Earth Kingdom Waters II

hanabi

Jul 14, 2009 20:58:42 GMT -6

When Haru entered the crew room with Hanabi asleep in it he was greeted by the sound of her soft breathing, the room was totally silent the air still, almost static charged. The air was also warm a perfect comfort level to sleep without covers on a hammock.

It was the sound of footfalls in the room that woke Hanabi first, her eyes remaining closed, as she heard Haru calling her name she drearily guessed the reason he was there, the voyage was over and he was here to tell her. Her eyes had remained closed when Haru began calling and remained closed. To the naked eye it would look like her sleep didn't even get disturbed but she was ready to spring into action. Ready to breath, ready to fight, her every muscle was ready to get into motion at once, but she simply lay there the pace of her breathing even remaining unchanged. Her eyes closed she meditated and thought about what lay ahead and listened to the sounds of the boat's hull listening for a certain sound.

—-

It was on deck that the crew watched as Kyoshi Island grew larger and they cheered and patted each other on the back for a job well done and yet another voyage that had taken them somewhere interesting.

The Captain walked over to Haru, "Hey boy, you and that girl are pretty tough, I don't mind haven you on board, me and my crew are gonna be leaving Kyoshi Island later this week, probably five to six days maybe seven considering the weight of goods we have. I'll let you two hitch a ride with us free. We're taken a longer sea route north and passing off the goods we pick up here to a Caravan heading to Omashu. I was worried at first about the Fire Nation Conquering it but the demand for food from it's citizens are as constant as ever." He said to Haru, "I think the Fire Nation is keeping the trade routes for civilian goods like food and clothing open so they can reduce the cost of there occupation. I hear there is a resistance in Omashu, but they aren't doing so well. Support from the people is dwindling as they get used to there Fire Nation Oppressors, and some have even openly refused to aid the resistance. I may not be an Earth Kingdom Native, but it's a bad sign when the people give up National Pride and accept there oppression."

The captain truly fancied himself neutral but figured he would try and spring some interest in Haru for a second trip across the sea, his companion was quite the worker and they had made it to port several hours early, and with her helping on a longer sea journey they could shave off three days he estimated. The ship reached the port and pulled slowly the ship slowing and the boarding ramp from the port clambering onto the deck. In a bigger city there where usually cargo cranes by Kyoshi Island's port was a small port not equipped for large scale trade. They where greeted by the dockmaster and the crew started taking there boxes of goods heading towards the shore.

—-

Bellow deck Hanabi felt the ship slow to a stop and then heard the sound of a wooden plank striking the deck and knew they where docked, she stood opening both of her eyes, her vision totally cleared sense she had actually been awake for thirty minutes. She walked over to the door to the crew quarters and stepped up onto the deck.

—-

On deck she saw people clambering with large boxes heading onto the shore and opening there boxes, taking out stuff and setting up trade stands near there ship, a sensible way to handle trade sense they had no loading equipment in Kyoshi. They would sell what would sell and buy what could be bought directly at the ship and load and unload the cargo as the demand came in. Hanabi found herself respecting the merchant crew's experience.

Hanabi walked over to Haru, "We've arrived on Kyoshi Island, we should head onto shore and look around. Earth Benders aren't made to travel the sea." she said to Haru honestly knowing that he had spent the last week out of his element. Firebenders she felt had an advantage, that they could call there element in just about anywhere and from within themselves. And that the Airbenders of old had it better then that. And even the water benders where hard to separate from there element because usually they always had a small amount of it around them. But Earthbenders, take there feet from the ground, put them on the sea and they will become identical to a Non-Bender.

Hanabi started to walk towards the shore nodding too some crew members on the way off of the ship, them thanking her for her help manning the ship.

((Continued on Kyoshi Island.))

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taedxoa

Dec 4, 2010 13:42:56 GMT -6

Aboard the Koalaotter Express

Goen held his hands on the railing at the front edge of the boat, letting sea spray hit him in the face as Captain Chang and his crew navigated their merchant-vessel-turned-passenger-ship around the far eastern shores of the Earth Kingdom and slowly made their way north. The young earthbender (Goen, that is, not Chang) was determined not to be wistful about leaving the land of his birth parents so soon, so he was steadfastly staring out into open water. Still, out of the corner of his left eye he couldn't help but see the occasional islands, sandbars, and far off in the distance, what was likely the Earth Kingdom mainland well-veiled by the distance fog effects of the sea.

