flames were heading his way. Going against every fiber of his being, but having heard enough lectures from Dr. K on what do, the first thing Ziggy could do, in response, was turn his back, hold up his morpher, and shout... "RPM! GET IN GEAR!" The backlash of the Ranger morph explosion created its own backdraft...
Sarah Rogers	Sarah dives to Yari as she catches sight of her bounding from rooftop to rooftop, "Three goons on the ground. Horned Ninja Girl on the roof. I think she just shot something!" She exclaims over the coms. (We have coms right?) Then there's explosions which gives Sarah pause. "How sure are we that the town's empty?" She asks worriedly, "Someone get on Ninja Girl, I gotta check for survivors." With that she changes direction in mid air and braves the flames, looking for signs of life.
Toph Beifong	As the explosion goes off Toph yelps, having stood right near the entrance to the building, and the force of the explosion is enough to throw her back. Not to mention severely ring in her sensitive ears. The blind girl lands roughly on the ground, wincing in pain. Though she's off her feet she is quick to throw her hands on the ground, just about to get up to her feet when she notices that /somebody/ is running towards Ziggy. Though it sounds like he's already handling them well enough. Which is evident by the way they too are thrown aside by a different explosion set off by him getting in gear. "AAAAAH!" The three men never quite reach him, but are thrown back, tumbling over one another down the street. They are still conscious however, they are moving to get up as well. At least Ziggy has bought himself some more time. Toph hears Sarah's observation over the com, and she manages to get back to her feet, ignoring the aching pain from being thrown aside by the nearby explosion as the town gets caught on fire. "If they're here, they're not touching the ground, Babycap...!" And it seems that is the case. Like before there are no people besides them in the town, with all of the buildings abandoned.
Ziggy Grover	Jerking his head up towards the screaming, Ranger Green cants his head to the side. "Uh... I really hope that wasn't a citizen..." he says, dashing over to check on them. "Hey, uh, are you all right? You guys live here, right? I didn't see you back there. You're not going to report me to the authorities, are you?"
Yari Takane	Yari's life quickly gets interesting. She spots a figure in the sky that quickly zooms off, too quickly for her to attack. Between Eve being here, and now that? Definitely Elites. She's never seen flying abilities here in this land. But she has more immediate problems, as suddenly Eve's hair lashes out, blades slicing up the area! Yari leaps back to the roof again, one of the sleeves of her kimono slashed and her arm bleeding from the girl's wild attack. "I think that's my line. It looks like you've grown a little stronger. I really expected that to take you out again." She reaches behind her, and pulls out the hilt of her umbrella. "Can you really fight like that? It might be better for you if you run. I don't like killing children." Her tail flicks a kunai right for Eve's cheek! She's aiming for a shallow graze just to emphasize her point!
Eve	Fortunately for Eve, she's not really in any immediate danger from fire. Soon, sure, but not immediate. Yari would never set off the explosives where she's actually AT, after all. Unfortunately for Eve, she's facing Yari herself. The drug's effects are pretty much immediate thanks to her being hit in the neck, and there's little she can do if she's paralyzed. She can't run. She can't fight. Well okay, maybe she can fight. There's still a few things she can do. "Come around in front of me." Eve states through gritted teeth. "And stay in front of me. If I can't see you, I might hurt you more than I intend to." the girl says with pure bravado. "I might not be strong enough to beat you alone, not like this, but I'm NOT alone." With pure will, Eve slowly picks up one foot, adjusting it to provide a better stance. Then she shifts more. Not paralyzed, no... somehow, she seems to be recovering. Slowly to be sure, but instead of the paralytic breaking down over hours, at this rate it might break down in minutes! She doesn't know that however. Doesn't know it should take hours, or why it wouldn't. The actual behavior of her nanomachines, which by now have identified the paralytic venom as a threat, are mostly a mystery. As slow as her leg is right now though, that hair is fast. A golden hairblade comes down in a gleaming flash, knocking aside the kunai. Nothing she can see is going to get past that guard, not so close to the hair itself at least. Her legs might be another matter however, considering how much further the blades would have to travel.
