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[color=9f9f9f]Chu's confidence became Li's as the more novice girl absorbed everything being said. She wasn't entirely sure what it was. If the heat was getting to her or it was the presence of the King, or if the sound of syllables bouncing along on the smoothest voice she had ever heard was affecting her, but in that moment, Chu's words were the truest ever spoken to her. It was nothing so enlightening as to be a regurgitation of some well-known quote and definitely not a dismissal of her fears. It was simply the truth: Chu had experience and she knew she was good, so there was nothing to fear. They'd practiced. They'd prepared and planned. They'd spent all year beating back the competition to get to where they were now. They were ready. What they did next was only natural. A part of them. A habit.

Whatever was making her nervous before was quickly forgotten and replaced with a determination to prove herself worthy of standing next to Chu. [color=white]"You're right."[/color]

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When the opening ceremony had finished, the field was cleared and both teams moved to take their place for the toss-up. Two players would meet in the center and the ball would be jettisoned a short distance into the air above them from the ground. It was then that the game would begin as both players attempted to take first control of the ball. The two players in question were of course Chu and the Wolfbat's own Kanna. A renowned player in her own right who'd helped to keep her team's crown in the Stickball world.

Kanna strode up to the middle of the field, her stick tucked under her arm and a determined smile on her lips. Her head of shoulder length white hair was tied up by a band that matched the color of her jersey: slate gray and a streak of orange that complimented each other. Piercing gray eyes regarded Chu as if challenging her, weighing her worth well before the game had even begun.

She stopped only a few feet away from her and dropped the end of her stick into the dirt so she could rest her hand on the edge of the flat end. She shook her head. [color=white]“It’s not going to happen, Chu. Face it. You can’t beat us. You can’t beat me and your team sure as hell won’t do it.”[/color] She raised a brow and flashed a smirk. [color=white]“But I tell you what, if you quit and join us, I’ll uh… I’ll let you lead the reserve team.”[/color] Kanna pursed her lips at Chu and nodded at her. [color=white]“That’s a pretty good deal, yeah?”[/color]

Chu Hua laughed, shaking her head as she set up her stick and got into position. [color=firebrick]“Sorry, babe. I haven’t played in the minor leagues since I was a kid- not about to start now,”[/color] she said, mocking. She took a moment to get her legs properly on the ground, making a small grunt as she adjusted her arms. Her and Kanna had a history, you could say. When they were both up and coming players they had had a very short-lived fling. Short-lived because, as Chu Hua would say, Kanna was a crazy bitch. She was indeed smoking hot, but… absolutely insane. Since then, they had developed a red-hot rivalry on the field and an even tenser relationship off-field. Kanna had singlehandedly been the reason she had rejected a lucrative transfer to the Wolfbats a few years ago, and Chu Hua did not regret it one bit. She enjoyed being the underdog.

[color=firebrick]“I bet you think about me every night, huh? You better get ready to think about me every time you look at your empty trophy shelf, too.”[/color]

[color=white]"HA! The only thing I think about..."[/color] Kanna began, pulling her stick out of the dirt and grabbing it in both her hands. She settled into a position mirroring Chu's and leveled her face out with hers. A fire had been lit in her eyes. [color=white]"...Is how much of a disappointment you are in the field... and the sack."[/color] The corners of her lips began to turn.

Chu Hua clicked her tongue. [color=firebrick]“I think your mom might disagree, Kanna. She’s a real big fan of my moves. And she's much better than you.”[/color]

There was a very obvious pause as Kanna took a moment to process what she had just heard. When before she was nearly leaned against Chu’s nose, now her posture was frozen and whatever fire in her eyes had been burning brightly was quickly turned to ice. Her lips had stopped curling and it seemed as though she’d also stopped breathing.

Without warning, she dropped one end of her stick and threw a right hook at the girl aiming for her temple. It was fast, faster than most could follow, but Chu was a seasoned player of the game of Stickball. Tracking fast moving objects was the name of the game. She ducked at the last possible second, letting Kanna’s fist connect with her helmet instead of her brain. The dull sound of bone slamming against hard plastic was accompanied by a dumb-founded look from Chu. The game hadn’t even started yet! In a moment’s breath, she tackled the other woman to the ground, turning them into a flurry of flailing limbs. [color=firebrick]“Ref! REF!”[/color] she began to shout. The entire stadium seemed to gasp all at once, and then transform into a wild crowd screaming [color=white]“FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!”[/color].

