Hay Lin was overjoyed that the boy understood her hand sign for his name. It would save them a lot of trouble later. She'd made a mental note to teach him some more of her signs. Hay Lin liked this new person. He was indeed entertaining.

Once again the boy Nirav had managed to avoid another attempt. That meant she only had one move left! How was she suppose to stop him. She studied his movements for a moment, replaying them over in her mind. She was not going to lose for that boy to just give her those apples. Oh no, she was going to earn them and she was going to earn them fair and square. But how?

Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Hay Lin stared at the earth were Nirav was standing. She had to get rid of that pole. But how? She could launch it into the air by raising a bit of earth from the ground. But that would be...to obvious and the last thing she needed was to attract attention. Then a brilliant idea came to mind. She would use the same move she had previously. Without that staff, it would harder for him to do his fancy footwork.

Hay Lin soften the earth once again where the pole sat she'd wait for it sink in deep enough and harden the earth again. He wouldn't be able to pull it out then. Her brow furrowed in concentration and she hardened the earth once more. There wasn't much more she could do, save sending another wave of tremors in his direction. Without that pole, she hoped he'd have a time avoiding them. So stomping her foot, the ground began shaking once more as the earth rippled out in all directions and headed for it's intended target.

Nirav was getting tired. She could tell by the way his chest was heaving. His breathing had gotten heavier. She continued to concentrate on the shaking ground. The minute there was an opening for her to make a run for the basket, she was going to take it.

Hay Lin was so focused on creating and maintaining the tremors that she did not notice that Nirav had started sprinting toward her. She looked up just in time to see him dash toward her. His foot slip and her mouth opened in shock as he fell toward her.

His body collided with hers and she fell back on to the ground, creating a small cloud of dust in the process. She coughed and waved her hands in front of her face to clear away the dust. Then she sat up and sighed in defeat. Hay Lin knew when she was beat. She looked over at Nirav with a defeated expression. All four of her tries had been used up. There was nothing else she could except accept the apples.

Her stomach growled once again and Hay Lin blushed. "You whin..." she said with a nod of her head. She motioned her arm toward the pole which stood still stuck in the ground. She bending the ground enough for him to go take it back whenever he wanted.

.Nirav shook his head as he sat up straigh... He looked over at the basket which was still on the ground... Had he won!? He quickly turned to his side and saw Hay lin sitting next to him... A loud sound had originated from her stomach, and her cute little face turned red. Nirav grinned, especially after hearing.

"You whin..."

He quickly leaped to his fit and pumped his fist in the air! Oh the sweet feeling of victory! How he felt so alive after being so bored. He turned around to face Hay and smiled at her.

" Wow to be honest a guy like me would never have thought to find a girl as interesting and pretty as you Hay Lin!" He told her with a giant grin on his face. He then ran over to the staff and pulled it out of the ground. He then cleaned off the bottom which had been covered in mud.. and placed it on his back. He then bent down and picked up the small basket off the ground, and picked out one of the four apples.

He made his way back to Hay Lin and handed her the bright red apple.

"There you go!" He said with the same smile on his face... He then offered her his hand to help her get up to her feet.

" Oh but thats not all you get for loosing oh no! As your punishment for loosing the match! You will come back to my place freshen up, eat dinner, and have a good night's rest in our guest room! Because you look like you can use a hand... even though you rather not admit it..." He announced to her. He then moved closer to her and whispered " Plus i don't think it is safe for you to walk around this village after your little earth bending display..." He then backed away and smiled at her once again, his hand still extended offering her aid to get up.

"Lets go!" He exclaimed in a cheery tone of voice.

Hay Lin stubbornly crossed her arms as Nirav handed her the apple. No! She didn't want to accept it. She hadn't earned it, and so it wasn't right for her to take them. And she wasn't going to! Her stomach growled once again and she draped her arms over her midsection to muffle the sound. Curse her hunger! With a sigh, Hay Lin reached for the apple and bit into it grudgingly.

His hand extended toward her and she accepted it. She gently got to feet and brushed the dirt from her clothes. A lot of what Nirav said was lost on her. Her mind was busy with getting her clothes clean. She looked up just in time to catch his lips telling her that she would go to his house.

Her eyes widen and she placed the apple between her teeth to hold it securely. Then she brought her hands up and waved them in protest. No! It was bad enough she had to accept the apple, she was not going to go his house. She took another bite from her apple and watched his lips move. Hay Lin had been stubborn and from what she read from his lips, her earthbending display could very well get her in trouble...When he said 'let's go' she nodded her head in affirmation. Yeah she'd go, but she was only doing so to please her new friend. Not because she needed to.

( img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/MrBiku/Nirav.jpg <— Nirav...)

He knew that she was probably unhappy but she would probably enjoy a nice hot meal... and running water. He knew that talking to her as they walked side by side wouldn't really lead to much... She wouldn't be able to read his lips so there was nothing he could really do, or say at the moment. No he would simply lead her to his house.. have her meet his mother and help prepare her room.

