Kohaku was relieved by Fu-Ling's response to what he said about his lack of bending. Since she didn't bend often either, there would be no reason for her to wonder why he was out-of-practice. That would make things easier if they ended up traveling together (and he had considered that possibility. Fu-Ling was nice enough, and he had been looking for some company lately. He could do much worse than her).

Thinking about bending made the man reflect on his experience traveling the Earth Kingdom. He had met quite a few people in the last eleven years of his life, and of the friends he made, very few knew that he was a Firebender. Those who did knew him well enough to get past their hatred for what the Fire Nation had become. Still, it helped immensely that he absolutely did not bend. It was nice to know that other Firebenders understood (and maybe even respected) how the Earth Kingdom people might receive displays of their bending power.

Fu-Ling's mention of a secret piqued his interest. Considerig that the issue had only come up after he'd spoken about Azula, he could guess what the secret was about. Maybe Fu-Ling wasn't as extreme of a loyalist as he had originally thought. Kohaku nodded. "I promise. I won't tell anyone," he replied. He meant that. Besides, who was he going to tell? Here in the Earth Kingdom, anti-Fire Nation sentiment was the norm. Fu-Ling really didn't have anything to worry about.

Fu-Ling sighed audibly at his words. "Okay, good." She said breathlessly, realizing she had held her breath for a long moment of anticipation. She smiled in relief. "Thank you, really." She hoped that Kohaku understood her sincerity: it was sometimes extremely difficult to tell Fire Nation militia from Earth Kingdom citizen. And to be honest, if it weren't for his golden eyes and relatively pale skin, he would easily melt into a crowd of Earth Kingdom-ers.

She spoke softly and solemnly, trying not to raise her voice higher than necessary but knowing that most people wouldn't really mind if she made a comment here or there about Azula. "The Fire Nation has done a lot for my family. We're a lot more fortunate than most of the families that were in my village. But at the same time..." She trailed off, looking around her. The sun was reflecting off of more and more surfaces: it was getting later in the day. The sun was falling. The path had straightened out a little while ago, and Fu-Ling thought that she could see the edge of the forest far in the distance, almost too far for her to see. She wasn't sure if this was true, or if it was just a clearing, or maybe even just an illusion.

In any case, she wasn't sure if they'd be out by nightfall. The woman remained silent for a long moment, taking steady, thoughtful strides. Flicker hadn't made any noise in a while. Maybe he'd left her for good this time. Maybe he wouldn't come back to her by sunset. They had been walking for a long time. Maybe he wouldn't be able to find her. Absently, habitually, Fu-Ling began to untie the strings on her gloves. As if any moment now Flicker would swoop back through the treetops, screeching, and land atop her wrists.

She realized she'd been quiet for a long time - too long, maybe. She continued speaking, methodically re-tightening and then knotting her gloves once again. "I just think that there are better ways to show our power than with war. I mean, we have so many colonies and settlements. My father said that we used to buy extra land from the Earth King when we wanted to make a new village. There are towns that have been around for decades of Fire Nation immigrants and Earth Kingdom locals who live together in peace."

She sighed, frowning unhappily, and was quiet for another brief bit of time. She hoped he wouldn't try to interrupt her. "I hear a lot from the people here. They say that our Fire Lord Ozai considers Princess Azula as his favorite child, and he banished Prince Zuko for not agreeing with what he said." She didn't bother trying to justify herself: after all, it wasn't her who said these things. She was simply relaying the message that she'd heard. "And why would a father choose his heir if he or she didn't agree with him? On top of that, I heard she's hunting the Avatar."

She heard a rustling in the trees and instinctively glanced up, but birdsong told her that it wasn't Flicker. She looked back at Kohaku. "I know a lot of people are mad at the Avatar. But in the past, he's always helped people, right? So if killing him means the war goes on..." She stopped. She couldn't take the side of the Avatar. That was almost certainly treason. But war was so... ugly. So horrible. It hurt so many people, in so many ways. Even the winners have losses, even if they're grossly overpowered. Even the winners get hurt.

