"I just don't require your pity."

That was the reason then. She'd thought about it some over the past couple of days and wondered what it was that had caused the reaction. Now she knew. She didn't know why, but mayhap she would learn. She responded quietly. "I'm sorry that it came across as pity. I didn't mean it that way..."

She looked to where he had directed and smiled. It seemed like a nice place, at least on the outside. She suspected that he chose the place for convenience as well as taste. "I like the elderly. They always have great stories..." she walked with him, smiling to some of the those who passed and ignoring others.

When the younger man spoke his name she smiled. "A pleasure, Shtiya." Her thoughts didn't dwell on the lack of surname. If he hadn't given it, there was likely a good reason. She didn't want to pry or anything. Which is why she was pointedly ignoring the wraps on his arms. They could be nothing but a fashion statement, but that seemed unlikely to her. Still, on a second encounter, it wouldn't be polite to comment.

Upon entering her eyes wandered around the little restaurant and her face broke into a kind-hearted smile at her introduction. With a polite bow she followed Mr. Tsukushi and picked up the menu. "Oh, I don't know that he would consider me a friend or anything. We just met a couple of days ago. I'd like to make friends with him, but I don't really know much about him." She ordered a hot white tea to get started and browsed a little more of the menu.

"Um, I'm not really sure what to get yet." Her stomach growled a bit and blushed. "But I don't think I'd mind trying some of those dumplings..." Green and brown orbs rose to the entry of the kitchen and she smiled. "He's a good healer then?" she asked the elderly man, trying to get a little knowledge of her companion from him. Or anybody for that matter.

When Shtiya reappeared and seated himself she smiled and nodded to him. "They're very nice here."

The woman whipped about right after he had finished ordering. She must have been an expert at this, because her hands flashed with skilled coordination, something he rarely saw at tea shops. She even filled him in on the type of tea and how she was brewing it. "It's a combination tea," she said. The fruity smell of the dried leaves drifted to his nose, and he became ever so curious about it. She was also adding other leaves to it, changing the smell in the air for the better, in his opinion.

Ryoku looked around him a bit more, this time at the other people in the shop. There were a few men chatting in the back corner of the room, quietly and discretely, and an old couple not far from them, not saying a word. Ryoku always admired people like that, who could hold a conversation with their movements and eyes, knowing exactly what the other was thinking. He shifted in his seat a bit as the men looked back at him, eying him quickly and then returning to their conversation. They seemed very secretive, but it shouldn't matter to him, they did not look like enemies.

"Do you smell that?" the woman said, surprising him while he was thinking. "It's not even in water yet."

He looked at her for a second, still trying to capture his thoughts. It made for a bit of an awkward silence. "Yeah, absolutely. I can't wait to taste it," he finally said. He waited for her to finish the brew. Soon, the tea was done and ever so delicately, she brought his tea to him and the cake, which she said was buttery. Ryoku brought the tea to his nose and smelled it once, taking in the combination of flavors that was infused into the brew. He took a sip, and then took a small bite of the cake, which just as she had said, blended perfectly with tea.

"This is truly wonderful. One of the best teas I have ever encountered. Say, since there aren't too many customers around at the moment, would you mind if I asked you a couple of questions? It should only take a moment."

He didn't expect her to say no, but it is usually polite to ask. Out in the farm towns they don't like when people ask a lot of questions. Ryoku has had his fair share of evil looks that way.

Jin Ho might as well have punched him in the face. This whole time, had Mizu actually been expecting rejection? Is that why he'd taken the officer's reply as a "no?" Yes, he had, and yes, it was. Hanging his head, he curled his arm around the air behind Jin Ho and gently guided the other man out; this was a tactic he used often on the more amaible drunks in the bar. Once they were both out, he turned the lights off with the switch by the door and locked the bar up.

"Lead the way." The street's lamps kept outside well-lit, and he cleared his throat before they started their journey to Jin Ho's place.

"Look, I'm sorry. I guess I was expecting you to say no all along." He crossed his arms as they walked. "I didn't actually expect you to like me, that's for sure." To be honest, acceptance of his offer had been a shock. Nobody had ever been on a date with him, let alone accepted a somewhat platonic invitation to spend the night together. Normally, that kind of invitation would result in something...less than savory, but it would be different with Jin Ho. It would have to be.

