Walking in Circles <Wilderness, Earth Kingdom>

[linhyan]

Lin really didn't need the hand on the shoulder but she appreciated his concern. Antidote eh?

This man... wanted a fight, so he probably didn't want to really kill a 'toy' quite yet. Which brought into question if the poison really was as potent as he threatened it was.

Xun had brought up a point about activity spreading poison and somebody who used poison darts as a weapon would know that. He knew how to use the darts which denoted experience and somebody with experience.. He's bluffing.... I think. Well since he wanted a fight so badly, I won't give it to him. She hadn't really listened to all of what Xun had said but ,by coincidence, put her own plan in motion after he finished speaking.

The corner of her mouth quirked slightly upwards before she ,lightly brushed the older mans hand off her shoulder. With a quick wink that Xun could only see she shifted her pack to her left shoulder and walked forward .

"Fine, If I move too much, I'll die anyways by what you're saying about this 'poison' of yours." Her Alto toned voice was very clear and dripping with real annoyance." I'm not going to waste what little time I have left on fighting a thug like you, for an antidote that may or may not help. I'd rather die closer to home than this!" Although she actually was very angry with him she had been able to curb it enough to make a plan to use her anger more effectively.

Hopefully the stranger hadn't gleaned enough information to realize Lin was very fond of living, and not at all how she pretended to be. If he did what she hoped he did she would fight on her terms not his which was most definitely what he didn't want. Or that was what she had gleaned from her 15 minute acquaintance of him.

Hopefully, she was right, he was bluffing and he wouldn't recognize her bluff until it was too late.

[iikagen]

Almost as soon as the man on the ostrich-horse-looking creature started to speak, Iikagen's grin shrank into a questioning pout while his left eyebrow lifted high on his forhead. He really just wanted a decent fight, and this man's words were doing well to diffuse the sense of urgency he'd hoped to create.

"Hey. Peckerwood," he said, looking directly at the man with the expression of an official rebuking a peon. "Shut it..." The Igni raised both his eyebrows rapidly for a moment to accentuate his command, and then looked back at the woman. It was her who had caught his eye as an interesting opponent, but if he could insult the man enough by ignoring him, he'd be willing to settle for a scrap with him as well.

Once more he turned his attention toward Lin-Hyan as she seemed to dismiss his terms. And once more, he screwed up his expression into one of disbelief. "Come again?" he asked, leaning toward her and turning his head to face his ear in her direction. Inside his mind he was wondering if she was calling his bluff, or just bluffing herself in order to weaken his bargaining power. It was layers upon layers of deception, and Iikagen couldn't help but find the challenge entertaining.

"Look, lady, I don't carry dis stuff to help with indigestion. It's poisonous... hey!" He interrupted his own sentence to call after the girl who started to turn away. Now, Iikagen was no one's fool, but one of his favorite things to do was to play the fool for those that took him for one. And when situations were as deceptive as this, the Igni found it easiest to simply change the facts as he saw fit and go by that.

And as he saw it, this woman couldn't be so sure his dart wasn't deadly to risk her life on it. Nor would the man beside her be likely to allow him to attack her without interfering. That being decided in his mind, he swivelled his travelling pack around and placed the little phial into its main pouch. And as he withdrew his hand, he made sure to position both of his shortspears with handles facing the opening for easy access.

"Where joo going?" he called after her, and began approaching with a swift walk, arms out to the side. Iikagen made each step quickly and carefully, though, for he almost certainly expected one or both of them to try and jump him for the 'antidote' at any moment.

"I don't know how often joo Dirt Nation monkeys get shot wit darts, but usually dat's game over!" he went on as he walked deeper into the ambush. He was just waiting for it to spring, and when it did he would be ready to fight right on through it.

[linhyan]

Lin-Hyan ignored the annoying man as much as she could , even with the audible sound of him drawing his blade didn't stop her. Her target area to stop and turn was 5 more feet in front of her. Lin continued to keep her eyes on the horizon, not looking to either side too much or moving her head. Along the way she kicked the ground a little leaving small almost in-perceptible cracks in the road. The cracks didn't directly connect but created a jagged line all the way back to where Lin had been standing when she was hit with the dart.

She was about to employ a favored trick of her mothers and slightly modified to work with Lin's lack of stamina . She had accidentally sunk her father up to his waist while learning and to be quite frank hadn't quite mastered it. No room for error,and gotta do it fast, Lin. You won't surprise him again easily.