Sarah Rogers	It takes a moment for Sarah to convince herself that the town is indeed empty. She reverses direction and zips toward where she last saw Yari, spotting her again as she pushes out of the smoke and flame. She's not really sure if Eve's in danger or not, she's never seen hair do that before. Best not to take any chances. She hurls the Vibranium Frisbee at Yari's feet, intending to knock her off them. then closes the distance in hopes of keeping her pinned down once she gets there. The three goons shouldn't be any problem for the Power Ranger and the Earthbender, right?
Toph Beifong	hrough her sensitive feet, Toph does notice something though. Eve seems to be in trouble! But judging from the sound of it, it seems Sarah is on the case already. Which means that her course of action is clear. tAs the three goons are working on getting to their feet, one of them looks a bit surprised when he looks up and sees... a guy in some freakishly weird clothes and a helmet. What kind of armour is that?! One thing is for sure though... Even as Ziggy prattles on, concerned whether or not these supposed citizens of the town are going to report him to whatever authority there might be in the area, one of them is already at his feet, and then he does a roundhouse kick which sends a burst of flame towards Ziggy! Lucky boy, he gets to see even more fire up close! At that same moment Toph rushes around the burning building, a glare on her face as she rushes forward before kicking into the ground. Up by the three goons, the two who didn't attack Ziggy yet find themselves on the other line of an earthen pillar that very much invades their personal space, striking one of them in the abdomen and sending him tumbling back into the other guy. "They're benders, Spaz Lord!" Toph calls out. In case he didn't already figure that out.
Yari Takane	That kunai is thwacked away like it was nothing! Yari's eyes widen. That metallic hair is something to be wary of! "And be sliced to pieces? I don't think so." She responds calmly, putting away the sword. Instead, she pulls out a silenced pistol and begins to aim for Eve's legs! "That hair of yours can't deflect this." Just as she pulls the trigger, Sarah comes around for another run! It clips her legs, caught by her shield just as she pulls the trigger! The shot goes wide! She lands in a roll, wobbling from the hard strike. Stowing the gun in her kimono, she instead turns skyward! A few handseals, and a burst of lightning lances out for Sarah! "It looks like you're right." Adds Yari, huffing.
Ziggy Grover	The reaction of the benders has Ranger Green holding his hands up. "Uh, you're not citizens, are you...?" he says, before jumping over the leg, and... "Oooowwww, hot, hot, hot...!!!" Thankfully his suit was flameproof, at the least. Didn't do much for the heat, but Ziggy is already running, leaping over barrels, and then trying to kick one over towards... "OWWW!" Dammit, full of rainwater...! Wait a minute... "Come over here...!" Taunt, taunt, taunt. Ranger Green waves his hands up in the air in taunting fashion, complete with thumbs tapping his ears as he wiggles his fingers. And then when they approach "TURBO AXE!" SLASH through the barrel!
Eve	Of course Eve's being completely serious about her reasons for wanting Yari in front of her. If she can't see the ninja she can only flail randomly with her blades, and it's quite possible Yari would get hurt far more badly than Eve wants to hurt her. Yari might possibly remember Eve's earlier encounter with her, about how she tried to protect even scum's right to live. "I don't slice people to pieces!" Eve growls angrily. She prepares to defend herself further, to cut at Yari if she comes close enough to become a lethal threat. Those kunai are nasty, but they're no true lethal risk. They're slow enough that Eve can see them coming and defend. The gun however, that's another matter. Eve's eyes widen, and she hurriedly begins a nanomachine reply. Given that Yari's taking the time to taunt and aim, Eve has the time to prepare appropriate countermeasures. It's not needed though, as Sarah Rogers flies in for the save. Eve doesn't really know BabyCap though. Doesn't know if she might try to kill Yari or not. So long as Eve's helpless, she can't prevent her allies from killing this person. So Eve begins to move. Slowly, oh so slowly, she walks forward one creaky step after another. Her body's responding, more through her control of the nanomachines within every muscle of her body than through the muscles themselves. It's unpracticed and clumsy, but she's moving on Yari and that's what really counts.
