[video]

[linsanity]

[When the camera flips on, there's a fair bit of chaos going on. Flashes of a middle-aged woman in a black trench coat can be seen, as well as a column of earth that seems to appear from nowhere and is subsequently kicked into an approaching vampire. Finally things settle down, and the woman glares into the camera with mild irritation.]

I guess law and order is just a suggestion around here.

[She's cut off by another vampire approaching from behind. Her comm is shaky, but it certainly looks like a cable of some sort just shot out of her sleeve, wrapped around the vampire, and hurled it a couple blocks down the street.]

And I bet getting back to Republic City is out of the question. Where are the police?

Comments

[linsanity]

[When she arrives, it'll no doubt be easy to pick the person in metal armor out of the crowd, especially when she earthbends occasionally. But she seems more at ease with her metal cables, which are lashing out like whips at anything that gets close.]

action

[tinybutdeadly]

[When Toph arrives, she announces herself by way of a boulder the size of a car smashing into another pack of the monsters.

Holy wow, it's awesome to have another earthbender in the City.]

You're gonna show me how those whip things work, right?

action

[linsanity]

[She has to raise an eyebrow slightly. Leave it to her (teenage) mother to make an entrance. She guessed minimizing property damage was basically out of the question now.]

I metalbend the cables from spools on my back. You came up with the idea, and I perfected it.

[To demonstrate, one vampire gets lassoed with a cable and with a stomp she raises a column of cement to smash him into.]

perma-action

[tinybutdeadly]

[What Lin doesn't know is that her mother also spends a great deal of time helping clean up after things like this.

Actually, having another Earthbender around will be helpful for that, too.

She whistles appreciatively at the handy destruction of the vampire, then whips her hands at another oncoming group, pulling bricks from a nearby wall to smash their heads with wicked accuracy.]

I want some.

[linsanity]

[She can't wait.

In the meantime though, she'll slam a heel into the pavement and send a chunk flipping over on a hound.]

I could build some, but we've got other things to deal with right now, mo--

[She cuts herself off before she can finish saying 'mother.' Even if Toph was much younger than the woman she remembered, her earthbending was mostly the same and it was easy to recall those days of training together and fighting side-by-side.]

[tinybutdeadly]

Later, yeah.

[And she totally caught that. And it's weird and awkward, but she won't mention it for now.

And besides, it's much more fun to imagine just what she could do with cables of her own like that.

All while laying general waste to the vampires and hounds and whatever else gets close enough to them.]

Cleanup is going to suck. Still not as bad as Godzilla, though.

[She's not looking forward to searching for survivors and bodies in collapsed buildings, not at all.]

[linsanity]

Godzilla?

[It was good to know that Toph helped rebuild. She hadn't really pegged her for that, but she guessed the girl had to possess some traits that would eventually lead her to become a police chief.

In the meantime, she'll just be smacking away anything that approaches with her cables.]

[tinybutdeadly]

Mm.

[She pauses to smash some other monsters with the remains of a car that had recently been on fire.

Flipping cars is so fun Lin you have no idea.]

Giant lizard monster thing, took down half the City. I'm.. [Sigh.]

I'm really good at finding people stuck under the ruins.

[linsanity]

[Lin just nods solemnly at first. That wasn't something a kid should have to do, even one that'd fought a war alongside the Avatar.]

I can help you.

[She generally tried to keep cars from being flipped back home, but this was a special situation. With a wave of her arm, a chunk of the chassis rips from the wreckage and wraps around a few other vampires.]

[tinybutdeadly]

I'd like that.

[It wasn't pleasant when she was 12, and it's still unpleasant at 15. Still, she knows she's the best at it, aside from the search and rescue dogs. So there it is. Somewhere she'd acquired a sense of duty or helpfulness or something.

Whatever, deep thoughts can wait. Time for more smashing! It seems like they might be thinning out a little.

Or perhaps were just massing for another charge. Like that big group running down the street toward them.]

[linsanity]

We can't keep doing this forever!

[Property damage be damned, there are civilians that need to escape and Lin is GOING ROGUE. She stomps down, sending a tremor through the road before she lifts her arms and it starts to twist and buckle. Toph can probably tell what she's doing: trying to turn the road into a huge wall to cut off the flow of monsters. For now, at least.]

[tinybutdeadly]

[Awwww yeah now that's the stuff.

Toph'll just crow enthusiastically, and raise her own walls blocking the alleyways so the monsters can't escape being blockaded once that big one goes up.]

Escape route? Dunno if the subways are safe right now, probably not. These big buildings should have basements, though.

[linsanity]

[The wall finally shoots up, hopefully too high for any vampires to climb over. Or at least not without considerable difficulty.

She lifts her leg and the metal sole of her shoe slides back. With a quick stomp, she uses her seismic sense to get a better view of her surroundings and possible escape routes. It was probably superfluous with Toph right next to her, but at least she could keep up this way. Most of the buildings were deserted, and so were the basements, soo they might prove good hideouts until they could make a break for it. She pointed to her choice.]

That building has a large basement, and access to the next street over. We can stay there until things quieten down.

[tinybutdeadly]

Sounds good to me. Let's go!

[She starts running toward said building, hoping the walls hold long enough for a clean getaway.

Hopefully these things don't have special senses of smell or whatever.]

[linsanity]

[Lin hot-foots it after her, and once they're in the building, she raises a column of earth to prevent anything from following them. She'll remain quiet as she follows Toph, because what do you really say in this kind of situation?]

[tinybutdeadly]

[And she'll just find a place to sit and wait. To flop across a convenient chair or couch or whatever.]

So. Just got here, huh? I can probably answer just about any question you have about the place.

[linsanity]

[Well, if they're making themselves comfortable, she'll choose a convenient chair across from Toph's.]

Looks like I picked a great time to show up. You've been here a long time?

[tinybutdeadly]

[She scowls at that question, then sighs, going limp in her chair.]

Three years and change, now.

[linsanity]

[She nods thoughtfully.]

Not like the Earth Kingdom, is it?

When I first showed up, some... thing mentioned some garbage about being a hero. Is that why we're here?

[tinybutdeadly]

Nothing like it. I was on my way back to Ba Sing Se when I got 'ported in. [Streeetching. Don't mind those dirty feet on this couch.]

Yeah, the 'Porter gives that speech to everyone. The police all disappeared and she started pulling people in to replace them. Only her aim sucks.

[linsanity]

Considering I was a cop, it was pretty good in my case.

And I guess there's no way back home?

[tinybutdeadly]

Nooot until she sends you, no. You might get lucky. Or not. I haven't been.

[linsanity]

[Just a frustrated sigh at that.]

And we're supposed to just live our lives here instead?

[tinybutdeadly]

...Pretty much.

[Tugs off her spacemetal bracelet and shapes into a pick to idly work dirt out from under her fingernails. She could 'bend it out, but this is more satisfying.]

Like I said, I've been here three years and change. Some people are gone in a month or two, others stay for a long time. Depends on the 'Porter.

[linsanity]

[That's kind of nasty, but nothing she hasn't seen before. She'll just sink down into her chair and scowl.]

I go from dealing with one lunatic and his army to a city full of monsters and a 'porter' that may or may not send me home.