Sighing despite himself, he turned around and leaned his back against the railing instead, observing the boat and the crew. Though most of them were an unruly-looking lot, they had all been very kind and polite to his sister-in-law, Etsuko, and her baby daughter Sora; they joked around a bit with Goen himself and sometimes showed him the ropes of sailing; and with their companion Hao, another earthbender they had met on Kyoshi Island, they showed a combination of respect and camaraderie.

Thinking about Hao made Goen's arms itch underneath his green and copper vambraces. In just the two days since they had left the port at Kyoshi Island, Goen had had reason to really appreciate the mysterious gift from Chief Oyaji, feeling his arms grow stronger already as they had quickly adjusted to the extra weight and support. Hao had said... or at least implied... that they might do earthbending exercises together, something Goen was excited about since he had lost his chance to do training with their last earthbending companion, the young boy Haru, who had accompanied them out of Makapu Village with his battle-scarred partner Hanabi until bandits separated the two parties.

A flash of water higher-up on the ship than normal caught his eye. The liquid motion was directed, clean, deliberate. "Etsu?" he called out, heading toward the staircase on one side of the navigating room.

"Practicing," his waterbending sister-in-law's voice sang out faintly from the platform between the two smokestacks. Of course, Goen thought. A perfect place to maneuver, without a lot of people getting in the way. What's she practicing now?

He got his answer when he reached the top of the stairs and came out from behind smokestack number one. Etsuko was holding the tessen, or war fan, that had been her gift from Oyaji. Originally painted in the colors of the Southern Water Tribe, Etsuko had immediately found some bleach and red paint, made a fading bright spot on the center of the fan, and carefully painted a single red drop in the middle of it. It was the symbol for Mothhaudh, Goen's adopted home for practically all of his life, and apparently the home that Etsuko had adopted too. Despite the fact that it was lifeless and scorched, the vast majority of its original inhabitants having been rescued by the Galgori and scattered to the Three Nations.

"Uhm... where's Sora?" Goen asked concernedly.

For answer Etsuko spun her body slowly and simultaneously twirled the war fan about her head twice, then made a tapping reflex motion high in the air. The water, which had been flowing in a smooth flat ring as if on a riverbed three feet above the deck, twirled up into the air in imitation, and then on the tap turned into snow. A giggle from down near Goen's feet made him look down. Baby Sora was watching from the middle of a ring of her own, made of earth, just high enough that Sora couldn't climb out but low enough that she could see over it and put her hands on the surface if she stood all the way up.

"Hao made it for me," Etsuko said, a little breathlessly, as she scooped the snow up into her fan and brushed it across Sora's playpen. "Whoa. That's hard work, but it's fun, and... I don't know, it just makes me feel beautiful. Like a lady ninja."

"Like the Kyoshi Warriors," Goen suggested, as Sora giggled and made handprints in the melting snow. Etsuko nodded and smiled. "Where is Hao?" Goen went on. "I'm up for some bending practice myself."

"Last I saw him, he and the Captain were headed for the pile of dirt — I'm sorry, earth — in the cargo pen at the back of the ship," Etsuko answered.

"Thanks," Goen hugged his sister and niece quickly, and then trotted off in the direction they had indicated.

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Last edit by taedxoa: Dec 4, 2010 13:44:30 GMT -6

hankdetank

Dec 5, 2010 1:56:16 GMT -6

Hao let a deep breath slowly leave his lungs as he eased into his first stance. He was leaning on his back leg, an almost perfect tae kwon do back stance. His fists were tightly clenched and he held one of them over his right pectoral and the left forward but slightly bent. In an instant he threw his weight forward sending a bowling ball sized rock shooting forward, after about ten yards he opened threw his fingers apart causing the rock to explode like a claymore. Hao paused to allow for a self satisfied smirk before throwing his weight in the other direction and repeating the motion with his left hand producing the same result. Picking up one of the shards he ran it across the back of his hand, watching as the hair roughly shaved off. Just about as sharp as a razor, he thought. It was his uncle's signature move, many fire nation soldiers had fallen at his hands and he had this move to thank for it. The young man was an advanced bender, but not as good as the old man was, not as fast. He had always relied on a mixture of bending and nonbending styles on the battlefield, but he knew that he need to master bending earth if he was ever going to be the type of warrior the colonel had been.