Ryoku waited patiently for the woman to return. She was helping the two men in the corner, who had begun to leave as soon as Ryoku had said something. Their movements seemed rushed to Ryoku, and he wondered whether they had overheard him asking for information. She collected their plates after they had left the shop and came right back to his table after dropping them off. "Sorry about that, hon. Please continue."

Ryoku nodded and looked in her direction. She stared right into his eyes, patiently ready to listen to his question. This unnerved him a little, it almost seemed too intimate to him when people made eye contact for extended periods of time. This threw his thinking off and made him stumble on his words. "Right... well... I'm a writer... and...," he cut himself off, this was not going well for him.

Ryoku took a deep breath to fill the silence and regained his composure. "Do you know much about the criminal activity in this area? Are there many gangs around here?"

She was still staring at him, she must think he was some sort of nut job who happens to really like tea and cake.

The Quilled Chameleon

[/center]

I didn't mean it that way

Shtiya smiled gently. That was a bold-faced lie. Wasn't it true that she felt sorry for him? Hadn't she truly asked him to eat with her because she thought that he was probably lonely and needed a friend? To the Waterbender, that didn't denote serious interest — it denoted pity. And he'd been able to read it on her face. But still, he'd agreed to this meal, and he'd see it through.

-x-

Mr. Tsukushi nodded. "He's done wonders for my wife's leg," he told the woman. "My what pretty eyes you have! As I said, he's done wonders for my wife — only one who would make a housecall in that last real rainy season we had — fixed her right up. We've had to modify the household diet a little, but it's — it's helped a lot."
The old man smiled and patted Ryari's good shoulder. "A nice girl like you would be good for him," he said. "Lives alone in that shop he does." He sounded a little absent minded. "Don't know why his arms are all wrapped up. Maybe some scar? I never inquired about him much, but Ai says he's from the North Pole."

Shtiya looked between the two for a moment. Mr. Tsukushi laughed and said something about how Ai was probably going to make sukiyaki even if he didn't want it and he'd have to take it home. The Waterbender asked what his friend had and the elderly man reported. As he ambled away to the back, Shtiya smiled again at Ryari.
"The shumai are really good," he said softly. "You w-won't regret it. They're soft and a l---ittle spicy." He wiggled a little in his seat.
"Asking questions about me?" The petite young man smiled again, eyelashes noticeably long and dark. "I'm afraid th-they can't tell you much." She'd have to ask him for information. Shtiya didn't run about mouthing his life off to people without inquiry first — and even then, sometimes not.

A blush crept lightly over her face at the compliment. Most people didn't think that way about her eyes, and it was always pleasant when there were those who did. "T-thank you." she stammered. She listened to the restaurateur attentively. She smiled as he spoke and a bit of warmth suffused her body. It was always great to hear that there were people who helped and liked to do so.

"Oh. Um..." she blushed a shade deeper. She couldn't really say anything in response. Shtiya had just called her out on her pity. He'd been partially right, but she couldn't help but think it'd be nice to have a healer friend. Was it selfish of her? Was she using the younger waterbender? She brought her hand to her forehead and pinched her temples a bit. "I'm sure he'll tell me if he wants me to know." she said quietly. "He probably keeps his arms covered for a good reason..."

A north pole water tribesman. She didn't really know much about that. She knew something about the moon or some such. Spirits or what have you. Nothing too clear in that respect.

Her dual-hued gaze swept back to Shtiya as he spoke once more. "Are they? I'm glad. I'm always willing to try something new. I mean...shumai isn't really new to me, but this place is." She gestured vaguely, or she meant to. She had attempted to do so right handed, forgetting about her injury in the relaxed atmosphere of her surroundings. A twinge of pain shot through her right shoulder and a short gasp escaped her as she winced and her left hand reflexively darted to her right shoulder. "I-i'm sorry..." she said, her breath quickened as she set her jaw and worked through the sudden onset.

After a few moments had passed she took a deep breath and continued, almost as if it hadn't happened. "I am admittedly curious about you. I wasn't trying to dig into anything personal or anything..." she avoided his eyes carefully, while not actually being impolite. He had her attention, but she focused her sight just above his eyes. She noted that with eyelashes and hair like that it was no wonder she had initially confused him for female.

