cyclicality | Unrest

A medium-sized group of people have decided to take matters into their own hands. In the middle of the night, they split apart and casually make their way through different parts of the city. And then suddenly, all across the city, homes and apartments catch fire; some buildings, specifically businesses, collapse due to suddenly unstable ground; other areas near water are completely flooded.

It's not long before most, if not all of the suspects are apprehended, but quite a bit of damage has been done. Boroughs 3, 4 and 5 were hit the hardest for what seems to be due to the fact most of the refugees live in those areas. Some parts of the Spirit Wilds also have some damage, but the spirits were quick to chase away the vandals from their home.

For anyone awake at this late hour, word is quickly spreading and the blame is being squarely placed on the shoulders of the refugees. At least, that's why the the vandals claim to have done it. They're taking all the resources...! That... the group just destroyed. Apparently if they can't have them, neither can the refugees. Most of the members of the group seem to be members of the Triads. Apparently they felt the need to be "heroic."

For those not awake, well, they probably will wake up soon. The earth begins to rumble and shake violently all throughout Republic City, much too strong for even a large group of earthbenders. A few more buildings fall victim to damages from debris.

The shaking stops after a solid three minutes or so, but throughout the night, strong aftershocks will shake the city. What's of interest is what happened during the earthquake. On Air Temple Island, a bunch of spiritual energy has gathered. The result of the gathered spirits is a ball of energy that fiercely glows a red color. Sparks of red leap away from the gathered energy and apparently draw in quite the impressive strike of lightning! Hopefully the airbenders won't mind a giant red glowing thing of doom right where the symbol for Tui and La used to be.

Someone could investigate. It's dark and the glow from the ball of energy can be seen for a few miles, although as time goes on the glow will subside a bit, but not completely.

[ Tags from this account will probably come tomorrow. We'll comment back about the red thing of doom, but otherwise let us know if you want us for stuff. Otherwise, feel free to NPC some things. Catch a runaway or two, etc. ]

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A few of the spirits had helped to nudge Iroh awake, and just in time too. He watched Wan run off in one direction and Zuko take off after the spirits, only having enough time to shout out "be careful". While he would normally have been hot on his nephew's heels to make sure he'd be alright, staying behind to keep Kiyi safe took precedence. But that didn't mean he wouldn't bend what fires that had spread closer off the vines and houses.

But that earthquake... Spirits have mercy. At the first trace of a tremor, he stopped and ran right back for Kiyi to shelter her, with his own body if necessary. For someone so young, he could only imagine how terrifying this experience must be. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so in awe and--pardon the pun--shaken by the power of nature. A wave of foreboding rushed through him after it passed though. Something wasn't right and he knew he had to go find Zuko to alleviate his worries, but leaving Kiyi behind was out of the question. He'd have to make sure she was calmed down and 100% okay with going to find Zuko too.

Kiyi had never been more terrified in her short life than she had been when the earthquake had begun, not even when Azula had crashed through her roof and interrupted her family's dinner. It had been startling enough to see her 'new' big brother and her new friend run off without her, but having the entire earth shaking below her, without warning, and seemingly without cause, had her screaming and in tears in seconds. When it didn't let up, she buried herself in her 'uncle's arms, clinging to him desperately, even after the tremors had ended. Sobbing, the little girl kept her face buried in the old man's tunic, her doll clutched tightly to her chest and her little body shaking in fear.

There was no way Iroh was going to leave her with anyone else after that, not when she was so upset. He held her close, and only after the tremors stopped did he offer more comfort. He started to sing for her, a song he held close to his heart. As he sang, he rubbed on hand slowly over her back.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

Her fearful sobbing wouldn't quiet for a while, but as Iroh sang and soothed her, she did begin to relax a little in his hold, though she stayed close and refused to let him go. He was warm, and safe, and bigger than her. He was calm. She would be safe here with him, just as Zuko had left her.

Peeking up at him after a while, her eyes still rimmed with tears, she whispered, her flushed cheek bunched up against his shoulder, "...are you okay, Uncle Iroh...?" She tucked herself even closer to the man that was protecting her. She was safe, but was he okay?

His hand didn't stop when he heard her voice, but he did look down at her with a gentle smile to hide some of his own worries. There was no need to get her upset with worry over Zuko, and comforting her was helping him not be as worried.

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you feeling better now, Kiyi?"

She nodded meekly up at him, but snuggled closer anyway. "What happened?" she asked, hushed. "Where's Zuko? And Wan?"

The worry over the two was already there. If she and Uncle Iroh had been shaken up, there was no doubt in her young mind that her 'family' had experienced it too, and they had both run off right before it started in a haste that had startled her.

So she was worried... It would be up to him to try to soothe them away until they returned, preferably without lying. He'd just keep his arms wrapped gently around her until she decided to let go.

"I don't know where they've gone, but I am sure they will both return when they can. There was trouble outside with a lot of fire, so I believe they both went out to help the other humans and spirits that live here in the wilds." He could really only guess at what they were doing, but that was the most logical guess he could make. "The shaking we just felt is called an earthquake. The earth doesn't always like to stay in one place, so it moves around. When it does, it shakes everything on top of it. I know it must be very scary, but as you can feel, the shaking always ends after a while. But just so it doesn't surprise you, there might be more shaking later, though it shouldn't be as strong as what we just felt."

She sighed heavily, then lifted her head to look around, and nodded very seriously at Iroh. The idea of it happening again wasn't exactly good, but at least Uncle knew what it was. "Can we go find them?" she asked, looking toward the door, and very obviously meaning Zuko and Wan.

"Of course we can, but you will need to stay close to me because it's still dangerous outside."

The last thing he wanted was for Kiyi to get hurt if the aftershocks were strong enough to break the ground or knock something loose overhead. He just hoped everyone else was alright too. Wan, he was sure would be alright. While Zuko could take care of himself... Iroh couldn't help but to worry so much for his nephew.

Another nod, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Okay!" she agreed, not wanting to waste any more time.

Unrest

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WELP, I didn't need my heart anymore. Just <TAKE IT>

...aaaaaand there goes mine

<3 <3 <3

this is so cute, I'm gonna get cavities

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wow one line I suck