Meanwhile, Kanna was trying to find her lungs. The speed of the reaction and the force of impact was enough to expel all the air from her chest and the weight of Chu on top of her was keeping that air out. She couldn’t breathe, and began to flail about wildly in a vain attempt to get Chu off who was very successfully pinning her in place.

By now, players from both sides of the field began to converge on the two, amidst cheers from the now excitable crowd. Two referees had also dove into the scuffle and began prying them both apart, to which Chu Hua quickly scrambled away and raised her hands in a pacifying gesture.

Suddenly finding herself able to breathe again, Kanna immediately opened her mouth. [color=white]“Get the fuck off me!”[/color]

[color=firebrick]“I’m off, I’m off, you fucking psychopath!”[/color] Chu screamed back. She breathed hard for a moment, retreating into the safety of her team. [color=firebrick]“Dude! Ref! Penalty her, this crazy bitch just hit me out of nowhere before the game even fucking started! That’s insane. I can’t play with someone that’s gonna clock me out of nowhere.”[/color] She could feel her face getting hot as she gestured to Kanna who was being hoisted from the ground.

As soon as she found her feet, she attempted to charge at Chu again, but was stopped by a firm arm across her torso. [color=white]“You keep my mother out your fucking mouth!”[/color] she screamed again, flailing wildly in the other’s direction as her eyes flared with an anger that was typically unlike her despite her character.

[color=white]“Kanna!”[/color] The ref pushed her back and kept her in place while the adrenaline pumping through her veins burned off. Meanwhile, Li had by now caught up with Chu and joined the others in forming a protective circle around the girl. They kept some of the other more aggressive players on the opposite team at bay and their own in the back, staying any further altercations.

[color=white]“Are you alright?!”[/color] Li asked, stealing occasional glances over at a red faced Kanna.

[color=firebrick]“I’m fine, I’m fine,”[/color] Chu Hua murmured, rubbing her head. [color=firebrick]“She’s just nuts. I told her that her mom was good in bed and she went off her rocker.”[/color] It was strange that she had reacted like that- it wasn’t like Kanna. In fact, it wasn’t like any sane person. Jokes about moms were common. Chu Hua loved her mom, but she wouldn’t beat someone up if they impersonally talked shit about her on the field. Was she okay? She sighed, and took a glance at the royal box, where the king and his court looked impatient, whispering. [color=firebrick]“I just wanna start the game already.”[/color][/color][/quote][/cell][/row][/table][/sub][/color]

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[color=white]"Look, I just thought maybe you wanted to talk to him cause you're going through some tough shit too."[/color]

[color=white]"Why would I want to do that?! I nearly killed him!"[/color] He whispered. [color=white]"How the fuck would talking to him help me? He can't even talk!"[/color]

[color=white]"Well I DON'T KNOW... forgiveness? I'm not a brain doctor. I don't know how this shit works! I just know that he's here and when I mentioned you were also here, he started acting all weird, okay?"[/color]

[color=white]"I don't even know what that's supposed to mean to me, or why you would even mention I was here but honestly, fuck him, alright? I don't have time to deal with him and our-."[/color]

[color=white]"There you are! I was looking for the two of you, I have news."[/color] The interrupted boy turned from the smaller girl toward the familiar voice of Vasra. She smiled at them both, the color of a small victory visible in her weary eyes. [color=white]"Your father has made a marked improvement..."[/color] she said, [color=white]"...but he isn't out of the woods yet."[/color] The boy nodded in understanding, the visitor from his past already forgotten. His father was one of the construction workers who had been seriously injured while on a job. The wounds he'd sustained would not have been a simple fix. There had been large lacerations to his entire right arm and immediate treatment would have been necessary to stave infection and save the limb. However, his family was poor and a trip to the hospital was out of the question. A medical bill for a visit alone would have been immense. Instead, he and his partner were transported to the kitchen where word of a 'miracle doctor' had spread. Although hardly a replacement for Upper Ring care, the work she'd done on him was enough to ensure proper healing and that more importantly, he would not lose his arm. Full range of motion, however, was out of the question, so the victory was bittersweet.