"I'm sorry if it feels as if I'm intruding. Maybe we should just..." she shrugged half-heartedly. "...I don't know. I don't want you to think that I'm pitying you, and I don't really want you thinking that I'm trying to find more fuel for my pity fire."

She fiddled with the bamboo place-mat absently, still not quite meeting his gaze.

OOC: Ugh, sorry. I completely lost track of this thread, my mistake! Sorry for the wait.

Hoshi stared at him, her green-eyed gaze unwavering, as she contemplated his question. It was definitely one of the stranger questions she'd received during her time working at the shop. Ryoku looked like he was uncomfortable, so the shorter woman straightened and helped herself to a square sponge cake. If Jin Ho were here, he'd probably warn her against giving information about the gangs — a police officer through and through. Truthfully, Hoshi didn't see the harm. If he didn't get it from her, he'd get it some other place — and that other place may not be as nice as she.

"There are a few gangs, of course," she finally said, putting down her cake square untouched as she noticed the outside light waning. Moving to the door, she switched the sign from Open to Closed. "Don't worry about it," she said pre-emptively, before turning on the outside light with the flick of a switch. The inside lights had been on all day. The lock on the door clicked shut. "Don't worry, I'm not going to keep you here," Hoshi laughed. "It's just so no one comes in. Anyway." The earthbender turned her attention back to Ryoku, pulling out one of the chairs from a table and sitting down.

"You have the Triads, but I don't recommend getting involved with them; there are three of them, and they're all equally nasty. The Agni Kais are a firebender-based group, the Triple Threats accept all benders, and the Red Monsoons are waterbenders. This particular area --Downtown, I mean-- is primarily Triple Threat territory. The Agni Kais and Red Monsoons try and get in on this turf on occasion, but haven't been successful as long as I can remember." Hoshi leaned back in her chair, putting her feet up on another chair opposite her. It had been a long day; she would have to soak her feet when she went home.

With a wave of her hand, the woman dismissed the other gangs. "The Triads don't really see the smaller gangs as a threat, I don't think. There are a few of them I know, but they're mostly a rag-tag bunch and don't really gain any footing. Mostly they're too scared of what the Triads would do to them if they tried. Gangs bold enough to try tend to ... not end so well." She found it slightly strange that Ryoku didn't know this. It was easily known information, just by something as simple as picking up a news paper or hanging around the streets a bit.

She arched an eyebrow. "What sort of book are you writing?" she queried politely.

The Quilled Chameleon

[/center]

The girl’s phantom pain made Shtiya wince as well. He couldn’t technically feel it, but he often ‘felt’ other people’s pain in a way that was hard to describe. He assumed it was from being so open to the chi of other humans, due to healing all the time. He didn’t mind, but he wondered if he could do anything for her. Maybe a tea, or an herbal smoking blend? He pondered the question quietly as she continued to speak. The young man did not acknowledge her spasm in any other way.

"I am admittedly curious about you. I wasn't trying to dig into anything personal or anything..."

Shtiya shrugged. “If you’re c-curious about me,” he said, “just ask me. I never lie.” His smile was gentle and, unlike his voice or appearance, strong. It was clear that no matter what else he was, he was an honest man. Even if it hurt. “I don’t m-m-mind answering questions, but I don’t just… t-talk about myself, either.”

"I'm sorry if it feels as if I'm intruding. Maybe we should just… I don't know. I don't want you to think that I'm pitying you, and I don't really want you thinking that I'm trying to find more fuel for my pity fire."

Smiling, the Waterbender put a hand out on the table. “I don’t think that,” he said. “It’s okay. And for the record, I don’t pity you.” There was no need, after all. She could and did clearly take care of herself! “Come, tell me. Did you deliver the tea?”
Mr. Tsukushi brought their food out himself and patted Shtiya’s shoulder before shuffling away. The Waterbender dug into his with relish, obviously hungry. For a small young man, he could put away quite a lot of food. Perhaps it was because he often forgot to eat while working.

OOC: Its okay =] I know you are busy. This should be close to the last post for this roleplay I think.

Ryoku sniffed and looked aside as he listened to the short woman. What was her name again? Did she tell him? He couldn't remember, even though he was soaking in all the information that he could. She paused after explaining the types of gangs in the area, pointing out that the Triads were the biggest and most prominent, and that the others were of no real threat.