Captain Chang had been watching. He gave Hao a smile as the young man wiped the sweat from his brow and took a seat on a small pillar he casually raised from the floor near where the captain was sitting. He was surrounded by pillars and large stone spikes and various other results of his training. He took a sip from a small wooden cup he'd bought back on Kyoshi. His tea was cold, but he felt like everything was cold in these waters, and it was still tasty. "That's pretty impressive work son. You know, when I was young, I used to be a sailor in the Earth Kingdom Navy." Hao grinned, "Oh yeah? How'd that work out? Fire navy ever make it to shore or did you boys fight as badly as the current navy?" The captain's bushy white eyebrows furrowed and he leaned in and jabbed his finger in Hao's chest. "Just about the same." He said and the two men erupted with laughter.

Hao froze and grew quiet when he heard steps approaching but only for a moment because he recognized them to belong to Goen. Standing up he gave the youth a nod as he emerged into the cargo hold. "If you've come to train with me, I've got a proposal. We can bend if you like, but lets try some nonbending stuff first. There's not going to be a lot of earth in the north pole, maybe little more than we're able to bring with the ship. Whatcha say, can you fight?"

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taedxoa

Dec 12, 2010 22:59:45 GMT -6

Goen smiled devilishly and punched his open left hand with his right fist. "I can fight fair enough. My adoptive mother's cousin was the nonbending martial arts teacher on the island, and I learned, well, um, what I guess you'd call 'street fighting' with the kids I hung around with in Pyrazure." He looked around at the shaped earth in the cargo hold and out on the deck near it, and sighed a little bit. "I was in the mood for some bending more than anything, but I guess I don't mind doing this first."

Even though it was normal fighting first, Goen still removed his sandals and looked around for a good place to put them. selecting a corner near the back exit to the deck. Should I remove the vambraces, or... if I do, I'll fight faster and better, but my training won't be as steady. And this is just training fighting anyway, not a real fight, he decided, returning to stand at a position opposite Hao. "Hey, before we start, Hao, who do you think we'll be fighting there? Didn't the Fire Nation already try to lay siege to the North Pole Tribe?" He got himself into a ready stance anyway, starting to recall as if through a mist everything that his Uncle Tianli had ever taught him about self-defense.

Considerably higher up on the ship, Etsuko rose from her kneeling position over Sora's playpen, and told her matter-of-factly, "Mommy needs to do another practice run, or she'll never get back into shape. Can she have the snow back, please?"

The youngster made a face and responded with what Etsuko could swear sounded comically like, "Haggle,", and pulled all the snow close to her. Then she gasped and let go, sitting down abruptly and trying to rub her arms.

Etsu laughed. "Cold snow, huh? I can fix that." She wiggled the fingers of her free hand funnily over the half-melted powder, turning it into an undulating puddle of clear liquid, and then made a scooping motion with the same hand, lifting the water up into the air as a sphere. She rapped her fan open while extending her chi through it, causing the water to split into nine equally sized smaller spheres that were arranged like the spokes of the tessen. Sora went "Ooooh" and stood back up, hands as far forward on her earth-ring as she could get them.

This will take more concentration, Etsuko reminded herself, but by now it should be a piece of cake. She closed her eyes and lifted the fan high into the air, feeling the small spheres arc above her in a similar motion, and then tossed the tessen lightly into the central, highest sphere while using her other hand to make a stirring motion. She opened her eyes and looked up as she continued to stir, and saw that the tessen was floating dead center in one sphere, while the other eight revolved around it in a series of swoops and circles.