Sarah Rogers	Sarah's got a smug grin on her face by now. This was way too easy! She's closing in to give Yari a whack to keep her down. ...And then suddenly the world goes white for a moment as she gets a face full of lightning. The girl ends up tumbling to the ground, rolling over a few times and skidding past Yari and Eve. "Why do we always have to do this the hard way?" She groans, sitting back up as smoke rises off her body. "C'mon just give up now and we'll go easy on you!" She sounds surprisingly confident for someone who's barely managing to stagger to her feet.
Toph Beifong	"Neither are you, but you're gonna share their fate soon enough!" the first firebender says. "Get back here!" The two other guys do not chase Ziggy, as they find their way blocked by a stubborn looking teenage girl who does her best to frown at them. "What... did this runt hide or something earlier?" one of them asks the other, then snorts at Toph as he assumes. "Come along, and you won't get hurt!" In response Toph lets out a huff. "You're the ones who will get hurt if you think you can win this!" With a kick to the ground she causes the earth underneath the two to erupt in a skywards burst of dirt and pebbles. Up they go, and the two firebenders cry out in surprise. "Now where did you take the villagers?!" she demands. Meanwhile the other firebender isn't having much more luck as he chases down Ziggy. The Green Ranger is quicker than him, so he only turns the corner when Ziggy is ready to taunt him, a furious look on his face. "Oh, I'm coming! And you better be ready to /burn/!" While running the man raises his arms, and he throws his right arm out in a punch just as Ziggy... pulls a big green axe out of nowhere...? "Huh?" Just as he's about to unleash a fireball at the Green Ranger, the water splashes all over him, soaking him to the bone and putting out the beginning of the fire, leaving him looking absolutely flabbergasted.
Yari Takane	"So you're still holding on to that silly notion that the lowest of scum shouldn't die?" A shake of her head. "One day you will learn the truth, and it will be more painful than you could ever imagine." There's a hint of sadness in the ninja's voice. Frown. The girl is still moving, but at least she took Sarah out of the sky! That's a start. "Unfortunately for you two, I am not the type to just roll over when I have a mission." More handseals, and she sucks in a breath! Magical fire bursts from her mouth as she aims to create a wall of fire in front of the pair, just close enough to singe! And more importantly, she's trying to set the nearby buildings on fire and take them down around the two!
Ziggy Grover	Following through, Ranger Green brings his fist forward in as hard a punch as he could throw. Ranger Green's accuracy was good, but his power... well, it wasn't all that, but it -did- help his suit helped him. Still... "OW OW OW!" C'mon, just fall down so Ranger Green can go on to scrambling for the -next- guy. Unless something else came along.
Eve	"You're not the lowest of scum." Eve mutters. She may not like what Yari does, but she has no reason to cast petty insults or to let the Au'ra believe she'd stoop to that level. "It's just that if you die, your choices are done forever." Eve explains, more or less to herself. It's not the only reason she opposes killing, but it's one of them. Maybe it's one that would get through to Yari... but probably not. Eve flinches away from the fire, her body flinching away automatically as she's singed. "I should create some kind of ranged attack." she mutters, annoyed. Well, with fire between her and Yari, Eve can't really pursue the ninja. She can only really back off, get out of the fire, make sure she's not actually a liability to her friends. Eve's journey is slow, but she's gaining better control and slightly better speed with every jerky step. Sweat pours down her brow though, and it's not just from the heat of the nearby flames.