"What sort of book are you writing?" she asked him.

He thought a second, nobody ever really asked him that question. He could feel his adrenaline rising and fought to not give away his uneasiness.

"Well, it has to do with the effect of the city on farm towns just outside of it. I am working on a chapter on criminals in Republic City and am trying to gather as much information as I can get. Tell me, do any of these gangs you mention abduct benders outside of the city?"

He was sure he had exhausted his stay already, but maybe he could get this piece of information out of her before he left. However she probably had no clue. Ryoku was starting to feel very hot in his seat, even though the cool air had taken over the shop.

OOC: All right, if that's what you'd like! I'd be willing to continue these character's interactions on another "day" in the RP, if you want to keep going. Up to you though! Let me know via PM.

"Mmhm..." Hoshi remained seated, a small twinge of suspicion pricking up the hairs on the back of her neck. She kind of wished Jin Ho would stop by, but he was probably at work. She re-evaluated Ryoku, who was looking mighty uncomfortable indeed. Guilty conscience, perhaps? She hoped it wasn't so; Hoshi wasn't a suspicious woman by nature, so when warning bells went off in her head, she though it best to try and listen.

Unfortunately for Ryoku, the earthbender didn't really believe his story. Not that she thought he was lying, per se, but not entirely being truthful.

So she decided to help him along.

"Before I answer," she said, looking at him directly in the eyes, "are you sure you're being honest with me?" Hoshi folded her hands in her lap, tilting her head to the side. "Abductions are a pretty specific thing to be writing about." The ticking on the clock seemed loud as she gauged his reaction. He seemed to be a little flushed, so the woman pressed on. "Are you, or someone you know, in some sort of trouble?" she asked, not unkindly. She stood, and headed back behind the counter. "My best friend is a police officer in the City," she told Ryoku. "If you genuinely need help — with writing, or some "other" problem — then I can arrange for the two of you to meet." She turned, her arms crossed around her chest. "Either way, I would like you to tell me the truth. If you can't, then I think you may be in over your head with whatever you're trying to get this information for."

She thought about the words for several moments as she dug into her own plate of food. What should she ask? What wouldn't come off as strange or weird? She let out a pleased little sound at the taste of the shumai. After she swallowed she spoke. "Oh, you were definitely right. These are really good." She ate another, being careful of the temperature, steaming as they were.

After a couple more dumplings she slowed down. "Well...umm...how long have you been in Republic City? At the healer's?" She sipped at her tea while she still had a little of the shumai in her mouth. The tastes mingled pleasantly.

"Tell me, did you deliver the tea?"

"Oh! The tea! Yes, she was very pleased. I can't thank you enough. And..." a blush suffused her cheeks once more. "Well. Thank you for the discount. It helped out in a number of different ways." She hadn't wanted to take it, but it really had helped. She had been able to get her tote repaired after catching it on a descent the day after he had given her the discount. It was a pain using the totes that her company wanted the messengers to use. They were bulky, and the material was just plain bothersome. Her tote was actually absent, at the moment. Nor did she have pockets. Just that one little beltpouched placed at her left hip where she could get to it without having to awkwardly reach across her torso.

The Quilled Chameleon

[/center]

Shtiya smiled as Ryari obviously enjoyed the shumai. He was glad to see it — hopefully if she could afford it, she would come back to support the Tsukushi's restaurant.

"Well...umm...how long have you been in Republic City? At the healer's?"

Hmm. How long had it been? A year? Two? Shtiya looked thoughtful. "Ah — well, I c-came here from the North Pole. I was seventeen, so it's been two years now." He smiled again. "I've b-b-been with Mr. Choi since I arrived in the city and found his shop. He's very good to me. I chose his shop because he had the most p-p--" he paused, closing his eyes for a moment and focusing so the word would force itself out right. "Professional." He flushed a little and bit his lip. The stammer had once again forced him to feel as though he shouldn't say anything else. Instead, Shtiya focused on his food.

"Oh! The tea! Yes, she was very pleased. I can't thank you enough. And... Well. Thank you for the discount. It helped out in a number of different ways."