Next — blocking out the noises of entertainment coming from the child behind her — she leapt up, spun around, and shot her left hand forward in a jab with all her fingers jammed together. The eight orbiting spheres catapaulted forward one at a time, turning to a blunt arrowhead of ice in mid-flight and stacking over each other on the second smokestack ahead of her. She snapped her right hand forward and pulled her left hand back; the tessen's watersphere shot forward like another ice arrow, but the rest of the ice sped back toward her as an enormous bubble of water, consuming the tessen-ice when they intersected. Now Etsuko began using the water to wield the fan as an extended arm, watching the dizzying ballet designs of a seemingly self-animated tentacle of water slicing the air with the war-fan, until finally it arced high over the ship toward Etsuko, the water dissipating into vapor as the handle of the fan landed neatly in her grip. Breathing heavily, Etsuko held the form for a moment, and then relaxed and sat down next to her daughter.

"Did I do good?" she asked.

"Jibble, Sora assured her mother, patting her heavily on the shoulder.

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hankdetank

Dec 15, 2010 2:23:21 GMT -6

Hao had grown to really like the scrappy little bender that stood before him.
He nodded, "Yes, even while I was living like a hermit in the forest I had heard of the fire nation's defeat at the hands of the Avatar in the north pole. But you never know when this will come in handy. Neither of us will have much earth to bend once we arrive and for all we know the fire nation might board this ship before we even land." The last part of his statement caused the captain to raise his eyebrows in a manner that expressed both doubt and discomfort.

Leaning on his back leg again Hao positioned himself in the ready stance standard to the Earth Kingdom army. The earth bender felt comfortable in it, after all, he'd been practicing it since he was younger than Goen. His uncle had taught him much of what he knew, enough that his performance as a recruit had been above average, and his technique was hardened by war. Then again, it had been quite some time since he'd truly had to use it. Taking a deep breath he held it for a moment and let it out slowly. Looking at his sparring partner he smiled and waved him forward with his extended fist. "Alright then. C'mon."

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taedxoa

Dec 29, 2010 12:56:56 GMT -6

Oh. Evidently I'm starting this match, Goen realised. It was the only thing he didn't like to do in a fight — and he didn't think he would be intentionally starting any fights at the North Pole — but regardless it was probably a good idea for him to get used to the practice. The hardest thing now would be relying solely on his body, and not his qi, which had become an innate part of his self-defense mechanisms over the last year or more.

He took a split second glance to examine Hao and everything that could be considered a strength or a weakness, like Tianli Paurtur had taught him on the western slopes of Rúnya Orod. The traditional earthbender stood balanced but with his weight leaning toward one foot behind the other. One hand was ready at the waist — if it were earthbending, it would be ready to fire rocks or dirt particles in a direct forward shot, but since it wasn't, the arm was presumably tensed to strike forward.

The time Goen allotted himself to examine Hao had passed, which he regretted since he could only pay the barest attention to the other arm, the permutations of how Hao could come out of the stance — but he had been out of practice for quite some time. Whatever, he told himself, Hao won't kill me, even if he does maim me a bit, he chuckled in his head. He reached out toward Hao with his right hand fist rocketing around in an arc, intentionally overshooting toward his left/Hao's right — and then as swiftly as his body allowed, he spun his torso underneath his outstretched arm and whipped his right foot around in a fairly steady roundhouse kick. He couldn't predict anything else until he observed how Hao reacted to his movements, and then the practice session would become that much more interesting.

"Etsuko-sama," Captain Chang's voice preceded him. Etsuko turned and saw the white-haired sailor ascending the steps.

"Hello again, Chang-taii," Etsuko inclined her head. "What brings you up to my little makeshift training ground?"

"Oh I didn't mean to interrupt," Chang held up his hands. "I was talking with your companion there, Hao-san, until your gikei [brother-in-law] came back and they decided to do a couple of sparring matches. If you like, I can escort you and your daughter back there and we can all watch the fun together."

Etsuko smiled. "Thank you, Captain, that's very sweet--"

"But first I'd like to talk with you, if that's all right."

Etsuko's face fell a bit, though she managed to keep her composure relatively smooth. A knot of paranoid threads sewed their way through her mind: was Chang going to rob them, or kill them? Was he actually a Fire Nation spy? Was he a Galgori? That last thought made her relax (to her great surprise), even though she knew there was no chance that the seafarer was a member of the Conclave. Those agents who were not warriors held themselves in a much more dignified way than the old mariner, despite the fact that he commanded respect in his own borderline-eccentric way. "What about, Captain?"

