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Tao's readied fist stayed trained on the firebender as he started to flee in preparation to drag him back for a proper answer, but the waterbender hesitated. There wasn't any time. The approaching eruptions were getting louder and accosting him would only get them both caught. His offer wasn't much to go on - namely because Tao still had no idea who he was or how to find him when the time came to collect on the promised help - but thankfully the crazy woman filled in the blanks for him. Still not ideal, but at least he had a name and a location.

If the rebels had the inn and the fishery, they must've had quite a hold on this village. Or this 'Ena' was still crazy and this was a horribly risky plan, which was still a distinct possiblity. Worse still, she wanted his support while she stood her ground. He'd happily help her flee, but to stand against every soldier in town in a cramped little alleyway? He hadn't wanted to even next to the ocean! How was she going to meet up with him at the inn when she clearly had a deathwish? Tao's eyes darted this way and that, mulling over risk versus reward and coming up blank.

[color=0066cc]"What, you're gonna fight all of them?"[/color] he whined, [color=0066cc]"I'd hoped you at least fled for backu-"[/color] Tao cut himself off as the sound of grinding stone grew too close for comfort, which heralded the appearance of a soldier on the rooftops above, shouting for a challenge. With no chances left to consider his options and his heart pounding in his chest, Tao finally made his decision.

A coward's decision, but a decision.

He staggered backward, putting on his best display of frustration. Well, the frustration was real, but the source wasn't. Tao's arms flailed, waving his frozen hands about as if he'd gotten something gross on them and he was trying to shake it off. He put distance between himself and Ena, regarding her warily as if she were an opponent that had bested him. For the second time that day, he fell back onto the ground as his eyes sharped into a glare.

[color=0066cc]"Get your stupid waterbender back here to unfreeze my hands so I can fight you properly!"[/color] Tao snarled up at Ena. Hopefully she wasn't too daft for the bit to go over her head, but he assumed she had to have a working knowledge of subtlety as a resistance fighter. Maybe. 

As soon as the airborne soldier grew close, Tao called up to him. [color=0066cc]"Thank the spirits- all the benders fled that way!"[/color] He made a loose gesture down one of the side streets the firebender hadn't taken, pointed further away from the fishery. [color=0066cc]"You can probably catch them if you hurry!"[/color] His father would've been proud; the story was simple but his delivery was hopefully convincing enough. It kinda made him sick. He hoped that was the adrenaline, or at least added to his defeated demeanor.

Either way, he'd played his part. Going after the firebender might draw the soldiers, even if they weren't suspicious of his story, and fleeing back to the fishery was likely to keep him in the line of fire. The inn was a possiblity, but he doubted he'd get any information with the commotion still going on, and the risk of a soldier hearing him was too great.

So he did what he did best - Tao crawled away from the swordswoman and waited for an opportunity to come. The tides of the battle were still in flux; it was too early to commit to a course of action safely. If the woman lost, he'd still have the firebender. If she won, he [i]had[/i] helped her. At the cost of his pride, no less! That had to count for something.

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