Ah! Shtiya looked up, smiling happily. "Oh, I'm glad!" he said. After waving away her comment about the discount, he rested his chin in his hand. "D-don't worry about that. We work on a s-—-liding scale at the shop, so that people can afford the care they need." That had been his idea. Mr. Choi had originally protested a little, but after seeing how much it helped the populace — and how many more people came to the shop once word got out — he had been satisfied. "It's no trouble at all." The waterbender knew when people needed to keep their money. It was nothing to him.

"Ah — Are you from the city, then?"

Ryari pointedly ignored the stutter. More-so because of the little muck up she'd just had herself. "The North Pole?" The upward inflection on the last word was nearly non-existent, but it was still a question. "That seems like such a long way away." She noted that the waterbender stated he was with Mr. Choi. "You...didn't come here with family?" She sincerely hoped she wasn't opening any wounds that were better left closed.

She idly chewed another dumpling and dropped one of her chopsticks. "Bother..." she muttered and set the other one down next to the other that had fallen. She attempted, several times, to lift them both and heaved a sigh of frustration. If she'd had two hands it wouldn't have been a problem. She could have rested that easily. It was difficult to do so when they were on the flat surface. She pulled them toward the edge and tried once more to corral them into her hand, succeeding only in dropping not one, but both, to her lap. The frustrated earthbender sucked her lip between her teeth and chewed on it in pure frustration. "Sorry." she managed and picked the sticks out of her lap one at a time and laid them upon the table.

"Ah — Are you from the city, then?"

"I grew up, part of the time, here in Republic City. Not all of it. My daddy..." she continued, not thinking about the fact that a woman almost thirty years old had just used 'daddy'. "...runs a Gun in the Earth Kingdom. I lived there during some of my childhood too."

The Quilled Chameleon

[/center]

"Oh," said Shtiya, "no, I — my f-f-family and I had a f-—- a disagreement." He was going to say 'falling out', but the 'f' sound was difficult for him to make. He ate some more of his food before speaking more. "I came here by myself and just walked in to the Apothecary. I had to treat a patient with Waterbending before Mr. Choi was impressed enough to take me on." He smiled. "But he did."

As she wrestled with the chopsticks, Shtiya just watched her. She had probably learned all kinds of ways to deal with having only one hand. He hoped to pick things up from her to share with a patient who might need it. When she succeeded in picking them back up, he smiled.

The fact that she called her father 'daddy' even at such a grown age made Shtiya feel intensely jealous. He had always longed for a close relationship with his father, trying very hard to please him — but the man really only cared for his more masculine, traditional sons. Shtiya was sure his father loved him but that wasn't the same as liking him. He wished his father had liked him, too. In the end it was their argument and falling out that had truly pushed him to leave following his suicide attempt.

"I came through the Earth Kingdom on my way here," he said, before pausing to drink some tea. "... The people were so varied and nice. I learned a lot." He had travelled slowly, so that he could pick up local knowledge as possible along the way. "Are your parents still living?"

OOC: I really apologize for taking so long to finish this. I have been busy, but that really should not be an excuse for me to not post. I really just need to keep up the habit of posting right after I read. Thanks for your patience. As always please send me any feedback.




He could feel her discomfort with the question. She was obviously thinking more about him and what crazy things he was saying than the actual question he posed.

"Before I answer, " she said, "are you sure you're being honest with me?"

"Yeah, I..." he began to reply, she cut him off.

"Abductions are a pretty specific thing to be writing about. Are you, or someone you know, in some sort of trouble?" she asked.

She went on about police officers she knew, and how he could always find help in her, but Ryoku zoned himself out of the conversation, he looked away from her, obviously showing he was not interested.


Then she said something that really ticked him off.
"Either way, I would like you to tell me the truth. If you can't then I think you may be in over your head with whatever you're trying to get this information." she said, finishing her spiel and waiting for a reaction from him.

She would not get one. He did not need the help of police officers or specialists or shop owners. All he needed was information. Ryoku placed more than enough coin on the table to cover his order, got up from his seat and made for the door, without saying a word and without looking at the girl.

"I'm afraid I have stayed too long. Thank you for your time. If you have any actual information to give me on the matter, you can find me on the streets."
With that Ryoku walked out of the shop, smelled the night air, and made his way into the night.