"Just this," Chang leaned against the smokestack next to the stairs he had ascended. "I see you practicing with that war fan, bearing all the marks of a Kyoshi tessen. Your gikei and your bodyguard there are sparring with each other, and they're both earthbenders, obviously. Hao-san made a remark just before we got aweigh, about how there was pirate activity and Fire Nation patrols in the area--" Etsuko shivered a bit — "and that was why they needed the earth on the ship, for ammunition. Now, I don't know what business two earthbenders have escorting a waterbender, and while I'd assume your husband is also an earthbender, that wouldn't really explain why you were heading to the North Pole without him. You don't bear yourself like royalty, yet you look well-traveled. I just want a straight answer, sama. What kind of trouble have my greedy old eyes gotten my crew into?"

Etsuko's breath held a moment longer, and then she let it out in relief. "Oh, Captain. That's what this was all about?" Chang tried to look grumpy, but couldn't quite pull it off — presumably he had manners around ladies that didn't necessarily appear in his casual exchanges with Hao and Goen and the crew. "While I can't assure you that we won't run into trouble on the way there, transport is all we really needed. We're all warriors, it's true," she fibbed a little bit, just in case one of her paranoid thoughts came true and the captain was intending to rob or subdue them if he found out they were Peacemakers, "but our mission is purely diplomatic." Which, at this point, is a true statement. We want allies, Etsu reminded herself.

Chang's mustache lifted a bit at the ends. "Thank you for putting an old mariner's mind at rest. Shall we?" He gallantly offered an arm, which Etsuko took after gathering Sora into her other arm.

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hankdetank

Dec 31, 2010 10:52:42 GMT -6

Hao leaned to the left, adeptly dodging the first punch thrown by his sparring partner, and for a split second he felt his confidence grow. That is until he caught the roundhouse with his jaw. His head reeled for a moment but his arms instinctively snapped into a defensive posture almost immediately. At this moment he realized something about the fight, one of the standard calculations of speed and power that goes on before any altercation. The young man that stood before him was agile, light on his feet, and quick to strike. This meant Hao had to make certain alterations in his fighting style in order to win. Firstly, his size and weight advantage meant that if he didn't allow Goen to get him off balance he could potentially control the fight. This meant no kicks, not until he was well ahead. In one smooth motion he switched the position of his feet and threw a hard right hook, the switch in stance was designed to make the angle of attack difficult to predict in time for a reaction.stepping in rapidly with every consecutive step the shaggy earth bender threw a mixture of different kinds of punches and open palm strikes aimed for the face and ribs.

The strategy was one he'd used in real combat many times, it was designed to get his opponent off balance quickly so that he'd have the opportunity to draw his weapon. Of course, he wouldn't be doing that today but it had been a while since the technique had been employed, and it was one of his personal favorites for its effectiveness. As he threw the final palm strike he gave a loud "Huh!" and kept driving his momentum forward to maximize the number of factors the teenage bender in front of him had to consider.

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taedxoa

Jan 7, 2011 10:14:00 GMT -6

Goen barely landed in a stretched three-point stance on the ground after his foot connected with Hao's jaw — he winced slightly, hoping he hadn't put too much hurt on his new mentor — but still turned over quickly in an awkward, slightly clumsy sort of roll. He was about to deliver a straight kick until Hao suddenly reversed his stance, throwing off Goen's plans. The young Mothguaith set his foot back down before he could lose his balance, and just in time — though Hao's incoming punch more-than-grazed his jaw, he was able to keep his own weight low and stay standing.

Now Hao came on in a different approach, stepping directly toward Goen and striking quickly. Goen managed to block most of these (badly), only catching a few punches on his ribs and earning himself several bruises that would show up his forearms in a few hours. He was also increasingly aware of the cargo hold wall that he was backing up to. A light flickered on — it was a tactic he could use to his advantage. He backed up a little more quickly, hoping to trick Hao into punching the wall. Unfortunately, Hao put all of his momentum into another strike before they reached the wall, grunting loudly and catching hard Goen in the chest.

Goen staggered back, hit the wall that he had intended to utilize, and sat down hard on the floor. Somewhat cornered, he forgot most of his training with Tianli and did the only thing he could think of — a low roundhouse kick again, aiming at Hao's ankles. Then he pushed his hands underneath his body and used the strength in his arms to propel himself back up into a standing position, spinning his body and lashing out with both hands toward Hao's form.

