Chat 161: Off-Path Mission
Buli joined the chat 7 minutes ago
Smellerbee- joined the chat 6 minutes ago
Jet joined the chat
Buli: (hey!)
Daneel joined the chat 5 seconds ago
Daneel: Hi!
Buli: (hello!)
Daneel changed name to Toph
Longshot joined the chat
Buli awkwardly rubs the back of her neck.
Smellerbee- doesn't know much about the stranger, but she knows Jet doesn't trust her, and that's good enough for her.
Jet: Okay, listen, my teammates and I have been fighting the Fire Nation for a while now. We all got our reasons, but those aren't important right now. We've been lucky to get more support and members since we started but we've been low on benders.
Jet: We got fighters and some people good with healing, but we've got no waterbenders as far as I know.
Jet: Thing is, some of us started as kids, and now some of those kids are growing and finding out, hey, they can earthbend.
Toph: Can't say that I can help much there
Jet: Hear me out, we don't have any experienced earthbenders aside from Haru who's only one guy and can't be in two or three bases at once teaching people to earthbend while also helping out our cause.
Jet: (I'm assuming Haru is helping them, he's just not here at the moment)
Toph: (that's a good bet)
Jet: You don't have to help with teaching if you don't wanna, but at least say you'll help with fighting. You know you have a good advantage already.
Jet: I heard you traveled with Aang. Did you teach him earthbending?
Toph: I'm not opposed to bashing some heads in
Buli: So, uh... what do you guys do, exactly?
Smellerbee-: None of your business.
Jet: That's good to hear.
Jet: You can travel with us 'til we get to the other base and I'll let you decide what you wanna do from there.
Buli sighs.
Toph: Sure. You've got multiple bases? You don't appear to be military. How'd you people get organized so quickly?
Buli: (doop)
Toph: (yeah...)
Toph: (we need to figure out where we're going with this...)
Jet: Well, piss off enough people, and I think organizing a movement becomes a lot easier... Not everyone is in a base, and most people wouldn't even call themselves members. We have more... connections.
Buli snorts.
Toph: So what do you actually doing other than hanging around in a fort all day?
Jet: ... We don't hang around in a fort all day.
Toph: (*do you actually do)
Jet: We try to intervene in as many Fire Nation affairs as we can. Cutting off trade routes, taking supplies, intercepting messages.
Toph: Does it actually help any?
Jet: But, you know, more stealthily.
Jet: I think we're making great progress. I'd say the downside is having to do a lot of it underground and having to be secretive... but it's also fun.
Buli laughs.
Jet turns around. "What's so funny?"
Toph: I think that amateur here is skeptical of your productiveness.
Buli: Last night you were getting on my case for not taking your stupid password seriously, and now you're talking about how "fun" it is to heckle the Fire Nation? Somebody's a little hypocritical.
Jet: We're not heckling the Fire Nation, we're taking steps in taking back the Earth Kingdom, and if it means a couple of small steps to let them know there's still some resistance, then I'll take that!
Buli: You're missing the point, Mr. Revolutionary.
Buli laughs again.
Jet: Just shut up or we'll leave you out here tied to a tree.
Longshot was timed out
Buli snorts.
Toph: Someone just find a sore point, Scrawny?
Buli: Sure sounds like it to me.
Longshot joined the chat
Buli: You ought to remember that one, Toph.
Buli grins.
Toph: I will.
Smellerbee- was timed out 29 seconds ago
Toph: (Hi parens!)
Smellerbee- joined the chat 5 seconds ago
Buli: (oh? who's the parentheses?)
Town joined the chat
Toph: (I would assume it's Shadow)
Town is coming up ahead.
Town is relatively small except for a large house out of the way of the main path.
Buli: Finally.
Toph: (sarcastically) Ah yes. Another delightful pile of people.
Jet: Get going, moocher, here's where we stop covering for you.
Town seems sparsely populated.
Buli flips him off and walks away,
Buli: *away.
Toph: So long amateur.
Jet: I didn't actually think we'd reach somewhere this soon. We might make it earlier than planned.
Toph: What? Because there was some anthill town that didn't show up on your map?
Jet: Yeah, pretty much.
Toph: How does that work? Planning to buy an ostrich-horse?
Jet: Hm... would if we could, but we're tight on money right now...
Toph: So how's this town supposed to speed up our journey then?
Town person passes by with a cart of veggies and heads down the path to the center of the town.
Jet: ... It's not I was just makin' an observation...
Jet: Nevermind.
Smellerbee-: Well, why don't we pick up some fresh food while we're here? I'm sick of dried stuff.
Toph: (is there, by any chance, a cabbage merchant around?)
Town: (maybe)
Jet: Good idea, I'm hungry, myself.
Toph: Sure. I'm starving.
Smellerbee- follows the cart.
Longshot does too.
Town center isn't very bustling, but there's people.
Town has veggie carts, fruit vendors, and enough other stands for food.
Town: *someone brings out fresh bread*
Toph goes over to one of the carts "So, what's good here?"
Town vendor tells Toph, "What's good here are these apples, kid, how many you want?"
Town: *some people gather to gossip nearby*
Toph: How much are they?
Smellerbee- goes over to buy some bread.
Smellerbee- may tread very near to the gossipers.
Town vendor replies to Toph, "They're a silver each."
Toph: How'd that happen?
Toph: Are these apples made of jade or something?