[color=white]"Is there a problem? What is all the commotion?"[/color] Vasra asked after having noticed that the daughter of her patient was not as invested in the news about her father as her brother was. She was more focused on the commotion unfolding at the other side of the kitchen. The boy turned as well, following Vasra's gaze and seeing again a person from his memory. The last few years hadn't been kind to either of them, but if there was one thing he could acknowledge, it was the fact that both of them had changed. The Weiyuan he knew was gone, replaced by the adult the teen had grown into. It was enough of a difference that he almost didn't recognize him. Then there was the woman next to him who he could also place. A pusher of various illicit items that they were quite good at moving, from what he'd been told. The two of them were buried in their own conversation that he couldn't quite hear. But while he didn't know what they were saying, he could hazard a guess. A boy from his past who was now a man had walked back into his life. There had to be a reason, especially since he was not alone. Besides the other kids who had been with him at the time of the incident, and his younger sister, Weiyuan was the only person who knew about the sins of his past and more than that, he was sure Weiyuan was acutely aware of his presence. He didn't know how the mute would react, but a part of him didn't want to wait to find out.
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[color=white]"Uh..."[/color] Sumire interrupted the group with an aimless wave of her hand and a voice dripping of concern. [color=white]"T-there's something wrong..."[/color] With a few quick taps on her pad and another swipe toward the glass, the information on Jin was dismissed and replaced by a readout of the pipeline. A number of small squares were sitting at various points along its length, marking the current locations of all active Pipe Runners. Around these squares were smaller boxes populated with general information including a picture with a name, a date of birth, the date of a Pipe Runners registration and their registration number. There was also information relating to a Pipe Runner's status, such as duration of current time beyond the walls, number of recent patches made to the pipe and a log of any serious issues they'd recently come across, all of which was infinitely more important to Sumire's job.

Sumire, however, was not paying these much mind and was instead focusing on a series of caution symbols appearing in quick succession. They started from the plant and were traveling East toward the storage facility. She looked down at her pad again.

[color=white]"Multiple ruptures along the pipe from a... buildup of pressure that's moving straight toward us..."[/color] She looked up, past the glass of the panorama to the distance where the end of the pipe disappeared over the horizon. Interrupting the blue of the sky were a number of pink-hued jets where spirit energy was being ejected into the surrounding air. Newer ruptures continued to appear as the buildup rapidly approached. [color=white]"...Moving straight toward us very... very fast."[/color] If Sumire was any good at math, and she liked to think that she was, she figured it'd be under them within the minute. [color=white]"Oh holy shit."[/color] She turned to the rest of the group just as the alarms began blaring loudly. Behind her, pink spouts burst from the pipe like fingers, clawing their way toward the storage facility.

Ignoring the others, Sumire dropped her pad and immediately bolted for Jin, throwing her arms around his body as she tried to tackle him to the ground.
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[color=white]"Is there a problem? What is all the commotion? This isn't the place for-"[/color]

The girl turned to start explaining the situation but they were both interrupted. A sound like the crack of thunder broke the ambience of the room and in the span of half a second, their entire world was flipped on its side. An explosion rocked the soup kitchen, blowing out the windows, killing the lights and knocking every loose item to the ground. Tables, chairs and people were flung from one side of the room to the other, landing in twisted heaps amidst a hail of debris. The force of the unseen blast was strong enough to rip kitchen appliances off the wall, moving stoves and toppling one of the large fridges. When the shaking and noise had finally stopped and the dust settled, the once vibrant room full of life and conversation became little more than a dark box filled with a cacophony of panic.
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[color=9f9f9f]A beam of pink light erupted in the far distance, piercing distant clouds and pushing into the sky. It persisted for a handful of seconds before it disappeared, leaving little trace behind save for the circle shaped hole it punched.

The commotion in the field paused long enough for everyone to notice, each player and all those in the stands turning to look in that direction. Once it was gone, murmuring from the crowd drifted over the field and a few of the players began to whisper to each other.

[color=white]"What the... what in the hell wa-"[/color] The soft sound of a muted, distant explosion cut Li off. [color=white]"What is going on?"[/color]
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The pitch black was pushed back as emergency generators kicked in, dousing the tossed room in a haze of red light and revealing a world turned upside down. People lay in motionless piles buried under tables and chairs. Parts of the wall and ceiling had collapsed, exposing a steel skeleton and wire vines. Much of the underlying framework had been damaged in the blast, severing important lifelines to the kitchen such as a gas pipe. To make matters worse, a fire had ignited on a small pool of grease that had collected in the corner. The flames were slowly started to spread, as was the smell of gas.