They walked for several minutes now... and they where nearing the boarder of the dusty little village... a large field of green with small hills lay just outside the main part of the village, and Nirav's home lay outside in a small grassy section... only two or three other homes where by it, no where near as crowded as the village.

" Thats my house right there.. with the cherry tree's in front... We also have a pond filled with duck turtles... and some fish... They look like those koi fish...but.. much smaller...." He said as he looked at her. Within another minute or so they had arrived at the front door of the house.. a sliding door was slightly open. Nirav removed his foot wear once he was atop a small set of wooden steps. He placed the shoes to the side before sliding the door open...

" Mom I'm home!!! And I brought some company!!" He exclaimed as he entered the door. The young man then turned to Hay...

" You can come in.." He said with a smile on his face. He then walked into his house and disappeared into some hall way... then a older looking woman had appeared. She looked to be in her forties or so... she wore a long white dress... it had some red and gold trim, and was decorated by small flowers had been hand stitched into the pure white silk. One could tell that she at one time was as beautiful as the flowers that adorned her dress but as time took its tole, she began to slowly wither.

"Oh are you Nirav's Friend?" She asked... her smile almost identical to Nirav's own.

(For the record, Juraia used a nonleathel paralytic toxin on Akane. I was ABOUT TO get to the serious part when you Lotus people decided to create havoc and flee the scene like a bunch of gerbils. Fight ova then. As Akane was unconsious, I'll assume the knife hit, and that unconsious Coer is thrown about, too.)

Hokori took cover from the spiral of flame by hiding behind one of the massive support pillars, sweating from the heat flashing past her, shoulder aching from the burn. Eventually, the noise lowered save for the crackling of fire on grass outside and the protests of stone archtecture settling. She sheathed her weapons, looking for Miaka to see if she needed help...

Juraia vaguely heard Beshimi's cry in her tired state, watching the blood trickle from fresh knife wound, the poisoned blade poised to strike next... Then there was a confusion of earth and calls and running feet, the veteran Hunter sitting up to see the highly destructive trail the retreating Lotus had left behind, ruptured earth and blazing foliage a blatant scar in the terrain.

Typical Lotus. So few in number and so concerned with their safety that if they weren't conclusively winning they'd flee before making a logn term impact. Ko's legs. Scum, and worse than scum. But the Pact was satisfied. She shook her head and looked back at the dammaged temple, green eyes pained as Juraia got her her feet and moved to check on Coer where he had been thrown.

Anei had taken shelter during the Lotus' spectacular retreat, huddling in the lee of the stairwell before emerging at a run to kneel at Coer's side. The Mothguiath Bender was covered in dirt, burned by flames, and cut by rocks but otherwise unharmed, breathing steady. Anei smiled a little, fishing out a vial of skunk monkey oil. She cracked the lid a fraction, allowing the caustic stuff to wash his nostrils for a moment as her mother aproached.

With an acrid stench in his nose Coer jolted awake, and immediately wished he hadn't. His eyelids pinched together in a muffled contortion of agony and he bit his lower lip so hard that a single drop of blood emerged; burns and even a few blisters covered the front of his body, fragments of his clothes burnt and torn off by various means, but thank goodness he was still quite decently covered, since Anei was right there. In addition to the burns he could feel the back of his head bleeding profusely, but that probably meant it was a minor cut; head wounds always overbled. The rest was dirt and dust, but it stung in the wounds.

He looked at Anei and whispered haltingly through the pain, "I severely hope... that I'm not talking... my nonsense language again." He made a little smile and fought back a small wave of nausea. It wasn't entirely clear whether it had been brought on by the pain or by the skunk monkey oil.

[color=White'Damn,' [/color]Kenji thought as the new comer destroyed the temple retreating with the master fire bender. Kenji taking safety from the attacks the Lotas gave out. Kenji saying nothing as he went to where Juraia and the other were.

Part of him felt guilty as he looked at Coer's condition. He wasn't much help in this battle. Although the galgori made sure to show nothing just listening to hear was going to happen next.

(Not very good post but can't really think of anything)

As Nirav lead her down the road, she ate her apple hungrily. If he was talking, his words fell on deaf ears...quite literally. She bit away the last chunk of apple before tossing the core off to the side for some various animal to get it. The road they walked on was dusty and Hay Lin found it difficult to keep the dust out of her eyes and it made her face dirty.

Her head turned toward Nirav just in time to catch him saying something to her. That was his house? Where? She looked ahead and noticed only a few other houses. He would just have to led her, because she hadn't a clue which was his. He led her up to the house and she watched curiously as he removed his shoes. She looked down at her own bare feet and wiggled her toes. Her feet were so dirty and she needed a bath. Bad.

The woman that appeared as Nirav disappeared looked so much like her new friend. This had to be his mother she concluded. Quickly reaching into her pack, she fished out her writing utensils and smiled at the woman. Then she scribbled her name on the scroll and showed it to her. "Mah nahme Hay Lin." Hay Lin said trying her best to make sure her voice was clear.