Town gossipers say, "I just don't think I can live here any longer, ever since that general moved here, I never felt safe..."
Town vendor: I gotta pay to keep my field somehow, you can thank the Fire Nation.
Town seems devoid of any soldiers.
Town: (so far?!??)
Toph: Oh fine! *slams a silver coin down on the counter*
Smellerbee- pauses.
Smellerbee- listens in.
Town vendor takes the coin and lets Toph have her pick.
Toph: Why are they taxing this place so heavily?
Toph picks one up tentatively and sniffs it.
Town gossipers: ... building a house like that and expecting all of us to pay for it with our labor and then our money..."
Buli was timed out 10 seconds ago
Buli joined the chat
Town vendor: 'Cause we're a small town rest stop, people are gonna stop here to eat and rest, and the governor up there thinks those of us actually doing the work shouldn't be getting our fair pay. I never had to charge so much for an apple before, but there you go.
Town gossipers: Not like he's doing much to protect us, either...
Toph takes a bite of the apple. "Yeah, and now I'm suffering because of it."
Smellerbee- steps up to the gossipers.
Smellerbee-: Excuse me?
Town gossipers regard Smellerbee.
Smellerbee-: Hi, uh.
Smellerbee-: Can you tell me a little more about this general and his house?
Toph waves to the vendor and goes off to find the others
Jet was timed out 3 minutes ago
Town gossipers: He lives off path from here, almost never shows his face, but taxes the life out of us and hasn't done anything to show for it. When there's guards, they're Fire Nation guards, and they pass through here and go straight to his house. Apparently we don't even deserve protection.
Jet joined the chat
Smellerbee-: ...Wow, what a jerk.
Longshot was timed out
Smellerbee-: Thanks for the info.
Toph catches up with Smellerbee
Toph: So what's up?
Jet bought a bowl of cabbage broth. "Man, that was a stupid amount of money for this."
Longshot joined the chat
Longshot joined the chat
Toph: You don't want to know what this apple cost.
Smellerbee-: It'll be worth it, I think.
Smellerbee-: C'mon, let's go find Jet.
Longshot Looks around, and starts leading the way to Jet
Jet: What'd you guys find?
Smellerbee-: Jet, there's a general from the Fire Nation army here.
Smellerbee-: He's living in the big old house on the outskirts of town.
Toph: And he's taxing the hell out of these people.
Smellerbee-: He might have plans. Records. Stuff we can use to get an advantage over the Fire Nation.
Jet: Hm.
Jet: Sounds like a good opportunity for a group activity. You in, Toph?
Toph: Sure. Let's get some payback for the price of an apple here.
Town general's house is on the outskirts, but not too far off. There is no path to the house but walk a few meters ahead from the center and it should be visible in the distance.
Buli was timed out
Toph: It is. And they had to decide to use wooden floors, didn't they?
Smellerbee-: ...You can tell that from here?
Smellerbee- is impressed.
Toph: Well if they had stone floors, I could tell you a whole lot more.
Jet joined the chat 96 seconds ago
Smellerbee- joined the chat 14 seconds ago
Buli joined the chat 11 seconds ago
Toph joined the chat 5 seconds ago
Longshot joined the chat
Jet: Is there anything else you can tell about it?
Town joined the chat 91 seconds ago
Toph: Give me a minute here
Toph puts her hand on the ground
Toph: Well the obvious bit is that they have a basement.
Town changed name to Outskirt_House
Toph: There seem to be a few people walking around on the first floor, but the basement's probably empty.
Smellerbee-: So where are they most likely to have their important stuff?
Smellerbee-: The basement's probably storage.
Toph: Well...based on the weight of the thing, I'm guessing this house has at least two floors to it.
Jet: Looks like that from here.
Toph: I don't think they're hiding a vault anywhere, so probably the general keeps stuff in his bedroom or something.
Jet: We should check if anyone's on watch outside first. Can't just walk up to the place in a group and not look suspicious.
Toph: Well no one's walking around outside of the house, I can tell you that.
Toph: If the general had just decided to go with stone, that would have made my job a lot easier here.
Smellerbee-: Yeah, you said that.
Toph: Also probably wouldn't have been so expensive, so maybe we wouldn't even be plotting anyway.
Jet: Let's check for an entrance to the basement, then.
Smellerbee-: We could make one.
Smellerbee- looks at Toph.
Jet: Oh. Right, I forget.
Toph: That's what I was about to suggest
Toph pushes hands outward, creating the start of a tunnel.
Toph: Hop in. *Jumps in and slides down the incline into darkness*
Smellerbee- follows.
Jet goes down into the tunnel.
Longshot walks calmly in
Toph starts extending the tunnel.
Toph: Right this way to the general's house.
Toph: (note: it's dark in here)
Smellerbee- stumbles a little.
Toph Tunnelling tunnelling tunneling.
Jet: me bumps into Smellerbee.
Toph: You guys need to hold hands or something back there?
Jet: Whoops. Sorry, didn't see you there.
Jet: (haha omg)
Smellerbee-: S'alright.
Longshot has his hands on the wall to keep on course
Toph: So any ideas on how to bust through to wall once we get there?
Toph: I suppose I could smash them up, but if we're doing that, why not just use the front door?
Smellerbee-: Didn't you say there's nobody in the basement?
Smellerbee-: Just quietly carve a hole.
Toph: Walls are still made of wood.
Toph: I hate Fire Nation architecture.