Kohaku stayed silent as Fu-Ling thanked him. He would have replied, but didn't want to give the woman more time to avoid spilling her secret. He'd found that the more time people had to gather their thoughts, the more likely they were to decide to keep those thoughts to themselves. It sounded like Fu-Ling had something very important to say, and he didn't want to keep her from saying whatever it was.

The woman's initial statement didn't make a lot of sense to him. How was the fact that the Fire Nation had helped her family some big secret? The Fire Nation had helped many families throughout its long history. Then again, she did seem to trail off. Maybe she had more to say.

After that first statement, his companion was silent for a long while. Kohaku was afraid that her reservations had won out after all. Eventually, though, she did speak, and to his surprise, the man found himself agreeing with her. As she kept speaking, he kept silent, prompting her to continue. Only after she sounded as though she'd finished did he consider responding. Unfortunately, he had no idea what to say.

He agreed that the war was unnecessary, but Fu-Ling didn't seem as against the Fire Nation as he was. How much should he reveal about his ideals? Would the woman turn him over to the Fire Nation as a traitor if he revealed too much? He didn't think so, but really, he didn't know Fu=Ling at all. Well, he'd just have to speak and hope things went well.

"I've never seen any point in war. All it does is take lives and tear people apart. From what I've heard, the Avatar is supposed to keep the four nations in balance. If he can put an end to Ozai's war, I will happily support him."

Fu-Ling looked long and hard at her companion. Who was he really? What side did he take? She imagined that he was probably scrambling for her viewpoint as well, hoping that he would have hits instead of misses. Did he think she was a fanatic, one who would die for the oppression of others? Maybe he thought she was a pacifist, one who would stand by until killed? And she hadn't even touched on that feeling of justice that was within her, hardly touched but ever-present. How would he react to that if he saw even a glimpse of it? He might very well assume the woman was some sort of strangely loyal vigilante, maybe even working for the Army...

But his statement said a lot. He wasn't a supporter. Fu-Ling knew he was neither for nor against. He took an objective standpoint that seemed to revolve around the idea of "right" and "wrong", as opposed to "my side" and "your side". So, in that regards she had to agree. "Don't take this the wrong way when I say I wish I could agree with you, but I can't." His blatant disregard for the Fire Lord was also an indication of his political standpoint. "I can't speak against our Fire Lord in that way. It's wrong. I'm not sure if what our Fire Lord is doing is wrong in the long run, or if this war isn't supposed to happen."

Then Fu-Ling remembered, suddenly, her brother. But Kohaku wasn't a rebel, definitely not. Rebels didn't solemnly walk about the Earth Kingdom, wandering in hopes of a random trigger to light a chain of events. But still... Fu-Ling didn't know why, but there was this deep urge inside of her. No. She hated her brother, didn't she? He'd dishonored and disrespected her family and her nation. She'd shoved him from her consciousness for almost a decade. And at the same time, if there was a chance, just a tiny chance...

"Just as a quick question, have you ever met a man by the name of Kokuzoku?" It was a stupid question, really. Incredibly nonsensical. And still. Fu-Ling, for a reason that she couldn't comprehend, had to ask. She needed to know. She didn't as everyone, but she'd never gotten an answer she wanted. No one knew of him.

Maybe she just didn't want to think of her brother as a dead man.

Kohaku could understand (somewhat, at least) what Fu-Ling was saying, but wished that she wouldn't use the term "our" when speaking of Ozai. He hadn't thought of Fire Lord Ozai as his ruler for years now, and wasn't happy that Fu-Ling was making assumptions based on his heritage. But now wasn't the time to complain about semantics. He'd just have to ignore that particular term for now.

"I don't think any war is ever supposed to happen. Ozai doesn't need to rule the world. Neither did Azulon or Sozin before him. No one person should have power over everyone else." Kohaku knew that with every word he spoke he was placing himself firmly on the side of treason, but he really didn't care. He felt no allegiance to the Fire Nation, and wasn't going to pretend he did just to make others happy.

Fu-Ling's sudden question caught the man off-guard. He had met a lot of people on his travels, but didn't think he'd ever met anyone named Kokuzoku. He thought about it for a little while longer, then shook his head. "No, I don't think I have. Sorry."