Nirav walked through the halls of his small but comfortable house. The floor was made of some fine cherry wood, and his mother always did a good job in cleaning them... He turned the corner toward the right once he reached the end of the hall and opened another sliding door which revealed his room. A nice bed was to the far right side of the room, his closet to the left, and in the center wall at the opposite side a large cabinet. Nirav made his way to that cabinet and opened the large thing. Inside was a picture of a man who bore a striking resemblance to the young man...

Nirav bowed his head and said a small prayer to the picture before putting his staff into the cabinet and closing it. He then walked over to his closet and changed out of his black shirt and brown pants. He then slipped into a completely white outfit and put his dirty clothes into an empty basket. The young man then made his way out of his room and back to the living room.

Nirav's mother looked down at the small piece of parchment that the young lady before her had written something down on before announcing herself in a strange manner... She looked up at Hay Lin and smiled.

"Well welcome to our house Hay Lin... My name is Hana..." The pleasant look on her face never fading. She examined the young girl and could immediately tell that she had been on the road for quite some time...

" If you'd like dear you can take a nice warm bath in our washroom... I can lend you some clothes for your stay... while i wash your clothes... well actually follow me dear I will show you the way to the washroom..." With that being said to her Hana walked off heading toward the left side of the living room and then opened a sliding door revealing a rather large wash room, with a rather large bath tub built into the floor...

Hana turned to face Hay Lin with a warm smile. "Here let me go fetch you a fresh pair of clothes before you take a bath..." And with that she was off...

With his mother gone Nirav appeared in the living room once again. He walked over to Hay Lin's side and made sure his face was in her line of sight.

" Well you go take a shower then I can give you the grand tour of the house..." He said as he watched his mother reappear with a clean red dress.. small golden patterns decorated the fine red fabric which she held in her hands.

"Well dear, here you go, everything a young girl needs! now you go take a bath and just leave your dirty clothes in there.. I will pick it up later and clean them for you..." With that being said she was off once again... probably to go cook dinner.

Nirav gave a curious look down at the clothes his mom had presented to her. He then lifted his right arm and pointed at the washroom's open door.

"Well you go take a shower.. When you are all done you can find me in the back yard..." He said to her once again making sure she could see him. With that he walked off heading to the opposite side of the house and going outside.

Coer nodded, and closed his eyes. Staying still was a good idea right now. He turned his head to incline against Anei, letting her familiar presence lull him to sleep for a while so that maybe he could ignore the pain of his burns for a while. But before he went off to sleep, he asked, "Is Taed... okay?" Then he was out like a light.

You staged this, Taed stood on the floor of the third level of the temple, accusing the two spirits before him. You wanted me to see that just not fighting wasn't really what 'peace' meant. It has to do with balance, doesn't it?

Actually it had more to do with you understanding what you had gotten into when you exchanged a blood oath with Kraj, Keir Sae shrugged. It was Ko's idea. I just needed my brother here to help me get you out here, he indicated Taed Xoa next to him.

You're going back. And at a critical juncture. Your party has reached Mount Makapu; talk to Aunt Wu while you're there, the forest xolab said, and gave Taed a look of finality. As the priest's son bowed his head in submission, the three spirits vanished from anywhere in the Fire Nation mainland.

(Heh. We wait for Shancora to post, and then we timeskip to stage n+1 of our little game. Whee!)

Hokori continued looking for Miaka, concern begining to color her gaze even as her pain began to peek over her adrenilen, weapons sheathed in hidden pockets once more.

Anei simply frowned at Coer's words, feeling very ambivilent about the priest/spirit at the moment. She sighed, avoiding Juraia's gaze, allowing the Mothguith Bender to rest on her lap.

Juraia nodded in satisfied aproval to Kenji, wordlessly stating her aproval of his actions this fight. The Lotus Eaters may have escaped, but they had lost and none of the challenge party was perminantly injured. It would have to do until a final reckoning could be done... It would be easy enough to lure the prideful woman out of hiding. For now, all they could do was wait.

((sorry for the lateness))

Hay Lin watched the mother and son disappear off into opposite rooms of the house and she decided to make her bath last a little longer than normal. The dress her friend’s mother had given her was a nice clean dress, something her mother wished she would wear (though not in the Fire Nation’s colors). She however wrinkled her nose in minor disgust. Dresses weren’t really her thing. She couldn’t earthbend properly in a dress.

She walked into the washroom and started up the shower. In a matter of moments, she shed her dirty Fire Nation garbs and was standing under the warm water. This had been her first bath in almost two days and she had forgotten how good it felt to be clean. Her jet black hair was matted to her head and once she stepped out of the basin, she combed her fingers through her locks before drying off and slipping into her new clothes.

Hay Lin looked down at her old clothes that lay sprawled out on the floor. She sighed softly, knowing she couldn’t leave them like that. She carefully folded them and placed them on the counter of the sink. Hay Lin walked outside the washroom and noticed the hallway was empty. She’d have to find Nirav and the scrolls so she could talk with him. So after locating her pack and fishing out her writing utensils, the earthbender moved outside and found her friend. She quickly scribbled ‘thank you’ on the parchment. She showed it to him and grinned. Though it was out of character for her to accept this kind of help, she was truly grateful for Nirav’s help.