Jet: (by "wall" does Toph mean the floor of the basement?)
Smellerbee-: Oh. Even underground in the basement?
Smellerbee-: They... lined the hole with wood?
Toph: Apparently.
Toph: I mean that's basically what they do with floors.
Buli: (wait, hold on a second, I'm confused)
Buli: (why the heck would they put wood over the walls?)
Toph: (well other than to keep earthbenders out... as a sign of wealth perhaps)
Buli: (oh, okay, the earthbender thing makes sense, thank you)
Smellerbee-: Well... can't you bust through the wall with rock?
Toph: I suppose I could try doing that quietly enough to not alert the whole house.
Smellerbee-: I don't think we have any other options.
Toph: Well then, this is going to be fun.
Toph was about to try to ask Sokka for ideas...and then remembered...and is not being gloomy.
Smellerbee-: Jet, what do you tihnk?
Smellerbee-: *think
Jet: I think we're limited with our options. We'll have to bust through the wall when we get there.
Toph: (so no earthbent saws then)
Toph: Well here we are.
Toph: Let's see how much subtlety I can manage.
Toph cracks her knuckles. Puts her hand into the tunnel wall, pulling out a rock-glove. Punches her way through the wall.
Jet thinks that even if this is noisy, it'll still be awesome.
Jet: (*it's still awesome)
Toph Makes a full set of rock armor, and steps through.
Toph: OK. We're in.
Smellerbee-: ...Wow.
Smellerbee- pulls out her blade and follows.
Outskirt_House basement is clear for now.
Outskirt_House: (clear of people)
Toph: I've got limited vision on these floors, but point me in someone's direction, and I can provide quite a pummeling.
Smellerbee-: Do we want to be sneaky about this, though?
Smellerbee-: There aren't many other towns nearby. If they raise the alarm, we're screwed.
Jet: (I don't completely understand Smellerbee's question.)
Toph: (I think she's saying that if the FN is after us, there aren't many places to hide nearby?)
Smellerbee-: (She wants to know if they think it's a better idea to sneak through the house to find the papers and stuff instead of revealing themselves in an attack.)
Jet: (ah, ok)
Jet would normally enjoy an attack, but understands the situation.
Toph would ditto
Jet: Let's keep to ourselves the best we can. If you see anyone, get rid of them fast and move on.
Longshot steps through the hole, nods.
Toph: (do we get any description of what's in the room?)
Longshot readies his bow
Outskirt_House basement is stacked with crates and bottles of rice wine. It's dark, but it's clean, not like it hasn't been in use.
Toph: Stairs are that way *points*
Toph: Though I think there's someone near them right now.
Toph: Though I think there's someone near them right now.
Jet: !?!?!
Jet: ... You mean on the floor with us?
Jet: Or coming down?
Toph: No. Upstairs. Probably.
Toph: OK. I think they're leaving.
Outskirt_House also has a large table and some chairs surrounding it, but it's clear.
Outskirt_House: (*basement)
Jet slowly walks up the stairs.
Longshot Follows closely
Jet presses an ear against the door when he reaches the top.
Outskirt_House basement door opens upwards into the first floor.
Jet pushes the door up slightly and peeks out.
Outskirt_House: *all is quiet on the first floor*
Jet lifts the door further upwards quickly and creeps out onto the floor looking around.
Longshot Heads up. Arrow ready.
Jet signals that it is clear.
Smellerbee- follows them up.
Toph climbs the stairs after everyone else
Jet wonders where the activity must be.
Buli was timed out
Buli joined the chat
Smellerbee-: (back, sorry, let's do this)
Outskirt_House: *You are all in a small room a ways off from the kitchen.*
Toph: (obvious exits are north, south and dennis)
Buli: (is anyone in the kitchen? I might put Buli in there.)
Toph: (I don't think we've established whether anyone's there yet)
Outskirt_House: (Well, people (or a person) have to be somewhere here, so if not in the kitchen, they'll be somewhere else.)
Longshot was timed out
Longshot joined the chat 9 seconds ago
Jet was timed out 80 seconds ago
Jet joined the chat
Jet looks one way and sees the kitchen.
Jet assumes there may be servants working there and avoids it.
Longshot is busy scanning the other exits to the room
Outskirt_House ways to leave the room (which is doorless) are through the kitchen or through another hallway.
Toph: Are we just going to stand here, or what?
Jet: Let's split up.
Jet heads into the hallway.
Jet: (not everyone has to go a different way, some can follow each other)
Jet: (if you want)
Toph: Uhhh... is it usual for him to just walk off like that?
Smellerbee-: He gave us an order, now we follow it.
Smellerbee-: C'mon, let's go.
Smellerbee-: I'm gonna follow Jet.
Smellerbee- does so.
Toph: So I guess that Chatterbox and I go another way then?
Toph: ...
Smellerbee-: (oh shit, oops)
Smellerbee-: (I forgot you were playing Longshot too)
Smellerbee-: (scratch that, Bee can go with Toph)
Toph: (probably better unless they're about to meet Blue)
Toph: (Uh *Buli)
Smellerbee-: (pfft)
Smellerbee-: (nah, it's cool, Lonshot can follow Jet and the gals can hit the kitchen)
Smellerbee-: *Longshot
Toph: (OK. Where do you wanna retcon from?)
Jet: (probably just so that Smellerbee doesn't say she'll be going with Jet)
Jet: (?)
Longshot Nods and follows Jet.