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hankdetank

Jan 7, 2011 11:05:56 GMT -6

His plan having worked as well he'd hoped Hao now had the advantage of position. With his back against the wall, or near enough to it, Goen's attacks would be limited, with the possible exception of him utilizing the wall. He smiled on the inside yet his face stayed as intense as if the fight were real. When the first kick came he managed to lift his foot to avoid the ankle blow, yet the the young man's roundhouse connected with Hao's lifted foot and made him stumble to recover his stance. No more than a moment later he felt Goen's hands grabbing his shirt firmly. The scruffy warrior grimaced, he should have been able to stop that. Off balance and being in what looked like the start of grappling Hao made the decision to use his size to his advantage. Simultaneously he threw his body weight backwards and reached out to grab his partner's arms. Grappling would end the sparring session faster, and Hao wasn't the best at it, but he was still confident that his size advantage would work out for him if he managed to take the fight to the ground.

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taedxoa

Oct 10, 2011 21:11:35 GMT -6

Some Time Later...

Etsuko opened the door of her gikei's cabin with a medium-volume BANG and stood in the frame, putting her hands on her hips and fake-glaring at the occupants of the room. "What is this?" she inquired grumpily, one eyebrow raised as she slowly scanned the room with her eyes.

Goen — and Sora — looked up from their game of Throw-Marbles-All-Over-the-Floor with a bit of surprise. Goen blinked a couple times before answering hesitantly, "We're just playing..." Grunting a little bit, he propelled himself into a sitting position, over Sora's objections. "I'll pick them all up, Etsu."

"Oh, don't worry about that," the waterbender replied, giving up on the game of pretend angry as she swooped down to pick up her daughter. "I was just afraid you were in here sulking. Who's Mommy's darling little girl?" This last was directed at Sora, who gave a phlegmy giggle and looked back at Etsuko with a twinkle in her (currently sea-green) eyes. "Uuuuppp!" Sora patted her wrists on her mother's hands around her waist. Etsuko obliged, propelling her daughter around like a flying bison.

Goen smiled. "No, I'm over that now," he assured his sister-in-law. "We're planning to come back anyway, once we're done at the Northern Water Tribe." His face got more serious as he continued, "I've been wanting to talk to you about that. It's not like at the South Pole where you knew people. Neither of us knows anybody there."

"Knowing people doesn't always help. Even with all the friends I had from home, the only people we picked up there were Kraj and Nenji," Etsuko reminded Goen."The unknown is where we've done our best work." Sora grunted meaningfully at her mother, who had stopped bouncing her around. "What is it, sweetie?" Etsuko inquired.

Sora tilted her head to the side in comical fashion and intoned, "Hooooowwwww."

"Oh yeah!" Goen remembered.

Etsuko nodded too. "Go get him for me please, Goen. Sora probably needs a change, but the four of us need to chat again. We need to decide what to do since we're just sailing out of sight of the Earth Kingdom. The North Pole grows closer." Goen nodded once and jogged out around the perimeter of the ship, while Etsuko lay Sora down on the bed and prepared for one of the most unfortunate tasks of motherhood. Sora had a particularly smug grin on her face; this was not going to be pretty.

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hankdetank

Oct 17, 2011 17:22:32 GMT -6

Hao lay on his back, propped up by the curve of the ship's bow, his head hung lazily over its edge. He took a deep breath and let it out with a puff of steam. He knew that they must be pretty far north, the weather was much colder than it had been. Hao had barely ever even encountered water benders, he was excited by the prospect but felt fairly helpless that the only earth he'd have to bend was what little he was able to bring with him. Of course he still had his axe, which was tucked safely away with his other belongings.

Reaching up he ran his fingers through his beard, it was longer than it had been in some time. He chuckled at the thought that it would keep his face warm. Letting his head fall further back as he relaxed his shoulders he caught an upside down view of birds bobbing up and down with the ocean's swells. He inhaled the salty sea air deeply. The magnitude of his upcoming journey sunk in as he the reality of visiting the Northern Water Tribe. Slowly he exhaled the breath through his nose. 'It wouldn't be long now.' He thought as he lifted his head, once more looking forward at the rest of the ship.