Kohaku seemed to agree with her. Or maybe she was just being optimistic. Granted, he had made his allegiance very clear. He was probably not happy at her words. Fu-Ling couldn't be sure, but he was maybe even offended. Fu-Ling wasn't trying to force her ideals upon him, but they were her ideals after all. Old habits die hard. Even when talking to the people here, she would show her loyalty, whether she meant to or not.

But his words for some reason made her giggle. "Well by that reasoning, then the Avatar is, in essence, also wrong, right?" She was joking, but she felt the need to right a possible wrong. "I know what you're saying, though. And I don't think the Avatar has ever used his powers for anything other than the greater good." Killing off random villages was definitely not "for the greater good", in Fu-Ling's opinion. But at the same time, she wasn't a spirit. She didn't have all-powerful knowledge of what is and what will come to pass.

The man thought over her question, and eventually confirmed her original thought. She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "Don't apologize. I don't even know why I asked, really. It was a pretty stupid question to be honest." She shrugged, feeling the random glints of sunlight on her exposed skin. "He was just someone I knew. I usually ask my companions, even though there's really no reason for them to have met him. Don't worry about it."

It wasn't strictly a lie. But it certainly wasn't the truth. Before Kohaku could answer, Fu-Ling decided to ask him a question. "So where did you say you were off to again? I don't remember if you answered or not, and there might be a split in the road head." It was still too far away to tell, but it looked as if it wasn't just a mirage or a clearing. It seemed as if the end of the forest was in sight.

And, unfortunately, the end of their companionship.

Fu-Ling was giggling. That was surprising, considering how serious their conversation had become. He didn't quite understand what she said after laughing. Was she comparing the Avatar to the Fire Lord? But that didn't make sense. Ozai was trying to conquer the world. The Avatar was trying to stop him and bring peace to the world again. How were they similar?

Luckily, Fu-Ling followed that by semi-agreeing with him. Kohaku decided not to respond. He liked Fu Ling; arguing with her about war was not how he wanted to spend their time together. Even so, regardless of the subject, he was enjoying just talking to someone. It had been a while now since he'd done that. He was not eager to return to the silence of his mind after they parted.

Fu-Ling told him not to worry about Kokuzoku, but the man still wondered. She wouldn't have asked if the man wasn't important to her. Who was Kokuzoku, and why did Fu-Ling think she might find him in the middle of the Earth Kingdom? Kohaku didn't ask, since it seemed like Fu-Ling wanted to drop the subject, but he did hope that she eventually found who she was looking for.

The woman's question about his destination made him smile. "I didn't. I don't have a specific destination. I was thinking that I'd walk until nightfall, then stay wherever I ended up for the night." Kohaku was pretty sure that he knew what Fu-Ling was getting at with her question, and something (maybe the loneliness of eleven years spent on his own) made him decide to take the initiative. "Where are you planning to go? If it's not too much trouble, I was thinking that we might travel together...if you want to..." His voice faltered near the end, as he finally realized what he was asking, but at least he got the words out. Now all he could do was wait for a response.

OoC: Woah. Sorry it's been so long since replying. I legitimately don't know why it's been like 5 days.

---

Fu-Ling felt herself grow happy inside, but tried not to show it. Thank Ozai she wouldn't have to be alone. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm was too much for her willpower. She nodded and couldn't help herself when a smirk came to her face. "I don't have any plans, really. I'm just a roamer, you know?" Instead of staring at the path, she moved her eyes to Kohaku's and allowed herself a smile. "I'd love for you to join me."

And at the same time, those thoughts perverted her mind yet again. What could happen? Sure they'd spend the next couple of hours walking. Maybe they'd stumble upon a little town with a quaint menu and they could have a nice meal together and maybe even drink a bit - a nice melon liqueur or some strong sake. Fu-Ling, despite being of strong mind and body and having a consuming firebending spirit, sometimes was a lightweight in terms of intoxication. Though on a full stomach she was easily capable of knocking back a few drinks without feeling even the slightest bit woozy, this happened rarely.