Longshot: (or something)
Smellerbee-: (yeah, that's fine)
Smellerbee-: Okay, let's go this way.
Smellerbee- nods at the kitchen door.
Toph: Lead on.
Toph: Just let me know if anything needs breaking.
Smellerbee- heads into the kitchen
Smellerbee-: *.
Buli is sitting on a counter in the kitchen, eating a pastry with a bag slung over her shoulder. (haha if this is okay)
Toph follows Smellerbee
Outskirt_House: (sure)
Smellerbee-: ...
Buli: ...What are you guys doing here?
Toph: (remember Toph is covered in earth-armor)
Buli looks at Toph weirdly.
Toph: Amature?
Smellerbee-: ...You WERE a spy!
Smellerbee- whips out her blades.
Outskirt_House: *If Jet and Longshot are going down the hallway, there will be a few doors along the way, and at the back are stairs leading to the second floor.*
Buli: Whoa, whoa, hold on!
Buli: I'm robbing the place, not living in it. Jeez.
Longshot checks for light coming from under the doorway.
Buli takes the little bag off her shoulder and opens it to show them a bunch of coins.
Toph: (because showing that you got a bunch of money proves that you weren't a spy)
Outskirt_House: *There is a light from the door he's looking under.*
Smellerbee-: How do we know that's not what they paid you?
Longshot motions at Jet to draw his attention to it
Jet shakes his head. Skip it, they're looking for empty rooms.
Toph: Well there is one way to be sure...*slowly walking towards Buli*
Smellerbee-: There is?
Buli eyes her.
Buli: What are you doing?
Jet checks under another door.
Toph: Getting to where I can see you better
Toph: Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but here...*is starting to actually get close*
Outskirt_House door opens and a red-uniformed man almost stumbles over Jet. "Wh-?!?!"
Buli: Uh...
Buli: Look, I'm telling you the truth. I hid out on the roof and waited until the general's office was empty, then climbed in his window and took some gold.
Toph attempts to put a hand on Buli's shoulder, encasing it in rock.
Buli: Hey!
Toph: Hey quiet. I need you to explain again just what you're doing here.
Longshot shoots the red guy with an arrow.
Outskirt_House man grunts and falls to the floor.
Jet: Huh. Maybe your door was safer, after all. Thanks.
Buli: I just told you, I heard about the big fancy house in town and came to rob it.
Buli: Because, like I've been telling you guys for hours, I'm a thief. Not a spy.
Longshot picks up the downed man onto his shoulder.
Toph let's go. "Yeah, she's telling the truth."
Buli: See?!
Buli: ...Wait, why do you believe me now?
Toph: When people lie there's a physical reaction. If you had been, I'd have known.
Jet walks into the room.
Longshot follows, looking for a place to hide the body.
Outskirt_House: *it is empty*
Outskirt_House: *it's actually a restroom, go ahead and hide the body here if you want*
Jet: ... Nothing we need in here.
Jet: Maybe he was working in the other room.
Longshot: (presumably not much to conceal it from view here though?)
Buli: ...Huh.
Longshot Dumps the body on the floor.
Outskirt_House: (no, true)
Smellerbee- looks from Toph to Buli and back again.
Smellerbee-: So... she's not a spy?
Toph: That's what she said isn't it?
Buli: I really was looking to hook up with you guys. But I guess you're all too paranoid to realize when a master thief drops into your lap.
Longshot wonders if the uniform would fit anyone
Buli grins.
Jet listens at the door of the room where there was a light before.
Toph: Ha! I guess we'll have to see about that, Amateur.
et opens the door.
Longshot gives up on this train of thought. Leaves the bathroom, closes the door (can the doorknob be reasonably broken off?), and follows Jet.
Outskirt_House: (wait, from Buli's story, I'm guessing the office is actually upstairs...)
Toph: (it would make sense for it to be upstairs, but we only know that it has an outward facing window at the moment)
Buli: (...oops, sorry)
Outskirt_House: (no big deal, they can find stuff anyway, it doesn't have to be an office, or maybe it's just a second office????)
Toph: (This guy needs TWO OFFICES! That
Toph: 's serious business there)
Outskirt_House: (yes, the doorknob can be broken, in fact, I was imagining sliding doors...)
Outskirt_House: (well, whatever, it's fine)
Toph: (you should pick one though)
Outskirt_House: (well ok, there are doorknobs and this one broke)
Outskirt_House door opens to reveal a large table with a map splayed over it and parchments on its sides.
Buli: Okay, so I told you my story.
Buli: What are you guys doing here?
Jet goes up to the table.
Longshot goes in, closes the door and starts looking around
Outskirt_House: *If you look around there are lots of other scrolls and parchments.*
Toph: Messing with the general whose been screwing up this town
Toph: Oh, and looking for his papers or something.
Jet: This is a map of the Earth Kingdom... *looks closer*... and this is where we are... *there are pins marking various spots on the map*
Buli: His papers? They were in his office.
Toph: I suppose that *is* where one keeps paper.
Jet: Mmm...
Jet: Nn..
Jet opens up scrolls and doesn't read anything interesting so far.
Longshot checks the rest of the room for anything useful
Buli: Where's the rest of your little crew?
Toph: Oh we split up once we got in here. Probably to make ourselves easier to pick off.
Buli snorts.
Buli: Well, the kitchen only opens into the yard, this is a dead end.