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taedxoa

Oct 24, 2011 13:55:31 GMT -6

Goen jogged lightly around the deck; Hao hadn't been in his cabin. Knowing the enigmatic earthbender — as little as he did — Goen knew Hao could realistically be anywhere on the ship, but he was hoping that he wouldn't have to look around for too long. Sure enough, after approaching the railing on the starboard side, he looked toward the front of the ship and saw Hao laying against the upswept bow. "HAO!" he yelled, startling a flock of koalagulls out of their floating reverie and casting them into the air with purrs and honks of objections. "WE NEED YOU DOWN IN OUR CABIN!"

"I object," Etsuko groused to her less stinky daughter. Sora giggled again and kicked her feet in the air as she watched the flight of birds past their window. "Yeah, yeah, I see how it is, ignore your mommy," the waterbender continued as she swooped down on her daughter and swung her around until Sora rested in the crook of Etsu's arm. "But just remember one day you're going to have a daughter too and I bet she's gonna have a smelly bottom too, and then you'll rue this day." Sora stopped mid-giggle, cocked her head, and gave Etsuko what she could have sworn was a serious fish-eye. "Well, it's true," she added defensively.

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hankdetank

Oct 26, 2011 18:24:34 GMT -6

At the sound of Goen's voice Hao rolled over lazily and pushed himself up with a grunt. Smiling good naturedly at Goen he jogged over to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Feels like we're getting close doesn't it?" The young man was a welcomed sight to Hao, he didn't know why but he felt oddly like some time had passed since he'd seen him. Shaking it off he followed Goen down to the cabin where Etsuko was sitting with Sora, his shoes clacking against the damp and weathered boards of the ship's deck as he went. Again he greeted them with a warm smile. "Good Morning." He said taking a seat on the floor and crossing his legs before leaning back and resting on his back stretched arms. Looking at the group he spoke. "I'm glad you called me over. We have yet to discuss our plan once we reach the north pole." He paused for a moment and his head lowered in a split seconds thought before snapping back up with his eyebrows raised. "Nothing more serious I hope?" In that moment many thoughts had sped through his mind, the most predominant one that they had indeed been lucky not to have encountered any Fire Nation ships throughout their journey. But the thoughts had drifted from his attention the moment his head had snapped back up. Now quiet, Hao again allowed his gaze to pass over the group.

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taedxoa

Nov 4, 2011 13:22:43 GMT -6

Etsuko shook her head, bouncing her (dry-bottomed) daughter on her knees as she tried to relax into the bed padding. "Nothing specific made me think of having this meeting. It's just, we've been taking advantage of the free time and relaxation... with no sea bats, no Fire Nation ships in pursuit, no pirates, no bandits," she ennumerated all of the obstacles that the Peacemakers had encountered on their travels before meeting Hao. "But now the Earth Kingdom is sailing out of sight--"

Goen made some sort of hushed grunt.

"--and we haven't given any thought to who we'll approach at the North Pole, how much we'll tell them, what sort of proof we might have to offer..." She trailed off and thought for a moment. "We don't even know what sort of situation they're in at the moment. We might get a warm welcome, or we might get turned away. They might require that we complete a task of trustworthiness, or they might have a problem that we can help solve to gain their goodwill."

"Or," Goen butted in, "life might not be like folk tales, we might not have to deal with the leadership at all, and we might find several ordinary people that agree with us and would like to come with us. Like we have the entire time."

Etsuko nodded into her daughter's fuzzy head, but for Goen's benefit. "I know. But I don't know if we can rely on just that. We tend to lose people as quickly as we gain them that way. Appealing to the chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe might work out better for us, especially given what Hanabi and Haru told us about the recent attack from the Fire Nation that the Tribe survived."

Goen looked at Hao. "You know this part of the world better than we do, Hao. How difficult do you think it would be to gain an audience with the Water King?"