Toph Beifong	The punch Ziggy delivers takes the firebender by surprise, and he staggers back, reaching up to his bleeding nose. "OW! You INSOLENT...!" he snarls, then lashes out with left arm. There are some tiny flames coming, but being drenched it doesn't seem he's able to get the big flames going just yet! Not to mention he looks a bit unstable at the moment... Out on the nearby street, Toph leans over one of the firebenders as he finds himself buried up to the neck and unable to move a muscle. "I'm going to repeat the deal, dunderheads... you tell me and my friends where you took the villagers, and I won't bury you and your friend even further. If you hurt them... well, we'll just have to turn you in to the authorities at Ba Sing Se. Have you seen their dungeons? Pretty dank and chilly if you ask me..." Toph muses, resting her hands on her hips. Stuck in the ground, the two firebenders are quivering, not feeling all too brave at the moment. "W-we took them north east! They're in a camp there!" Looking mighty pleased with herself, Toph grins widely. "Thanks!" Then she turns and heads down the street back towards the others.
Sarah Rogers	The fire is exactly the motivation Sarah needs to get moving again. She pushes herself the rest of the way onto her feet, and then with some effort, back in the air. She then swoops back down to pick up Eve in her left arm and get her away from the flames, "If I get you above the fire, can you do that hair thing again?" She asks as she rises further. Her right arm goes to touch her necklace, and instantly Mjolnir is in her hand. "Hey Ninja Girl! Don't throw lighting around unless you know who you're dealing with!" She sneers as she spins the hammer up until it's arcing with lighting and throws it at Yari. The truth is, it's a rather gentle throw, as far as magical hammers go. She just wants to stop her from burning things, and of course return the favor of lightning to the face!
Eve	"Hair thing?" Eve says, sounding kind of annoyed. Probably at needing to be rescued. She nods jerkily. "Partly paralyzed." she reports. "Hair not paralyzed." she adds, clarifying somewhat. Not that Eve's powers make any real sense even with that bit explaining them, but Eve doesn't feel the need to speak further on the subject. "Just don't throw me." Eve cautions. Being used as a projectile weapon would add to Eve's day, and not in a good way!
Yari Takane	"What are you saying? Something like 'anyone can be redeemed'? Leave a bandit or a killer alive, and they go on to kill and pillage again. Efficiency isn't kind, but it saves lives." "It's true that one or two might change their ways. But if you're wrong, a child might lose her parents." Yari isn't quite sure why she feels like she needs to argue with the girl. But something about Eve just makes her want to pass on the 'wisdom' she's learned in her life, such as it is. But with the fire, for now, she's not a threat. Instead, there's Sarah to deal with! In comes that thrown hammer of Thor, and Yari can't quite leap away in time! Right in the chest, she's slammed to the ground and goes tumbling not unlike Sarah herself. She spits out blood, body trembling a bit. It takes her a moment to get back up. Yari is not exactly a durable individual. "I...nngh...really can't keep my eyes off of you." Still, she has a pretty good idea of what the two are planning as Sarah goes for the pickup. She reaches into her kimono, pulls out a trio of round orbs, and then tosses two at the girls, and one at her feet! Smoke billows from around her, and the ninja uses the distraction to dart down an alleyway! The other bombs go off, with clinging poison filling the air! It's not lethal, but highly irritant to skin and eyes: highly concentrated mixture of various peppers and other spicey goods. She had a few leftovers after cooking for Sanary and Linh. The ninja leaves the burning village to its fate! Judging from the commotion elsewhere, she needs to warn the rest of the firebenders!
Ziggy Grover	Aw man, this was -not- going well, because Ranger Green had to shake his hand out and it wasn't -his- best hand. Duck the swing, duck the next swing, what is he supposed to do...? Oh. The next time he ducks, Ranger Green charges forward, leading with dull fin on his helmet. Not going to hurt him or anything, but at least it'll... wait, did Ranger Green even check to see what was behind the firebender?