Those who could still stand began to pick themselves up off the floor and while most hurried out the doors, some remained to help others. They quickly got to work clearing debris and digging up anyone shouting for help who were buried. Those more seriously injured, having been impaled or blunted by the objects that had been tossed around the room, were carried out.

The boy was also standing by now, but was strangely motionless and despite his sister coming up and trying to get his attention, was paying her little heed. Instead, he was staring intently at Weiyuan.

[color=white]"Hey! What the fuck are you doing?!"[/color] She yelled again. [color=white]"We have to geaAAUGH!"[/color] He shoved her hard to the side where she landed against an upturned chair next to Vasra. Ignoring her pained grunt, he began marching mindlessly toward the thing from his past. Unbeknownst to him, he'd been gouged from a pipe that was sticking through his torso but despite the blood pooling at his feet, was ignoring it. When he was finally close enough, he attempted to reach for Weiyuan and grab his throat with a single hand.
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Sumire opened her eyes to notice that she was still standing. In fact, despite the effort she put into saving Jin, she really only managed to give the man a more violent hug. The force behind her tackle did little more than push him back a half a step.

Thankfully, despite the perceived nature of the danger the build up of pressure in the pipe had been, the resulting explosion only managed to do minimal damage to the structure. The command center was after-all built into the wall itself. They stood over 300 feet above the ground, so besides the glass of the panorama shattering and some objects being tossed around, little else happened.

Heat found Sumire's cheeks as she quickly pulled away from Jin and began trying to dust herself off of him. Her pats against his chest was doing little to clear the dust embedded in his clothing but was doing plenty to fuel her embarrassment. [color=white]"Uh. Wow! Glad you're uh... str-SAFE!"[/color] She chuckled nervously. [color=white]"That could have been extra bo-BAD."[/color] As she backed further away and began to dust herself off too, the others in the room gathered themselves as well, checking to make sure they hadn't dropped anything during the commotion. They all seemed unharmed, save for Vyska, who began to scream as her gloves burst into flames and the heat began to eat away at the skin of her hands.

At the same time, two other operators were now standing and staring intently at two individuals. One moved toward Sumire, who was unknowingly backing into him. The other began moving toward Theyra. The first grabbed Sumire around her neck from behind and began to squeeze, forcing a surprised but soundless cough from her now gaping mouth as her eyes began to widen. She began clawing at the hands holding her. The second moved to do the same, reaching for Theyra in an attempt to grab his throat while the others were distracted by Vyska's screaming.
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[list][list][list][list][list][list][b][sub][table=bordered][row][/row][row][cell=active][color=silver][center][color=black]Prompt.[/color][/center]Following the explosion, all benders will start to feel strange. Empowered. Your bending skill is temporarily increased meaning you can move larger amounts of your element than you could before. Naturally, this will be highly unusual and not something anyone is used to, so bending control will be very difficult. Additionally, you are so strong that you will begin to bend without meaning too. Motions with arms and legs may effect your element in the nearby vicinity. I will leave when this happens up to you, but it must happen. Your character cannot control it.

[color=black]Weiyuan.[/color] Regardless of who is in control, accidental bending will happen. If the alter takes control, bending of glass is unlocked.

[color=black]Jin Wei.[/color] as an Airbender, you will see the vague outline of a shadow standing behind individuals who are acting erratically or violently. The two individuals in the command center moving on Sumire and Theyra are these. This is strictly something only an Airbender can see. Everyone else will see a person acting crazy.

[color=black]Vasra.[/color] For the first time in your life, you can [i]feel[/i] water around you. You don't quite understand why or what is happening until you start to move.

[color=black]Theyra.[/color] You're unaffected by the blast, but Vyska sure is acting weird.

[color=black]Chu.[/color] Shortly after hearing the muted sound of the explosion, the familiar feeling you get when you bend suddenly grows. Adrenaline or excitement or whatever it is, you cannot control it.

To everyone, keep in mind that there may be innocent people around you so consider that in the scene when you are writing. Bending is uncontrollable but wanton use may incur some unintentional harm or death. Lastly, the people who have succumb to a mindless violence can be treated as fodder. You may hit them as hard as you like.
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