This one had a slightly larger chance of hurting Xun as well since he was still close to the target area. She could only hope he would move back from the road but regardless, It would have to be much more precise. Lin kept a sharp ear out for sounds of a change of movement from the fool or for movement from Xun.

[xun]

"Mmph. Incessant little gnat, is he not?" Xun harumphed to Lin as he rode slowly besides her as the tattooed face man followed them; ears perking at the sound of his speech. And not just because of the ugly fake sounding dialect the man was pretending to use.

"And just as loud," keeping his back to that stranger. "I wonder if wild hog-monkeys are as loud and annoying as him with all his squeeling and screeching." Xun finally bade the man a half-look backwards before turning back around just as nonchalantly.

Just what was this woman planning to do then, wondering at Lin. Yet whatever it was, he hoped to be quick enough on the take to aid her in what could be an antidote. If only he could reach behind him for the rope in his saddle bag, but there was no real way of doing such without the man noticing. Unless by some grace he was that obliviously stupid to Xun reaching behind him and pulling out a rope. Best of luck to Lin then.

[iikagen]

Iikagen followed them at a steady pace, closing the distance between them ever so subtly. He knew the woman was preparing something, he just didn't know what. The Igni had been in the Earth Kingdom for quite a while now, but his experience with earthbenders was surprisingly limited. Most of his time had been spent in or around the Fire nation colonies, so he had yet to truly get a measure of what earthbenders could do.

Good sense would have told him to be more cautious, or at the very least not allow the muscular lady the opportunity to strike first, but Iikagen liked living on the edge. He enjoyed the idea of thinking that whatever this woman could possibly throw at him, he was skilled enough to handle it.

The man on the ostrich-horse-like creature (Iikagen couldn't tell the difference in breed), however, was starting to become an annoyance. Not that his words could ever truly insult the Igni, but his nonchalant and dismissive attitude was ruining the mood that Iikagen was trying to create. He liked making his opponents angry and frustrated. He found a certain twisted pleasure in pulling other people's strings, but this man seemed like he didn't have any. Perhaps Iikagen would have to switch to pressing buttons instead of pulling strings...

And by pressing buttons, he of course meant punching faces.

"Why don't joo goo shave jour smelly beard and eat some corn, Mister Squeaky-boots?" Iikagen suggested on a whim to the mounted man. He gestured over towards the woman with both hands and explained, "We trying to work somet'ing out here..."

[xun]

It caused Xun to turn around. Not wheel his steed around entirely, but it did make him crane his neck back towards the hooligan. And as he did, Xun's head titled to one side as if asking the question: 'Is that supposed to be an insult?'

But instead of asking it, Xun turned towards Lin-Hyan with a smirk of amusement on his face. Trying desperately not to laugh.

Obviously the sort more use to fighting than actually talking, Xun thought to himself.

"Where I come from, boy," now speaking to the hooligan but with his back turned to him once again. "If we want to work something out with a woman we don't go around poking her with darts. In fact, we men work something out first then poke her. And not with a dart I tell you."

Xun then gave Iikagen a quick, haughty half-glance before turning away again. "You understand? Boy."

[linhyan]

"If we want to work something out with a woman we don't go around poking her with darts. In fact, we men work something out first then poke her. And not with a dart I tell you."
Lin laughed as she suddenly grounded her heal into the road and made it crack loudly. It spread like it was going to swallow him up but that wasn't her goal. Unlike the last attack Lin had employed against him, there was a follow up.

Even Lin liked to change her style up a bit. That and she wanted him to continue focusing forward. She pivoted on the heel that was already grounded in and brought her other foot down hard into the earth. The force of the blow created a basketball sized chunk of rock and with a swift punch she sent it flying at the annoying mans head.
Then she rocked backwards bringing her arms back and up.
A thin tendril of dust came up from behind him aiming to grab his leg and yank him into the ground. My third Bluff of the day... third time's the charm.

[iikagen]

"Boy?" Iikagen repeated incredulously after hearing the Earth Kingdom man use the term several times. Iikagen might still be young in this continent, but he was practically middle-aged by Igni standards. He never bothered to keep track, but the islander guessed he had over half a dozen kids by now. To be called 'boy' was more laughable than demeaning.