Would they spend the night together? "No, no trouble at all," she re-stated firmly, though her mind was elsewhere. Would they find a nice ryokan and share a bed? Maybe remove their clothes if it was too warm, then go even farther? "To be perfectly honest, I love having traveling companions for as long as I can. I know it probably sounds odd after what you've just heard from me, but considering I'm never around someone for more than a day or so, I try to take advantage of their company when I can."

She suddenly realized the innuendo in her words and cursed her dirty mind. She looked away again to try and stop Kohaku from seeing the pink hue that came to her cheeks. She forced the sexual thoughts away and tried to focus as much as possible on the somewhat nearer present. "If we don't end up finding a town nearby, that might cause a problem... But if we do happen by one, would you like to have dinner with me? I'd love to treat you to a nice, filling meal." Okay, so she didn't totally stray from a possible romp in the future.

But at the same time, her offer was valid. And it wasn't like if he decided to leave her afterwards it would be a surprise. In the end, she might do the same thing to him. She didn't exactly like the idea of being alone, but sometimes she couldn't stop herself - it was just too difficult to imagine such long-term attachment. Internally ashamed, she kept her eyes off of him, and still wasn't able to help herself from continuing thoughts of a pleasant evening...

Kohaku smiled when Fu-Ling nodded. He had been worried that she might not not want to travel together, but thankfully he had nothing to worry about. Now, he had someone willing to travel with him, perhaps for a long time. That was wonderful. It would be great to be able to share future experiences with someone else, and just to have someone else to talk to. The man was excited about this new arrangement.

Fu-Ling sounded a little distracted when she spoke again, but Kohaku didn't pay that any attention. He was more focused on what she said next, about liking to keep companions around. He nodded at that. The Firebender was confused when the woman looked away from him (had she said something embarrassing? He hadn't noticed), but ignored it. "I'm the same way. I move around a lot, so I really enjoy having other people around for even a short time."

Then, Fu-Ling spoke of buying him dinner. That sounded like...a date. Now it was his turn to blush. "I'd be happy to have dinner with you," he started, "But I won't let you treat me. I'll pay for myself." He didn't mean to be rude, but didn't want to take advantage of Fu-LIng's company to that extent. He had enough money to pay for his own needs, and planned to do so.

She expected his first statement: they'd made it relatively clear that they were both wanderers, unwilling (or in Fu-Ling's case, unable) to settle down. She was happy that Kohaku hadn't seemed to notice anything though, and she felt a little tumble in her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was from excitement or arousal. In any case, then the man agreed to have dinner with her.

Fu-Ling broke into a wide grin and looked over at Kohaku to see him blushing. "Well I won't offer to pay again, but if you insist then I won't argue with you." There was a bubbling feeling in the top of her chest, a feeling that made her want to laugh aloud for some bizarre reason. Who needed some silly bird when you could have a likeable, kind human companion? Besides, Flicker could handle himself.

But it was a date! A date! She could imagine it now: the two of them, sharing a bottle of sake, Fu-Ling dressed in the silk dress that was currently neatly folded in her sack. Eating slowly, laughing, pouring his drink, keeping his glass full at all times, quietly sipping, drinking less. Getting him talking about sharing a room, a bed, a body. "Granted, we'd have to find a town first. But I'm really happy you'll stay with me!" She bit her lip in an attempt to contain her smile and her excitement. It didn't really work.

The bender clasped her hands together and tried to squeeze the energetic tension out as she walked. She could seduce him. She totally could. She could let him talk himself into admitting the chink in his armor, let him see her as beautiful and enigmatic and desirable. She could let him eat dinner until he was tired and drunk, let him see her flushed cheeks and the way she laughed in that sexy way. And then... Fu-Ling let out a quiet, shaky breath, squeezing her knotted fingers hard. Her smile wouldn't fade and she found herself grinning at Kohaku.

"Like I said, if you're sure you want to pay for yourself, then I'll let you. But I'll cover the drinks. No negotiation on that one." She laughed genuinely, in good nature, and felt a shiver of delight run up her spine. She felt light and excited, and her skin was warm with happiness (and, of course, a little something else as well). "Unless you're against drinking," she teased: "not that I would judge you if you were. I'm just wondering. I personally love a nice glass of sake with a delicious dinner."

