ailin
Apr 11, 2007 10:07:58 GMT -6
Post by ailin on Apr 11, 2007 10:07:58 GMT -6
-Lower Ring-
Daiyu shook her head. This was pathetic, storming off like a temperamental little girl. If it weren’t so early in the day, a whole giant pot full of sake would’ve looked like a great way to straighten things out. But Daiyu had always heard drinking before mid-day was the quickest route to ruining your life. She was never quite sure why that was, but somehow stuck to that philosophy.
Her pace slowed down just a little, and her shoulder released the tension that had built up. Okay, so she had stormed off. Big deal. She was a human and was liable to be…emotional now and then. I mean, honestly, she was a waterbender, and wasn’t water an element of emotions? For four years she had been able to keep the ebb and flow of her emotions on a steady pace. No one thing affected her enough to cause a wave. But it had been a strange few days, only a stone faced freak like Kaede could take it all without breaking just a little. She had been exhausted, had realized she needed to find Hotaru to clear herself, had taken on a partner, had a brawl with an earthbender, stolen and dodged the Dai Li all in a few days. It was only natural to crack, and her cracking resulted in storming off. Fine.
It just…it wouldn’t happen again. Ever.
Daiyu heard Heika call after her, and frowned a little. Her eyes followed the people on the street, noticing Heika as he jumped up. Now he was making it a scene. Terrific. That was just what she needed. He caught up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder to announce his presence. Without realizing it, Daiyu tensed up. She looked over her shoulder at him, her expression flat and her tone matter-of-fact.
“You’re touching me again,” she stated.
“Look, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to offend you or anything…I should have just taken it as it was given to me…a kind gesture…Thanks Daiyu… " Heika said, looking confused but genuinely sorry for whatever offense he might have caused.
Before the waterbender could reply, Heika skipped a step and appeared at Daiyu’s right side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Daiyu’s mouth stretched into a thin line. There was that impulse to lash out at him for the act, and the normal Daiyu would be the type to break his arm, give him a sardonic smile and walk away.
That would be categorized as making a scene, though. Oh yes, violence most assuredly was a scene causing event.
“You’re touching me again,” she repeated, keeping her tone even and matter-of-fact.
Heika flashed his now all-too-familiar smile, and some part of her felt at ease seeing him acting normal. “How about I buy you breakfast! As a thanks for washing my pain away, eh? You can have what ever you want!"
Daiyu started to roll her eyes at his offer, but only ended up staring up and left, finding the morning sky within her view. A gentle breeze flowed down the street, ruffling Daiyu’s hair. The onlookers on the street had stopped staring at the two for the most part, but it didn’t take a genius to know that if either one of them did something…interesting…those people would be staring at them yet again. Despite it being a beautiful morning, with a clear sky and a warm breeze, Daiyu couldn’t feel any joy in it.
She looked back at Heika and pointed at him with her index and middle fingers of her left hand. “You bailed me out, I got rid of your headache. We’re even. I’m going to get some breakfast and get myself whatever I want,” Daiyu said, a sardonic smile emphasizing the end of her statement, although she hadn’t realized she hadn’t pulled away from Heika yet.
roax
Apr 11, 2007 14:59:06 GMT -6
Post by roax on Apr 11, 2007 14:59:06 GMT -6
Ryusei looked at Kari, not very surprised with what she said. "I'm not that good, I learned some from my dad, but not that much, you probably bend better than I do." Ryusei looked down at the ground for a few seconds, before turning his head up to Kari.
"No" he replied, "I'm paying for both rooms, and by the way, if you want to pay for your room, then you best do something that makes me think that you should pay, and that I shouldn't, but that's highly unlikely." Ryusei knew that he would pretty much never let Kari pay, no matter what she did, he was just intent on paying for her room, and not letting her pay. He then again gave Kari another hug happily and gave her a small smile. Why am I doing this Ryusei thought, I just met her, but she makes me want to do these things so much. She's just so amazing and perfect.
Anonymous
Apr 12, 2007 5:01:36 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2007 5:01:36 GMT -6
*Upper Ring*
General Hao was now going to give orders to the Royal Guards. He entered the Royal Palace and found the General "I want you to make sure some guards make rounds by the walls of the palace. I cannot lend you guards from the other walls because it's a matter of protection. I can't reduce the protection of the city for the protection of the King. The guards may take overthe rounds from one another." Hao said. "Understood." The General said. Then he went towards the guards of one gate and gave the orders. Hao stayed there for a moment and then headed for his own quarters. 'The situation is starting to slip away from our control. The Fire Nation is growing on our lands. It's really complicated, we're going towards trouble. Maybe we should create special platoons of elite Earthbenders to protect the city, special units, like the Dai-Li but with the military, and for special purposes... I will discuss it with the Council.' Once home, he switched to his pajamas and slept on his bed.