"Boy," he said, using the word to refer to the rider himself, "I have kids old enough to kick jour ass. If joo-" Iikagen cut his retor off when he noticed that the muscle-bound woman had taken his distraction as an opportunity to attack. Before he knew it, a boulder as soaring his way and immediately his reflexes took over. He held up his next step from touching the ground for a moment and then pushed off to the side with that foot. He turned away from the incoming projectile and managed to spin himself out of harm's way, planting his other foot down behind him to keep him from falling.

He looked back at the girl, eyes wide for a moment in surprise and then quickly turning into a grin. He pushed off his back foot to square off against her once more and continue the fight, but something semi-substantial caught his trailing leg. It gave him a bit of a start and caused him to fall forward to correct his balance.

Iikagen planted his hands and yanked his foot hard against whatever bit of bending was holding him back, but in doing so the little wooden phial containing his supposed 'antidote popped free of his pack and rolled a little ways forward.

[xun]

A signal, Xun immediately presumed the moment Lin performed an about face and blasted an arm forward, though not in Xun's direction thankfully. Snatching the reins of his lethargic moa-horse, Xun wheeled the animal about into crouch to where Xun's own feet were near to touching the ground as Lin propelled a boulder towards the vagrant.

Go!, digging the spurs into the animal's side. The moa-horse leapt forward then scrambled into a low sprint towards the vagrant. Xun's wrist swam through the loop of the jitte at his belt just before grabbing the hilt and drawing it.

Right move, satisfied with himself upon seeing the hooligan not just stuck in the ground but the phial in question falling to the ground.

"Lin!" He yelled during the charge, hoping she saw the vial while he continued towards the man intending to keep him from getting it back by rapping him on the skull or at least pushing him back.

[iikagen]

Despite a solid yank from his legs, Iikagen couldn't shake off the tendril of dirt that was wrapped around his ankle. He wasn't aware benders could move the earth like this, but such a surprise wasn't entirely unwelcome. The volatile Igni enjoyed facing the unknown head-on.

Iikagen pushed himself up from the ground with his arms, but as he did so, he immediately caught sight of the rider spurring his mount into a charge. That certainly changed the game a little bit, but at the very least it meant that he could pay the older man back for being so snooty on his high-horse.... And if Iikagen had ever heard of that expression before, he might have cackled out loud at the irony.

With rapid movements, the Igni shifted his pack to his right side using one arm and immediately fished around for the handle of his shortspears with the other. The man was closing in and, by the looks of it, was also reaching for a weapon. With only a few yards seperating the two, Iikagen managed to isolate one of his weapons and pulled it swiftly out of the pack. Wasting no time, he brought it up and around with a little bit of a spinning flourish to give the blade of the weapon some extra momentum.

The rider straffed by him on his right side brandishing a metal rod and took a swing at his head. However, Iikagen had managed to time the upswing of his own weapon just so that he caught the incoming jitte with the blade of the spear and knocked the weapon up and over his face as the moa-horse road by.

Iikagen turned as best he could to follow the man's path with his eyes and see if he was coming back for another pass. Stuck as he was, he would need to free himself if he wanted any hope of facing these two opponents simultaneously. With determination to break his bonds, iikagen lifted up the shortspear in his hands and started to take a hack at the thin tendril of earth that head his leg in place.

[linhyan]

"Got it!" Lin attempted to sink the mans foot into the ground a little before dashing over to the still rolling vial. She scooped it up easily and placed it in the swinging pouch hanging on her sash. The small container felt suspiciously light but she ignored it for the time being.
The fight wasn't over yet and Lin owed him a pounding.

She extracted the three heavy stone rocks she currently had clanking around in her pouch and sent them flying at the Igni's hand's and face. If they would hit or not wasn't the issue, She wasn't a good marksman anyways. The point was to grab his attention away from chipping the rock away from his ankle. That would hopefully distract him long enough for her or Xun to get to him again.
Got to get in close...
Lin stumbled forward slightly and lunged forward when she was close enough grabbing for the short spear to shove it away. The other fist aimed for the man's jaw.
And Lin was smiling.
"Caught you, Chile-boy."

[iikagen]

Iikagen heard Lin's exclamation when she grabbed the phial and turned his head to regard her. In truth, she was only picking up the little that remained of the poison, and ingesting it would only make her sick. If she got away and left him stuck here, chances were that he would ultimately have the last laugh, but just to be safe Iikagen played along with his own ruse.