Toph Beifong	Punch... punch... punch! Every swing the firebender takes at Ziggy misses, and he snarls with contempt. "Just stand still, you little twerp!" he hisses threateningly, and it seems like his firebending is starting back up judging by the fire that builds up around his hands...! Only he's not entirely prepared for Ziggy charging at him, hitting him square in the chest and knocking the air out of him as he is sent tumbling back into the building behind him... which appears to be a pottery, complete with kiln and rows upon rows of various products in different sizes. Out on the street, Toph reaches for her radio. "Okay guys, I got an idea on the location of the villagers... they are not too far from here! How are you all doing, need any heavy rocks thrown at people? Is our junior member okay?" Eve did seem to be hit by something...
Eve	"I didn't say they shouldn't be STOPPED." Eve states, with exactly that tone of annoyance. Like Yari was the one making childish arguments while Eve was being the reasonable adult. She'd continue arguing, but Yari's smoke bombs make speech impossible. The coughs are entirely involuntary, and the rapidly-diminishing paralytic in no way reduces her discomfort at being pepper bombed. This REALLY isn't her day.
Sarah Rogers	"I've got Eve. She seems to be okay. Nin--" Sarah's report is interrupted by a coughing fit. Her only choice is too keep going up to get away from what she assumes is poison. "Dammit! Ninja Girl's getting away. I can't see her through all this crap she's throwing around, but I think she's still on the ground?" She calls her hammer back to her hand, trying to make out something she can hurl it at through the smoke.
Ziggy Grover	The sound of shattering pottery leaves Ranger Green bewildered, as he sees rows of pots. Trying to reorient himself, he -does- notice the firebender already trying to recover. Ducking, Ranger Green grabs a pot, and then holds it up. One fist goes into it, and Ranger Green lets go. He stares at the pot, then at the firebender, and then picks up another pot just as the firebender tries to unleash -another- one of those fist-flames. "Man, you look like that Japanese anime where the main character has two balls on his hand," Ranger Green observes, before looking up again. GRRRR! "Eeek!" Ranger Green says, as he immediately picks up a big vases and smashes it on the firebender's head. Is he still standing? Whimper whimper... Ranger Green turns away, prepared for unleashed violence, before reaching out, trying to feel for where the firebender was standing. Why isn't he hitting yet? Why isn't... Push...! The firebender falls over backwards. ... Oh. Well then...! Run, Ziggy, RUN! Run right back to find the others before you get in even more trouble!
Yari Takane	With Eve dealt a pepper-based blow, and Sarah liely still hunting for her, Yari has to use a few more tricks if she's going to get away! She keeps to the back alleys of the town, using all of her ninja speed to try to head her way out of the village! She does pause briefly however! Sarah and Eve might catch the occasional flash of a tail as Yari uses the smoke and fire to her advantage! A ninja leaps to the buildings, seemingly leaping about to try to get away! Unfortunately, it's not a real Yari: simply an illusion. The real one is still rushing through smoke and fire to get away. The clone won't last too long, but hopefully the pair will lock onto the more visible of the two!
Toph Beifong	The sound of coughing over the radio makes Toph frown, and then her eyes widen as she notices a retreating figure... over there! Whoever it is she's quick, that's for certain. And while the chances aren't the best, she's still gotta try! The blind girl rushes down the street, kicking into the ground to shape it into an earthen wave that she rolls along on, dogged determination as she chases down the fleeing Yari. The illusion is lost on Toph, as she is only able to 'see' the real one, the smoke and fire no problem except that she has to avoid the fire and cover her mouth as she rushes through the smoke. "GET BACK HERE!" she yells as they near the gates to the town and the forests outside. "I'm chasing her down, she's trying to leave the village!" Toph calls over the radio, coughing slightly. Are Eve and Sarah okay? Ziggy seems to have handled the firebender at least.