liobit
Apr 12, 2007 15:42:49 GMT -6
Post by liobit on Apr 12, 2007 15:42:49 GMT -6
Upper Ring
Suzuran leaned forward to get a better look at the map as her eyes followed Ling’s finger. She herself wasn’t experienced at all at reading maps, and although she could probably figure one out, things would just move faster if she trusted her new companion’s judgment. As the earthbender put away the map, Suzuran also realized that she would have to rely on Ling to lead her to the barracks as well, since she failed to tell from the map where exactly they were headed. She may have developed a good sense of direction from so many years in the tunnels below the city, but such a sense was useless if she didn’t know where she was headed. Frustration began to pool in her stomach. How much could she really trust Ling? The other girl hadn’t given any reason why she couldn’t be trusted, but Suzuran had grown very paranoid since she had gained her freedom, especially of non-firebenders.
In answer to the runner’s question, Suzuran blinked. “So, you’re sure you’re with me on this?” That came as somewhat unexpected, but not entirely unwanted. Perhaps Ling would be a good partner, if the firebender could get around to trusting her. She leaned back again and thought about whether or not she would tell about her bending ability. No, she’d hold off for a while. It didn’t really matter anyway, since that ability was so weak anyway. There wasn’t much she could do with it against even one trained earthbender. “Actually, I was hoping there wouldn’t be any fighting involved. Maybe we could find a way to sneak in the back or something?” Suzuran was good at being unnoticed. Well, at least she was in the Lower and Middle rings the way she was dressed. But perhaps she could pass in the barracks as well. How many fancy-dressed royals would you find in a barracks for soldiers?
karanbir
Apr 12, 2007 20:43:50 GMT -6
Post by karanbir on Apr 12, 2007 20:43:50 GMT -6
'Well at least hasn't broken my arm yet...' He thought to himself as he waited for her to respond to his offer.
“You bailed me out, I got rid of your headache. We’re even. I’m going to get some breakfast and get myself whatever I want,” Daiyu said smiling as she ended her answer.
Well.. at least he tried... but surprisingly enough she hadn't moved him from her side... or even moved his arm... Well this time he wouldn't ask any questions and just take it as it was.
" Well then you buy your own breakfast... But you never said I couldn't eat with you!" He said that same dumb old smile on his face at the end of his statement. He looked up at the sky and noticed how clear it was... And how bright the sun was... He had been in this city for two weeks.. and the only thing had ever seen was the slums of the third ring... Well except on the night of thievery he and Daiyu had not to far back... But that didn't really count.
"Hey Daiyu... How about after we eat our breakfast... Instead of going to work we just go out to see Ba Sing Se... I mean its such a large city... There has to be some worth while sites even here in the third ring! Right?" He asked her with his face full of curiosity, and his arm still around her.
-Middle Ring-
Karanbir looked over at Kuno who seemed to be slightly annoyed by his actions... And then he heard that he wanted the young Earth Bender to go to see his mother... Other wise there would be no wedding...
"Um yes sir! Understood sir! We will leave tomorrow morning!" He said in a military kind of response. He then looked over at Susin.
"Well yeah umm... Nothing much to do until tomorrow so umm.. How about i take the family out to lunch! And tell everyone the big news before i go out to work tonight?!" He asked with a giant smile on his face.
ailin
Apr 12, 2007 21:22:47 GMT -6
Post by ailin on Apr 12, 2007 21:22:47 GMT -6
-Lower Ring-
If there was one thing to be said about Heika, he was persistent. Persistent in that if he smiled enough, was optimistic enough and was friendly enough, Daiyu would somehow just…she didn’t know. Gush? Be a sweet and nice friend? He was persistent in keeping company with her. Other than that, she had no idea what he was so darn persistent about.
That smile flashed bright in the morning sun, and this time she really did roll her eyes. Heika was trying to get her on a technicality. Fine, whatever. Let him. Arguing the point with him at the moment seemed like a futile effort. He was back to normal, and there was no keeping him down when he was like that.
“Yeah, fine. You can get whatever you want too,” she muttered, her eyes going to the road in front of them.
"Hey Daiyu…How about after we eat our breakfast…Instead of going to work we just go out to see Ba Sing Se…I mean it’s such a large city…There has to be some worth while sites even here in the third ring! Right?" Heika asked, his golden eyes sparkling and that genuine curiosity he wore like people wore clothing every day.