Toph: Huh. Well I guess it's probably time to turn around then.
Smellerbee- joined the chat 6 minutes ago
Jet joined the chat
Buli: (hey!)
Daneel joined the chat 5 seconds ago
Daneel: Hi!
Buli: (hello!)
Daneel changed name to Toph
Longshot joined the chat
Buli awkwardly rubs the back of her neck.
Smellerbee- doesn't know much about the stranger, but she knows Jet doesn't trust her, and that's good enough for her.
Jet: Okay, listen, my teammates and I have been fighting the Fire Nation for a while now. We all got our reasons, but those aren't important right now. We've been lucky to get more support and members since we started but we've been low on benders.
Jet: We got fighters and some people good with healing, but we've got no waterbenders as far as I know.
Jet: Thing is, some of us started as kids, and now some of those kids are growing and finding out, hey, they can earthbend.
Toph: Can't say that I can help much there
Jet: Hear me out, we don't have any experienced earthbenders aside from Haru who's only one guy and can't be in two or three bases at once teaching people to earthbend while also helping out our cause.
Jet: (I'm assuming Haru is helping them, he's just not here at the moment)
Toph: (that's a good bet)
Jet: You don't have to help with teaching if you don't wanna, but at least say you'll help with fighting. You know you have a good advantage already.
Jet: I heard you traveled with Aang. Did you teach him earthbending?
Toph: I'm not opposed to bashing some heads in
Buli: So, uh... what do you guys do, exactly?
Smellerbee-: None of your business.
Jet: That's good to hear.
Jet: You can travel with us 'til we get to the other base and I'll let you decide what you wanna do from there.
Buli sighs.
Toph: Sure. You've got multiple bases? You don't appear to be military. How'd you people get organized so quickly?
Buli: (doop)
Toph: (yeah...)
Toph: (we need to figure out where we're going with this...)
Jet: Well, piss off enough people, and I think organizing a movement becomes a lot easier... Not everyone is in a base, and most people wouldn't even call themselves members. We have more... connections.
Buli snorts.
Toph: So what do you actually doing other than hanging around in a fort all day?
Jet: ... We don't hang around in a fort all day.
Toph: (*do you actually do)
Jet: We try to intervene in as many Fire Nation affairs as we can. Cutting off trade routes, taking supplies, intercepting messages.
Toph: Does it actually help any?
Jet: But, you know, more stealthily.
Jet: I think we're making great progress. I'd say the downside is having to do a lot of it underground and having to be secretive... but it's also fun.
Buli laughs.
Jet turns around. "What's so funny?"
Toph: I think that amateur here is skeptical of your productiveness.
Buli: Last night you were getting on my case for not taking your stupid password seriously, and now you're talking about how "fun" it is to heckle the Fire Nation? Somebody's a little hypocritical.
Jet: We're not heckling the Fire Nation, we're taking steps in taking back the Earth Kingdom, and if it means a couple of small steps to let them know there's still some resistance, then I'll take that!
Buli: You're missing the point, Mr. Revolutionary.
Buli laughs again.
Jet: Just shut up or we'll leave you out here tied to a tree.
Longshot was timed out
Buli snorts.
Toph: Someone just find a sore point, Scrawny?
Buli: Sure sounds like it to me.
Longshot joined the chat
Buli: You ought to remember that one, Toph.
Buli grins.
Toph: I will.
Smellerbee- was timed out 29 seconds ago
Toph: (Hi parens!)
Smellerbee- joined the chat 5 seconds ago
Buli: (oh? who's the parentheses?)
Town joined the chat
Toph: (I would assume it's Shadow)
Town is coming up ahead.
Town is relatively small except for a large house out of the way of the main path.
Buli: Finally.
Toph: (sarcastically) Ah yes. Another delightful pile of people.
Jet: Get going, moocher, here's where we stop covering for you.
Town seems sparsely populated.
Buli flips him off and walks away,
Buli: *away.
Toph: So long amateur.
Jet: I didn't actually think we'd reach somewhere this soon. We might make it earlier than planned.
Toph: What? Because there was some anthill town that didn't show up on your map?
Jet: Yeah, pretty much.
Toph: How does that work? Planning to buy an ostrich-horse?
Jet: Hm... would if we could, but we're tight on money right now...
Toph: So how's this town supposed to speed up our journey then?
Town person passes by with a cart of veggies and heads down the path to the center of the town.
Jet: ... It's not I was just makin' an observation...
Jet: Nevermind.
Smellerbee-: Well, why don't we pick up some fresh food while we're here? I'm sick of dried stuff.
Toph: (is there, by any chance, a cabbage merchant around?)
Town: (maybe)
Jet: Good idea, I'm hungry, myself.
Toph: Sure. I'm starving.
Smellerbee- follows the cart.
Longshot does too.
Town center isn't very bustling, but there's people.
Town has veggie carts, fruit vendors, and enough other stands for food.
Town: *someone brings out fresh bread*
Toph goes over to one of the carts "So, what's good here?"
Town vendor tells Toph, "What's good here are these apples, kid, how many you want?"
Town: *some people gather to gossip nearby*
Toph: How much are they?
Smellerbee- goes over to buy some bread.
Smellerbee- may tread very near to the gossipers.
Town vendor replies to Toph, "They're a silver each."
Toph: How'd that happen?
Toph: Are these apples made of jade or something?
Town gossipers say, "I just don't think I can live here any longer, ever since that general moved here, I never felt safe..."