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hankdetank

Nov 8, 2011 20:33:00 GMT -6

Hao scratched beard thoughtfully, his brow furrowing with slight frustration. "That, is a good question..." He muttered. His eyes passed from Etsuko to Goen. He had always been a good soldier, made a great leader when he was in charge of a unit, but he had certainly never raised an army or solicited a King. Though his face didn't show it, the thought had him scrambling for answers. "The north pole is a big place," he started, "I hear the city has grown even larger than it once was. I agree that we cannot succeed by picking up stragglers, it would take a lifetime without organized support... but I doubt the Water King grants audience easily..." Plopping down as gracefully as one can plop Hao crossed his legs. Resting his elbows on his knees he dropped his chin down on his fists. "Should we consider him a politician? Politicians throughout history have been swayed by lavish gifts. But even with the money I - " he paused momentarily, a slight upward curl forming at the edge of his mouth at the memory. "Acquired from the fire nation soldiers I encountered we don't have anything that would take the interest of a King." His train of thought excreted a metaphoric puff of steam as it picked up speed. Rising to his feet the scruffy man with the tightly bound hair folded his hands behind his back and began to pace the room. "Perhaps we should treat him like a general?" He said, his head turning to his friends, one eyebrow cocked upwards. "No doubt the events of recent history have necessitated that he become one. In the Earth Kingdom Army one could always gain the attention of an officer by defeating his best warrior in a sparring match. But, I'm sure we have no delusions about that, we would fail for sure. And of course there is always deception, or a misrepresentation of who we are. And yet I have no doubt we would be discovered in this. If our entire point is to gain his trust, this would be a decidedly backward maneuver." As he continued his line of thought his demeanor grew increasingly introverted, as he paced the room he seemed to notice his companions less and less. Suddenly he stopped. Eyes opening wide he turned back to them and smiled craftily.

"It's obvious!" He declared, "We don't really know much about the situation in the north pole, but the residents do. To get the King's attention we need to be able to address one of the pains his Kingdom is experiencing, but we know nothing of their issues. We need information. And where is the best place to get information? Either a tea shop where the city's older residents gather, or a drinking establishment where the soldiers meet off duty." He said satisfied with his answer. Thoughts of both warm sake and a hot blooming tea drifted through his mind. Each very enticing after a long voyage.

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taedxoa

Dec 7, 2011 6:42:15 GMT -6

Etsuko nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that's true. The chieftain's concern is for his people. That's always been the way of the Water Tribes. By solving one of their problems, we may earn gratitude and recognition from the chieftain." She switched Sora over to her other leg, hoping the pins and needles sensation would go away, and in doing so noticed that Sora had fallen asleep. How typical. "Such a course of action makes all of us happy, I think," she went on quietly as she stood up carefully and laid Sora on the side of the bed against the wall, her head on a pillow. "It lets us talk to the common people, like Goen suggested, and it will hopefully earn us audience with the chieftain, the way Hao and I are hoping."

Goen stretched his arms up above his head and yawned. "Okay, sounds like a plan to me. In the meantime, we should get some more rest." Then he looked sharply up at Etsuko and Hao again. "Will we need disguises?"

"I don't think so..." Etsuko murmured. "Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom were always at peace with each other..."

"But we are traveling in a Fire Nation ship."

"Oh. Right." She twisted her head slightly to look at Hao again, eyebrows raised.

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hankdetank

Jan 4, 2012 22:22:59 GMT -6

Hao shrugged his shoulders and turned his hands palm up indicating a lack of concern. "I'm sure the captain wouldn't take us to the northern water tribe if he expected a hostile greeting. He's a trader of the seas, I'm sure he knows which ports are friendly." Plopping down on the floor he stretched out a bit leaning against the wall and lightly placing one ankle over the other. "You may be right about the disguises however, perhaps our first order of business should be to buy some new clothes.. if for no other reason than the cold." He suddenly felt how unprepared he was for the cold. It wasn't bad at the moment but prolonged exposure would require more warmth. Either way he would be happy the voyage would be over, he had never been one for long journeys on the ocean. Like many Earth Kingdom citizens he preferred dry land. "Besides," he said with a smile towards the baby girl, "Young Sora will most likely be more disarming than any disguise. They won't expect three travelers with a baby to have any real potential for violence."

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Earth Kingdom Waters II

Post by hanabi on Jul 14, 2009 20:58:42 GMT -6

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Post by hankdetank on Jan 4, 2012 22:22:59 GMT -6