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The massive monk apparently wasn't the only person who felt brave today, as an armed woman rushed out to the old man's defense. At least, Tao had assumed it was bravery. The words that left her mouth made it seem more like stupidity. Obviously the man didn't have proof, or he would've had the old man bound in stone and carted off already, but waving that in his face wouldn't deter him; he was there to obtain proof. Worse, she clearly knew the old man, so there probably wouldn't be any talking her down. That should've been Tao's cue to evacuate the scene, but the monk turned on him before he could make his escape. 

The airbender was certainly polite and, in normal circumstances, Tao would've gladly entertained his humble request, but he could only assume it was a preface to him doing something drastic and the wayward Water Tribesman couldn't risk being implicated as his accomplice. Even if through something as silly as holding his sack while he- oh, blessed Moon Spirit, he dropped it.

[color=0066cc]"Hey, wait, I-"[/color] Tao staggered backward as the weight of the rice sack fell into his arms, far heavier than he'd been prepared to lift on such abrupt notice. He pulled it into his chest on instinct, which proved to be a mistake as the telltale tremors of earthbending shook his already unsteady footing to send him gracelessly down onto his ass. A muffled [color=0066cc]"Oof-"[/color] escaped him at the collision, but he had little chance to sit and recover; the telltale sounds of grinding rock and flying boulders told him he needed to move first and complain later. 

Tao shrugged the sack off his chest to heave it onto the ground beside him and shot up to a combat base. Bitterly, he considered the rock wall that now separated the violence from the crowd and how he could've been on the safer side of that barrier had the monk not hoisted his burdens on him in the most literal sense. Polite as he was though, it was hard to blame the airbender, so Tao would have to settle for the woman. Typical.

It helped that the monk still seemed committed to talking the situation out, though Tao didn't think it would be worth much at this point. The woman had clearly made the first strike, legal citation or not, and the commanding officer's wounded pride would have the fishery torched before he admitted a mistake now. With a weary glance down at the sack, Tao scooped it back up and made for the edge of the water under the guise of a fleeing bystander. He would've left it, but of the three potential rebels he'd encountered, the airbender seemed to be the most likely to survive this encounter, so it'd pay to ingratiate himself to the man. Besides, the monk [i]had[/i] asked. 

There was no way the woman would be able to hold her own against that many earthbenders unless she pulled out some bending of her own, but she could have friends waiting in the wings, given her confidence. Tao needed to wait for the tide of battle to flow in her favor - or, more realistically, wait to see the monk's plan of action - then intervene with something decisive.

[hr][@Asura]