Town vendor: I gotta pay to keep my field somehow, you can thank the Fire Nation.
Town seems devoid of any soldiers.
Town: (so far?!??)
Toph: Oh fine! *slams a silver coin down on the counter*
Smellerbee- pauses.
Smellerbee- listens in.
Town vendor takes the coin and lets Toph have her pick.
Toph: Why are they taxing this place so heavily?
Toph picks one up tentatively and sniffs it.
Town gossipers: ... building a house like that and expecting all of us to pay for it with our labor and then our money..."
Buli was timed out 10 seconds ago
Buli joined the chat
Town vendor: 'Cause we're a small town rest stop, people are gonna stop here to eat and rest, and the governor up there thinks those of us actually doing the work shouldn't be getting our fair pay. I never had to charge so much for an apple before, but there you go.
Town gossipers: Not like he's doing much to protect us, either...
Toph takes a bite of the apple. "Yeah, and now I'm suffering because of it."
Smellerbee- steps up to the gossipers.
Smellerbee-: Excuse me?
Town gossipers regard Smellerbee.
Smellerbee-: Hi, uh.
Smellerbee-: Can you tell me a little more about this general and his house?
Toph waves to the vendor and goes off to find the others
Jet was timed out 3 minutes ago
Town gossipers: He lives off path from here, almost never shows his face, but taxes the life out of us and hasn't done anything to show for it. When there's guards, they're Fire Nation guards, and they pass through here and go straight to his house. Apparently we don't even deserve protection.
Jet joined the chat
Smellerbee-: ...Wow, what a jerk.
Longshot was timed out
Smellerbee-: Thanks for the info.
Toph catches up with Smellerbee
Toph: So what's up?
Jet bought a bowl of cabbage broth. "Man, that was a stupid amount of money for this."
Longshot joined the chat
Longshot joined the chat
Toph: You don't want to know what this apple cost.
Smellerbee-: It'll be worth it, I think.
Smellerbee-: C'mon, let's go find Jet.
Longshot Looks around, and starts leading the way to Jet
Jet: What'd you guys find?
Smellerbee-: Jet, there's a general from the Fire Nation army here.
Smellerbee-: He's living in the big old house on the outskirts of town.
Toph: And he's taxing the hell out of these people.
Smellerbee-: He might have plans. Records. Stuff we can use to get an advantage over the Fire Nation.
Jet: Hm.
Jet: Sounds like a good opportunity for a group activity. You in, Toph?
Toph: Sure. Let's get some payback for the price of an apple here.
Town general's house is on the outskirts, but not too far off. There is no path to the house but walk a few meters ahead from the center and it should be visible in the distance.
Buli was timed out
Toph: It is. And they had to decide to use wooden floors, didn't they?
Smellerbee-: ...You can tell that from here?
Smellerbee- is impressed.
Toph: Well if they had stone floors, I could tell you a whole lot more.
Jet joined the chat 96 seconds ago
Smellerbee- joined the chat 14 seconds ago
Buli joined the chat 11 seconds ago
Toph joined the chat 5 seconds ago
Longshot joined the chat
Jet: Is there anything else you can tell about it?
Town joined the chat 91 seconds ago
Toph: Give me a minute here
Toph puts her hand on the ground
Toph: Well the obvious bit is that they have a basement.
Town changed name to Outskirt_House
Toph: There seem to be a few people walking around on the first floor, but the basement's probably empty.
Smellerbee-: So where are they most likely to have their important stuff?
Smellerbee-: The basement's probably storage.
Toph: Well...based on the weight of the thing, I'm guessing this house has at least two floors to it.
Jet: Looks like that from here.
Toph: I don't think they're hiding a vault anywhere, so probably the general keeps stuff in his bedroom or something.
Jet: We should check if anyone's on watch outside first. Can't just walk up to the place in a group and not look suspicious.
Toph: Well no one's walking around outside of the house, I can tell you that.
Toph: If the general had just decided to go with stone, that would have made my job a lot easier here.
Smellerbee-: Yeah, you said that.
Toph: Also probably wouldn't have been so expensive, so maybe we wouldn't even be plotting anyway.
Jet: Let's check for an entrance to the basement, then.
Smellerbee-: We could make one.
Smellerbee- looks at Toph.
Jet: Oh. Right, I forget.
Toph: That's what I was about to suggest
Toph pushes hands outward, creating the start of a tunnel.
Toph: Hop in. *Jumps in and slides down the incline into darkness*
Smellerbee- follows.
Jet goes down into the tunnel.
Longshot walks calmly in
Toph starts extending the tunnel.
Toph: Right this way to the general's house.
Toph: (note: it's dark in here)
Smellerbee- stumbles a little.
Toph Tunnelling tunnelling tunneling.
Jet: me bumps into Smellerbee.
Toph: You guys need to hold hands or something back there?
Jet: Whoops. Sorry, didn't see you there.
Jet: (haha omg)
Smellerbee-: S'alright.
Longshot has his hands on the wall to keep on course
Toph: So any ideas on how to bust through to wall once we get there?
Toph: I suppose I could smash them up, but if we're doing that, why not just use the front door?
Smellerbee-: Didn't you say there's nobody in the basement?
Smellerbee-: Just quietly carve a hole.
Toph: Walls are still made of wood.
Toph: I hate Fire Nation architecture.
Jet: (by "wall" does Toph mean the floor of the basement?)