"Hey!" he shouted, pointing his spear at her. "Drop it, Muscles!" In response, she pulled up three chunks of rock and sent them flying his way with a few bending powered punches. At that range and with his foot stuck, Iikagen didn't have much room to dodge but he did his best. Luckily she was a poor shot and the first missed him completely. The second he managed to deflect with the blade of his spear, but the third hit him squarely in the thigh and would likely leave a nasty bruise.

The Igni grinned through the pin, though, and instead focused on the woman herself as she charged in after the volley. She was either very reckless or very confident to do so with the spear still in hand. But considering the uniqueness of this opponent, Iikagen decided not to try and stab her right away. Instead he was curious just how strong this muscular woman really was. Iikagen smiled widely and held his hands out wide to his sides, beckoning her on with his fingertips.

He didn't even have to say a word, for Lin planted her foot in front of him and took a swing right for his chin.

Now, Iikagen had been in more scraps and battles than he could even recall, and through it all he'd been hit by some pretty tough individuals. He knew how to take a punch, but perhaps it was her running start or just the fact that, like a fool, he offered his chin to her on a silver platter that caused sparks to flash across his vision as he flew backwards from his feet. Even the bit of earth that was holding him still broke off as he fell backwards and landed squarely on his back.

The world seemed to spin a few times, and for a moment he managed to sit up a little bit and focus on Lin's general direction. And then, for no real reason than it sounded like the right thing to say in his scrambled mind, Iikagen pointed a finger at the earthbender and said, "Okay... now it's my turn to ride the giant muskrat."

And with that Iikagen promptly fell back down, barely conscious and entirely incoherent for the time being.

[Iikagen has left the thread]

[xun]

Annoyed, Xun sucked air between teeth at Lin-Hyan's recklessness. Exerting herself, if she really was poisoned, and quickening the flow of her blood. She was only to grab the phial and stop at that, nothing further.

This sapling is not of worth, wheeling the moa-horse about before trotting the animal forward while holstering his jitte, unnecessary with the hooligan probably unconscious now. But if her possible situation was worsening, then at least knocking the troublemaker flat out would be some consolation.

Coming to a halt near the both of them Xun began looking over the troublemaker. "Mm!" Adressing Lin-Hyan. "Well done--now grab his things. The bag and his weapons. We'll be doing others a service," the thought of just crushing the man under the weight of his steed fermenting in his mind.

Probably should..., he thought but kept hesitating. "Get on," he instead said, reaching out to her with a hand. "I'll haul us to Gaoling while you sleep. It'll slow the blood and I want to make sure what that actually is actually safe for you to ingest."

[linhyan]

Lin shook her hand . That had hurt a little more than it should have but she was pleased. Her smile faded slightly when she saw Xun's disapproving eyes.
" Eheh.... sorry Xun. I really couldn't help myself. "
Lin leaned down next to Iikagen frowning a little.
" Y'know...... he's probably gonna kill someone if he gets the chance but...... I can't leave him without anything. " She reached out for the blow gun and darts, as well as snapping off the spear tip with a bit of difficulty. Lin dropped the broken pole next to his head and slipped the items into her pack before winging it over her shoulder. She took Xun's hand, swinging up easily and shifted uncomfortably in behind him.
Lin hadn't ridden one of these large creatures for quite a long time and she heavily doubted her ability to not fall off." Don't go to fast please. And uh..... pardon my grip in advance." Lin tied the bag rope around her middle an placed it in her lap, before wrapping her arms around his waist for support. Bumpy ride and empty stomach here we come....

[xun]

"You're too kind," Xun told her once she got on and feeling the press of her arms around him.

By the time he reaches Kei Lan, Xun thought , he would have likely finished sharpening that stick into a point. But at least had a little enough kindness not to admonish Lin with his opinion. Such was his pessimistic seeming optimism when it came to people like the now-unconscious ruffian. With any luck Kei Lan can chew him up and spit him out into a ditch.

"Especially after maybe being poisoned," his boots pressing against the sides of the moa-horse. A gentle push into the creature's flanks with the spurs, wrist flick at the reins, then the animal began to trot forward down the dirt road towards Gaoling. "But I guess if you are trying to become the earthly candidate to represent the Goddess of Mercy, then you have my vote for what it is worth."

[Xun has left the thread]