She wasn't giving away too much of her plan, was she? It didn't matter. At this moment there was only Fu-Ling and Kohaku. She didn't even see the other travelers around her, didn't register the sunlight in her eyes or the beauty of the path.

The man was glad that Fu-Ling accepted his refusal to let her pay. He would hate to have to argue such a simple point. If the woman really felt the need to pay for him that badly, perhaps he could let her at a later date--as long as she allowed him to pay for her sometime as well. After all, he didn't want to take advantage of honest generosity.

Kohaku couldn't help but laugh at how excited Fu-Ling looked at the prospect of traveling and eating together. "Finding a town can't be that difficult," he said. The man waved an arm, indicating the people around them. "After all, these people have to be going somewhere, right?" The logic made sense to him. He usually found his way to civilization by following crowds. Large groups of people tended to have a common destination in mind, and that destination was usually some sort of town. That was the kind of thing he'd learned from traveling on his own for half his life.

Though he still didn't like the idea of Fu-Ling paying for him in any capacity, Kohaku knew better than to argue about drinks. "I've got nothing against drinking, so long as I don't drink too much. I'll make sure to limit myself so I don't end up costing you too much or making a fool of myself." The Firebender's tone was lighthearted. He was excited about this new adventure on which he was about to embark. Traveling with Fu-Ling promised to be very interesting.

She nodded as he spoke, realizing how obvious it was. This road was probably a fairly major trade/travel route that connected towns and cities. Fu-Ling should have known this by now: after all, she had been wandering around for a couple of years. These people weren't all wanderers. They probably had a purpose, a destination, a job to commute to, a family to get home to. So even if the town they would eventually come to wasn't too big, or didn't have an inn, there was at least a place for them to look forward to.

She laughed at his next statement. "I wouldn't worry too much about that," she said kindly. "After all, you've probably never met a woman who drinks as much as me. And trust me, I've seen a lot of drunken men to know what to expect." She winked. 'Or were you talking about the cost?" She looked away with a smile, and it was at this time that there was a familiar screeching just above the treetops.

Flicker dove through the leaves and spread his broad wings to slow his momentum before landing atop Fu-Ling's gloved wrist. The firebender noted the smell of fresh kill lingering on him, a scent that she neither liked nor was bothered by. The large golden eyes stared keenly at the woman, as if saying how proud he was of his accomplishment. Fu-Ling smiled. "Well, hello again Flicker. You've met Kohaku." She indicated to her acquaintance pointedly. The bird did not follow her hand. Instead, his massive eyes glared her down.

Slightly unnerved, she giggled and pulled a bit of spare leather out of a slit in her glove, and, with a well-practiced motion, smoothly folded it over the bird's eyes before snapping it shut beneath his beak. The bird seemed to calm, adjusting his grip on her arm, then settled into place. "Sorry about that," Fu-Ling apologized obsoletely. "Flicker doesn't always take to strangers." Fu-Ling wasn't surprised that the hawk had returned so quickly. On the contrary, it meant that it was growing dark. Fu-Ling would probably remove his hood when they got to the village so he could roost in a tree for the night...

Kohaku wasn't sure how to react to what Fu-Ling. One one hand, it was good to know that whatever he might do under the influence of alcohol, she would make more of a spectacle of herself. At the same time, though, what if Fu-Ling got too drunk, and he had to take care of her? The man wasn't sure he could handle that. Plus, Fu-Ling might know what to expect from a drunken man, but he didn't. He'd been on his own since he was ten. His experience with alcohol had been limited, and he had never gotten truly drunk. He'd have to keep track of how much he drank, just in case.

The Firebender realized that he hadn't actually given the woman an answer. "Um, both," he said finally, still preoccupied by his thoughts. He didn't like thinking about all that could go wrong. It was just one meal. He had nothing to worry about.

Luckily, a distraction arrived in the form of Fu-Ling's bird, Flicker. Kohaku eyed the bird somewhat apprehensively. He wasn't scared, necessarily, just cautious. The bird didn't really seem to like him that much, and he had no interest in making the wrong move and getting clawed. Fortunately for him, it seemed like Flicker had no interest in him, and was too busy glaring at his owner. Kohaku laughed at Fu-Ling's apology for her pet. "It's fine. I've never been all that great with animals anyway."