OOC: That's fine, I understand. :]



She'd hit a nerve. Ryoku had zoned out while she was talking, but at her last sentence he snapped to and snottily replied that he had stayed too long and if she had actual information to give him that she could go to him. Hoshi rolled her eyes as the young man let himself out of the shop. The little bell on the door rang gently as the door clicked shut behind him, and the earthbender huffed in annoyance. Well! She stood, and locked the door viciously. What a rude boy. "Just as well," she said aloud to the empty shop. "If he couldn't tell me what was going on, I doubt I wanted any part of it. And he didn't have to be so RUDE, he didn't even-——" Hoshi trailed off, her irritation rising. "That little jerk!"

She spun around, unlocked the door, and stepped outside, trying to see if she could still see him. She stomped her foot on the cobble stone ground and raised her arms, lifting an earthen platform out of the street, trying to get a better vantage point. Whatever he was, whoever he was, Ryoku had disappeared. "Gosh!" she sputtered, lowering the platform back to its original state. Hoshi went back into the shop, slamming the door so hard behind her the window panes rattled. The woman locked the door with even more ferocity than before, rolling up her sleeves and tidying the shop before she went home for the night. The NERVE of some people! thought the green-eyed bender to herself, pushing in chairs and clattering dishes together.

She tromped over to where Ryoku had been sitting and furrowed her brow. The cake was half-eaten and the teacup empty. And he hadn't paid for his food. If he ever came back to the shop, he would find his reception less than friendly. And he'd still have to pay. Scribbling a note on a piece of paper, she pinned it to the corkboard by the moneybox. It had a description of Ryoku, as well as his name, and an added note: Did not pay. Owes 20 yuans.

With an irritated sigh, she started wiping down the counters and noticed some small pile of gold coin the corner. She stopped what she was doing, peering closely at the currency. Instead of being satisfied, however, Hoshi was even more annoyed.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she demanded of the empty room, gathering the coins into her skirt and bringing them to the money box. They were old coins, definitely Earth Kingdom make — so at least that much of Ryoku's story was true. She tutted. "Who still pays in coin honestly?" The young woman scratched out her previous note and added a new one: Pays in coins. Ugh.

The Quilled Chameleon

[/center]

"Oh. I'm..." she wasn't really sorry. Sure it was sad that he and his parents didn't get along, but if it weren't for that, he would never have found his way to Republic City in the first place. Right? So she voiced that opinion.

"If you had never had that falling out..." she started and sipped at her tea again, almost slurping it, but not quite. She did love the way it coated her tongue for a moment. "...Then you would never have had the sense of mind to find yourself." That was the way she saw it. "You have found a person, who not your father, treats you with respect. He obviously sees that you are a capable healer." She brandished her chopsticks as she gestured with her arm. "On top of that, there are people here who truly appreciate who you are and what you've done."

These were simple observations that she had managed in the past few days alone. She had asked a little after the quiet little waterbender that worked in the Apothecary. "These people trust you. Some of them even rely on your judgement to help them to live in comfort, or at the very least no pained."

She then flashed a genuine smile. A smile that lit her sun-tanned face up to a glory that was almost palpable. "That's what I think, anyhow. I like to talk to people, and people really like to talk about the boy at the Apothecary."

She then realised that she was waving her chopsticks around like a half-crazed warrior regaling his epic journeys. It didn't bring a blush to her face, but she did dampen her smile down a one that was a little more sheepish.

She didn't know anything about this boy or his family. It didn't sound like they had parted ways amicably, but that was no longer something he should worry about. In time, and with hope, he would reconcile that difference.

The question about her parents, however, still lingered. She didn't mind bringing up her family, not out of any sort of dread or embarrassment, but because their part in her upbringing was done.

"Last I had heard my mother was well." her tone changed completely. It wasn't somber, but it was serious. "She likes to teach, and I don't really see her stopping any time soon. She helps at a school here in Republic City."

The skyrunning earthbender's features once more blazed into a happy smile. "And Daddy will be as the rock of the earth. He is definitely a man that will not allow himself to be moved when he doesn't wish. Nor can you shake his foundations. He taught me everything I know about earthbending, but he also taught me how to live." She looked around her at the people gathered in the tiny restaurant. Those people, the vast majority anyhow, were happy. They had food to eat, they had work that they could see to. They had a home and a family. They had friends.

"I don't talk to them much anymore, but I do write them every few months. Even Mother gets a visit from me once a year when she's actually in the City. She tends to spend her off months with Daddy back in the Earth Kingdom."