Eve	On the ground, Eve's free to deal with the really really annoying pepper residue. It STINGS. And she is totally not crying, but it makes her LOOK like she is! That's just so annoying. She's going to have WORDS with Yari one day. And those words, if she has her way, will be 'mace', 'maul', 'shield', and maybe the occasional 'thwack'. For now, Eve struggles towards Toph and the other ground crew. Walking is easy enough now, though she's more lurching than walking. Sprinting's not in the cards just yet, but for the most part the paralytic's been broken down by her potent nanomachine defenses.
Sarah Rogers	Sarah hurls her hammer at one of the Clone-Yari's. It doesn't look like she was holding back this time. The force of the impact puts some of the local fires out and blows away some of the smoke, which makes it all the more obvious that she's hit nothing. "What the hell? I really hate Ninjas!" She sighs, "Sorry, I thought I had her, but I'm seeing things aparently." She takes the opportunity to retrive her shield while trying to figure out what happened to Yari.
Yari Takane	Yari's day is /not/ getting any easier. She glances behind her, only to find /another/ kid after her! "...You do realize no one /ever/ stops when you yell that? They just run faster." Offers Yari to the Earthbender in turn, only for there to be a Ziggy Grover who suddenly takes a turn. It's perfect. Light ninja slamming into Ziggy, not the biggest young man in the world! The rather ungraceful collision earns Yari a bruised nose, and she stumbles back. Some part of her is a good woman. She reflexively helps Ziggy to his feet. Then sense returns amidst smoke. "I'm getting tired of you all." That steadying hand ends up in her practically reaching behind him to attempt to leap over him, and pick him up by the scruff of his suit! A quick spin as she lands, and she tries to bodily toss Ziggy at Toph! And then her tail gives a nice bowler's throw on a small, round, suspiciously grenade-like object. Yari's quick to leap away, tail and hand on her ears. BOOOM! It's a flashbang. She's hauling ass towards the woods nearby! That Yari clone goes up in smoke as it's hit! Poor Sarah.
Ziggy Grover	Trying to get back to where the others were after leading the firebender a merry chase, Ranger Green turns a corner... and slams right into Yari. "HEY!" he begins, about to protest, before pointing. "It's youuuuuuuuuuu........!" This said, while being flung into the air at Toph. Limbs flailing, Ziggy goes flying and...
Toph Beifong	"Like running faster will you help you!" Toph retorts. Yeah, just gotta get a little closer...! She notices that there is another person approaching Yari too, great! Now they've got her...! Or not. Instead of grabbing her it seems like Ziggy is a bit slow on the uptake, and Toph raises her voice. "Grab her, Spaz Lord!" Too late however, as Yari has already grabbed Ziggy and flung him straight towards her! While the flashbang isn't about to distract Toph, it's something else when one of her allies is thrown directly at her. Sure, Toph does her best to evade the Amazing Flailing Ranger, but as she ducks she is hit by Ziggy's leg straight in the face, and she's sent flying backwards along with Ziggy with a pained yelp, losing her footing as they are both in for a rough landing!
Ziggy Grover	Flailing, Ranger Green smacks, tumbles, rolls up against the wall of a house, leaving Toph semi-protected as he seeks to shield her from impact, somewhat. This is roughly about as effective as a paper towel trying to hold back a rock. A wet paper towel, at that.
Toph Beifong	A pained groan leaves Toph as she regains her senses somewhat, finding herself upside down, most of her legs resting on something. "What the crud..." Sure, it appears that Ziggy did prevent her from hitting the wall. So she hasn't suffered further injury than the broken nose she now sports, blood running down her face. Or up her face at the moment, considering she is upside down. "Why didn't you /stop/ her?" she demands of Ziggy, kicking off of his shoulder so she can roll around and flop down on her front instead, all while she presses her arms down onto the ground to make sure she doesn't fall smack on her face. Great, she can't see her anywhere though her seismic sense. "Okay, we lost her... but at least now we know where the villagers are. Which means they need to organise a rescue mission there. AFTER they have put out the fire and treated their injuries.