The two (now three, really) companions crested a hill, and Kohaku found himself looking down at a group of houses, with more beyond. He turned to Fu-Ling with a smile. "Looks like we've found a village."

Kohaku answered her (somewhat rhetorical) question. So she just smiled. Then he commented on Flicker, and Fu-Ling suddenly broke into a giggle. "What a coincidence!" she said happily. "Because, to be perfectly honest, I'm really not either. I love animals, but they don't really love me." It was true: Fu-Ling had grown up around her father's pets and war creatures. So it was quickly apparent when she realized she had absolutely no skill with them whatsoever.

Hence why Flicker had been trained by her father and then placed in her care. More than once in the beginning of their journey, Flicker had vanished for weeks at a time, only to return with a note from Fu-Ling's father apologizing for the behavior of the hawk. After the first year or so, however, this stopped being an issue.

Kohaku then smiled at her, and indicated towards the village. Fu-Ling followed his gaze, seeing the nice bustling little town in the valley. Her heart filled. There was a sunset over a distant ridge, casting orange highlights over purple clouds. They had finally crossed the edge of the treeline, and the short path wound straight into the heart of the town. It was beautiful, picturesque, awesome. 'That's fantastic!" She said with utter enthusiasm. She felt like dancing.

But she knew this part was critical. She had to control herself. So while she grinned like an idiot, she kept her movements smooth and graceful. Most of the people around them - not many, as the trickle of travelers had slowed - were heading into the town as well. Yes, now was the perfect time to be calm and steady. They were going to eat dinner together. Maybe get a room together. Possibly have sex, if everything went her way. She had to be careful with her words and actions.

"Well?" she asked pointedly as they started down the road. "What are you hungry for?" Though she had just hooded Flicker, she'd probably have to make him mad by taking it off again. Oh well. It really didn't matter too much. All Fu-Ling wanted right now was to get to that village and get to a restaurant, despite how her pet might feel about it.

Fu-Ling's response about animals made Kohaku laugh. He wondered why Flicker stayed with the woman. Maybe he had come to like her with time. Then again, the Firebender hadn't failed to notice the glare his companion had received from the bird when she had reintroduced them. The two seemed to have an odd relationship, but a very interesting one.

Kohaku realized that he was jealous of Fu-Ling. In the eleven years he'd been traveling, he'd never had any constant companions. The woman and the bird might not get along incredibly well, but at least they had each other. He didn't have anyone.

Great, now he was getting depressed. Maybe drinking was a good idea. At least it would loosen him up a little, allow him to focus on something other than his thoughts. So, when the man turned to his companion to answer her question, it was with a certain measure of enthusiasm. "I'm not sure," he responded, and immediately felt unhelpful. To try to rectify that, he continued. "Why don't we see what restaurants the town has to offer, and choose once we've seen all our options?"

Yes, that sounded good. That way there was no pressure on him to choose the right thing. Kohaku smiled again as they continued toward the town. The evening promised to be fun.

[*kicks self* I shouldn't let this happen...]

Whatever one's beliefs were, there was a lot to think about here. It was certainly not that Tenoko did not believe in the dealings of spirits and the likes; she was just not very religious, and moreso, did not understand the ways of the spirits well enough to know what certain things meant versus what other things meant. She usually figured that strange phenomena were either done by them, or by nature. If there was no spirit of mother nature itself, then Tenoko still respected it as an incredibly powerful force. She knew the devastating capabilities of the elements; she herself used one of them with similar effect.

Hinh agreed with her solution on how to tackle the hill, and Tenoko smirked subtly to herself when she started earthbending the two of them up the hill. Aye, that was exactly what she had wanted. The only problem with Tenoko's strategies was that although she had the charisma to be a leader, as had been demonstrated during her years commanding a crew at sea, was that she didn't like telling people what to do if they became close enough friends. It was a strange complex when Tenoko thought about it, but at the same time, why was she even arguing it with herself? Hinh had done what the waterbender had wanted her to do, and so she had lost nothing.