Smellerbee-: Oh. Even underground in the basement?
Smellerbee-: They... lined the hole with wood?
Toph: Apparently.
Toph: I mean that's basically what they do with floors.
Buli: (wait, hold on a second, I'm confused)
Buli: (why the heck would they put wood over the walls?)
Toph: (well other than to keep earthbenders out... as a sign of wealth perhaps)
Buli: (oh, okay, the earthbender thing makes sense, thank you)
Smellerbee-: Well... can't you bust through the wall with rock?
Toph: I suppose I could try doing that quietly enough to not alert the whole house.
Smellerbee-: I don't think we have any other options.
Toph: Well then, this is going to be fun.
Toph was about to try to ask Sokka for ideas...and then remembered...and is not being gloomy.
Smellerbee-: Jet, what do you tihnk?
Smellerbee-: *think
Jet: I think we're limited with our options. We'll have to bust through the wall when we get there.
Toph: (so no earthbent saws then)
Toph: Well here we are.
Toph: Let's see how much subtlety I can manage.
Toph cracks her knuckles. Puts her hand into the tunnel wall, pulling out a rock-glove. Punches her way through the wall.
Jet thinks that even if this is noisy, it'll still be awesome.
Jet: (*it's still awesome)
Toph Makes a full set of rock armor, and steps through.
Toph: OK. We're in.
Smellerbee-: ...Wow.
Smellerbee- pulls out her blade and follows.
Outskirt_House basement is clear for now.
Outskirt_House: (clear of people)
Toph: I've got limited vision on these floors, but point me in someone's direction, and I can provide quite a pummeling.
Smellerbee-: Do we want to be sneaky about this, though?
Smellerbee-: There aren't many other towns nearby. If they raise the alarm, we're screwed.
Jet: (I don't completely understand Smellerbee's question.)
Toph: (I think she's saying that if the FN is after us, there aren't many places to hide nearby?)
Smellerbee-: (She wants to know if they think it's a better idea to sneak through the house to find the papers and stuff instead of revealing themselves in an attack.)
Jet: (ah, ok)
Jet would normally enjoy an attack, but understands the situation.
Toph would ditto
Jet: Let's keep to ourselves the best we can. If you see anyone, get rid of them fast and move on.
Longshot steps through the hole, nods.
Toph: (do we get any description of what's in the room?)
Longshot readies his bow
Outskirt_House basement is stacked with crates and bottles of rice wine. It's dark, but it's clean, not like it hasn't been in use.
Toph: Stairs are that way *points*
Toph: Though I think there's someone near them right now.
Toph: Though I think there's someone near them right now.
Jet: !?!?!
Jet: ... You mean on the floor with us?
Jet: Or coming down?
Toph: No. Upstairs. Probably.
Toph: OK. I think they're leaving.
Outskirt_House also has a large table and some chairs surrounding it, but it's clear.
Outskirt_House: (*basement)
Jet slowly walks up the stairs.
Longshot Follows closely
Jet presses an ear against the door when he reaches the top.
Outskirt_House basement door opens upwards into the first floor.
Jet pushes the door up slightly and peeks out.
Outskirt_House: *all is quiet on the first floor*
Jet lifts the door further upwards quickly and creeps out onto the floor looking around.
Longshot Heads up. Arrow ready.
Jet signals that it is clear.
Smellerbee- follows them up.
Toph climbs the stairs after everyone else
Jet wonders where the activity must be.
Buli was timed out
Buli joined the chat
Smellerbee-: (back, sorry, let's do this)
Outskirt_House: *You are all in a small room a ways off from the kitchen.*
Toph: (obvious exits are north, south and dennis)
Buli: (is anyone in the kitchen? I might put Buli in there.)
Toph: (I don't think we've established whether anyone's there yet)
Outskirt_House: (Well, people (or a person) have to be somewhere here, so if not in the kitchen, they'll be somewhere else.)
Longshot was timed out
Longshot joined the chat 9 seconds ago
Jet was timed out 80 seconds ago
Jet joined the chat
Jet looks one way and sees the kitchen.
Jet assumes there may be servants working there and avoids it.
Longshot is busy scanning the other exits to the room
Outskirt_House ways to leave the room (which is doorless) are through the kitchen or through another hallway.
Toph: Are we just going to stand here, or what?
Jet: Let's split up.
Jet heads into the hallway.
Jet: (not everyone has to go a different way, some can follow each other)
Jet: (if you want)
Toph: Uhhh... is it usual for him to just walk off like that?
Smellerbee-: He gave us an order, now we follow it.
Smellerbee-: C'mon, let's go.
Smellerbee-: I'm gonna follow Jet.
Smellerbee- does so.
Toph: So I guess that Chatterbox and I go another way then?
Toph: ...
Smellerbee-: (oh shit, oops)
Smellerbee-: (I forgot you were playing Longshot too)
Smellerbee-: (scratch that, Bee can go with Toph)
Toph: (probably better unless they're about to meet Blue)
Toph: (Uh *Buli)
Smellerbee-: (pfft)
Smellerbee-: (nah, it's cool, Lonshot can follow Jet and the gals can hit the kitchen)
Smellerbee-: *Longshot
Toph: (OK. Where do you wanna retcon from?)
Jet: (probably just so that Smellerbee doesn't say she'll be going with Jet)
Jet: (?)
Longshot Nods and follows Jet.