"I advise holding your ground. The route may not be soft enough." She told the Waterbender. A second later, the earth they were standing on began shaking and rumbling as it let go of the solid ground and shifted to the hillside itself. Hinh's arms then made repeating pulling motions that made their platform slide atop the hill along the path she had made.
Tenoko actually shook for a moment when they first started moving. Aye, it had been a while since she had travelled like this; and so she once again got the unusual feeling of her body moving while her feet remained rooted on the ground... it was just that the platform they were on was moving.

At the top of the hill, the waterbender looked out ahead of them, and she too could see Omashu. More importantly, she noticed the pockets of Fire Nation troops scattered about, but arranged relatively orderly. she was scanning them more than anything, trying to estimate how many were in each group, and already her mind was at work formulating a strategy on how to get through or around them.

But, there was also communication to do.
"What's on your mind?" she turned to her partner, "do we still plan on going through with this?"

~Tenoko~

((Sorry if this is out of place. It has been so long...))

He awoke with a start as his prison rocked suddenly and sharply, enough to break him from the unconsciousness that didn't even pass for sleep. Simply a lack of awareness. He groaned and sat up, barely able to do so in the small prison cell he shared all to himself. The roughly hewn wood feeling familiar to his hands and feet by now as he hugged his knees and closed his pale eyes. Not as if he could see anyway, and with the wooden box he was held in devoid of dirt of any sort in it... he was truly blind and quite honestly, helpless.

He wasn't sure what had caused the rocking that had awoken him. He could hear the muffled snorts of Komodo Rhinos, the two creatures being used to transport his prison. He had to assume the riders and guards of this prison escort had stopped for water. A luxury they likely would not extend to him, after all. He was the one being transferred to this concentration camp. At least that's what he expected it was. Not that it really mattered where he went in his opinion. He was as good as lost to the world he suspected. He suspected his traveling companions had no way to know where he had gone, nor that psycho freedom fighter from Omashu. Not that he thought ill of the man, but he figured he had his hands full trying to free Omashu and what not.

The blind boy scratched at his jaw, the thick length of beard that had grown over the last few weeks. They didn't allow him so much as a dagger to shave with, and even less contact with the earth to do whatever with. Then again, that was redundant. As he had noticed, his mind was beginning to run in circles due to the isolation. 'Isn't that great... I'm going mad in this thing...' He thought with a small smile. He felt weak. He realized they hadn't fed him in a while. In fact, he suspected that may be part of the reason the transport had stopped. They intended to feed him. Or so he hoped.

He snatched at that hope like a life line. And waited, hoping that hope would not be crushed. Wishing he knew where the slot was they tossed whatever they intended to feed him in at.

Li lounged in the saddle of an ostrich horse as the little convoy came to a stop. Tugging on the reins to stop the creature and allowing it to scratch at the ground as he glanced around at the beautiful forests of the earth kingdom. He could hear a stream burbling distantly through the trees and smiled a bit, peering out from beneath the heavy hooded traveling cloak he wore, colored a dark graying shade of green, typical of earth nation travelers. He glanced at the fire nation soldiers as they dismounted from their various creatures and checked that the small wooden box held between two Komodo rhinos being used as pack creatures. The beasts of burden puffing absently with the ease of their load as their riders checked the straps holding the small wooden cell in place.

One of the soldiers, a lowly officer having been given this assignment to move the low priority earth bender to a camp, approached Li. "We will take a break for a short while, feed the beasts and the prisoner, then move on." Li chuckled a bit.
"Fine by me, I couldn't care less. I'm being paid by the day." He said, dismounting his ostrich horse with a yawn and a stretch. Checking his belt knives, the knives amongst his robes, and his prize. The earth benders broadsword strapped to his back. He fingers the green fabric at the hilt and the blades golden crests and grinned. He probably should have sold it, but he felt a slight attachment to the thing. After all, he was being given a decent bit of money for this bender. Something about killing a fire bender or whatever. He didn't care. It was money, and money allowed him to relax, and enjoy the scenery the world offered.