Longshot: (or something)
Smellerbee-: (yeah, that's fine)
Smellerbee-: Okay, let's go this way.
Smellerbee- nods at the kitchen door.
Toph: Lead on.
Toph: Just let me know if anything needs breaking.
Smellerbee- heads into the kitchen
Smellerbee-: *.
Buli is sitting on a counter in the kitchen, eating a pastry with a bag slung over her shoulder. (haha if this is okay)
Toph follows Smellerbee
Outskirt_House: (sure)
Smellerbee-: ...
Buli: ...What are you guys doing here?
Toph: (remember Toph is covered in earth-armor)
Buli looks at Toph weirdly.
Toph: Amature?
Smellerbee-: ...You WERE a spy!
Smellerbee- whips out her blades.
Outskirt_House: *If Jet and Longshot are going down the hallway, there will be a few doors along the way, and at the back are stairs leading to the second floor.*
Buli: Whoa, whoa, hold on!
Buli: I'm robbing the place, not living in it. Jeez.
Longshot checks for light coming from under the doorway.
Buli takes the little bag off her shoulder and opens it to show them a bunch of coins.
Toph: (because showing that you got a bunch of money proves that you weren't a spy)
Outskirt_House: *There is a light from the door he's looking under.*
Smellerbee-: How do we know that's not what they paid you?
Longshot motions at Jet to draw his attention to it
Jet shakes his head. Skip it, they're looking for empty rooms.
Toph: Well there is one way to be sure...*slowly walking towards Buli*
Smellerbee-: There is?
Buli eyes her.
Buli: What are you doing?
Jet checks under another door.
Toph: Getting to where I can see you better
Toph: Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but here...*is starting to actually get close*
Outskirt_House door opens and a red-uniformed man almost stumbles over Jet. "Wh-?!?!"
Buli: Uh...
Buli: Look, I'm telling you the truth. I hid out on the roof and waited until the general's office was empty, then climbed in his window and took some gold.
Toph attempts to put a hand on Buli's shoulder, encasing it in rock.
Buli: Hey!
Toph: Hey quiet. I need you to explain again just what you're doing here.
Longshot shoots the red guy with an arrow.
Outskirt_House man grunts and falls to the floor.
Jet: Huh. Maybe your door was safer, after all. Thanks.
Buli: I just told you, I heard about the big fancy house in town and came to rob it.
Buli: Because, like I've been telling you guys for hours, I'm a thief. Not a spy.
Longshot picks up the downed man onto his shoulder.
Toph let's go. "Yeah, she's telling the truth."
Buli: See?!
Buli: ...Wait, why do you believe me now?
Toph: When people lie there's a physical reaction. If you had been, I'd have known.
Jet walks into the room.
Longshot follows, looking for a place to hide the body.
Outskirt_House: *it is empty*
Outskirt_House: *it's actually a restroom, go ahead and hide the body here if you want*
Jet: ... Nothing we need in here.
Jet: Maybe he was working in the other room.
Longshot: (presumably not much to conceal it from view here though?)
Buli: ...Huh.
Longshot Dumps the body on the floor.
Outskirt_House: (no, true)
Smellerbee- looks from Toph to Buli and back again.
Smellerbee-: So... she's not a spy?
Toph: That's what she said isn't it?
Buli: I really was looking to hook up with you guys. But I guess you're all too paranoid to realize when a master thief drops into your lap.
Longshot wonders if the uniform would fit anyone
Buli grins.
Jet listens at the door of the room where there was a light before.
Toph: Ha! I guess we'll have to see about that, Amateur.
et opens the door.
Longshot gives up on this train of thought. Leaves the bathroom, closes the door (can the doorknob be reasonably broken off?), and follows Jet.
Outskirt_House: (wait, from Buli's story, I'm guessing the office is actually upstairs...)
Toph: (it would make sense for it to be upstairs, but we only know that it has an outward facing window at the moment)
Buli: (...oops, sorry)
Outskirt_House: (no big deal, they can find stuff anyway, it doesn't have to be an office, or maybe it's just a second office????)
Toph: (This guy needs TWO OFFICES! That
Toph: 's serious business there)
Outskirt_House: (yes, the doorknob can be broken, in fact, I was imagining sliding doors...)
Outskirt_House: (well, whatever, it's fine)
Toph: (you should pick one though)
Outskirt_House: (well ok, there are doorknobs and this one broke)
Outskirt_House door opens to reveal a large table with a map splayed over it and parchments on its sides.
Buli: Okay, so I told you my story.
Buli: What are you guys doing here?
Jet goes up to the table.
Longshot goes in, closes the door and starts looking around
Outskirt_House: *If you look around there are lots of other scrolls and parchments.*
Toph: Messing with the general whose been screwing up this town
Toph: Oh, and looking for his papers or something.
Jet: This is a map of the Earth Kingdom... *looks closer*... and this is where we are... *there are pins marking various spots on the map*
Buli: His papers? They were in his office.
Toph: I suppose that *is* where one keeps paper.
Jet: Mmm...
Jet: Nn..
Jet opens up scrolls and doesn't read anything interesting so far.
Longshot checks the rest of the room for anything useful
Buli: Where's the rest of your little crew?
Toph: Oh we split up once we got in here. Probably to make ourselves easier to pick off.
Buli snorts.
Buli: Well, the kitchen only opens into the yard, this is a dead end.
Toph: Huh. Well I guess it's probably time to turn around then.