It was then Daiyu realized that he hadn’t taken his arm away yet. Her eyes went to the hand that was wrapped around the top of her left arm. Two times she had told him, two times! And he ignored it, ignored her. If this was the only reason for his persistence…This was the kind of behavior that got guys very, very injured in the bar, that’s all she was saying. The night before had been a desperate tactic to save her, and she could be willing to overlook that (though Heika’s motivation was a mystery to her). This? This blatant disregard for her? It just…it wasn’t done. When Daiyu spoke, people heard her. When she took action, people stopped to know. It was a harsh world, and the only way to make it was to be harsher. She had learned to be intimidating, and had started to take a bit of pride in it. When Heika could just disregard this action…that was…the female version of being emasculated she supposed.
And why hadn’t she noticed his arm earlier? Had she been so used to it?
That was another thought process that shouldn’t be thought upon. Just don’t think about that, her mind scolded. Stay calm. Stay who you are.
She then looked back at Heika, one eyebrow raised and head tilted a little. “Take it off or I’ll break it off,” she whispered, ending the sentence with a brief smile that didn’t reach the rest of her face. “Really eager to avoid work…Not that I blame you.”
Daiyu sighed. Going to work would avoid extra conversation, and the urge to lash out for some other offense that was liable to happen. It would keep her mind busy, keep them both busy. They’d stay out of trouble and everything would be fine.
The downside? Work was boring. Horribly so. And as much as she wanted to keep her mind off of everything at the moment, the idea of playing hooky did have its charming allure. It would be freedom. And if things got annoying, Daiyu could always go back to her place right?
Right. Of course.
“Yeah, alright. There ought to be some worthwhile places in the Lower Ring. Just have to know where to look,” Daiyu said, the smallest bit of a genuine smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Anonymous
Apr 12, 2007 21:36:08 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2007 21:36:08 GMT -6
Middle Ring
"That seems fair..." replied Kuno to Karanbir's sugestion. "Though why don't you two go out for a bit before everyone here's what it is that we are talking about so we do not have everyone asking about it right now..."
Susin-ya looked over at Karanbir and said "Is that alright...I mean it doesn't matter to me at all what we do...though if and when Kymatano finds out you and I both know that she will not stop begging us to tell her everything..." She would have called Karanbir her love but it still was odd to say those kind of things when her father would be right there watching them...
She aslo wanted to kiss him but again she didn't want to do that in front of her father. Though if they did leave for even just a little bit she was so going to give him a kiss since she knew he deserved one after all of this. And she wanted to give him her full reaction to them getting married...and what better way then to kiss him? Please Karanbir let's leave for just a bit...I do want to talk to you in private...since I think the others don't need to listen in on our conversations.
karanbir
Apr 12, 2007 22:04:03 GMT -6
Post by karanbir on Apr 12, 2007 22:04:03 GMT -6
The young man's eyes widened when she finally realized that his arm was still around her.
“Take it off or I’ll break it off,” she whispered once again a small smile appeared on her face...“Really eager to avoid work…Not that I blame you.”
Heika immediately took his arm off of her when she had threatened him, and gave her a goofy smile as he scratched the back of his head with the very same arm he had just moved. He then let it drop to his side as they walked down the street.
"Well I only worked there for one day but... By the spirits is that place boring!" He exclaimed as he looked up at the sky... A single cloud was floating above them... His attention was caught by the small white puff as it floated through the air... He continued to walk by Daiyu but no his attention was caught by the small white cloud, until he heard Daiyu's answer. As soon as he started hearing her voice his attention focused on her once again.
“Yeah, alright. There ought to be some worthwhile places in the Lower Ring. Just have to know where to look,” Her face actually bearing a smile.
Heika rubbed his eyes and looked at her once again... That wasn't some dry smile, no it actually had some emotion backing it... Well he then himself smiled. His eyes seemed to sparkle as the bright sun gleamed in them. "Really?! Oh thats great! I've never really seen anything here... Been kind of wanting to go out and see the sights...But we can't do that on an empty stomach now can we?!" He asked with that child like smile... One would wonder how a guy with a history like his was able to smile so much... But then again... He was going to spend time with his friend.
" Hmm never spent the day with some one for fun... I should mark the date down when i get back to my room..." He said with a serious look on his face as he held his chin with his right hand, his left arm acting as a stand for his right.
-Middle Ring-
Karanbir looked over at Kuno who had told him that for now he should take Susin out for a little while, or until the lunch.
"Oh ok... Well we can go make reservations right now! We can eat at the... Jade Crane! Yes that place is my FA-... I mean its a really nice place..." He then looked at Susin and nodded toward the door.
"Well lets go!" He then made his way out of the living room and out the front door. Once outside he had realized just what a nice day it had turned out to be...
" Well this sure is a nice day to announce ones wedding..." He said smiling as he looked up at the bright blue sky. He then looked back into the living room to see if Susin was coming. Well it didn't really matter. It wasn't as if he was in any rush...
He walked a bit outside to stretch his legs... Looking around seeing all the busy people walk by and go about there day... It was so nice up here in the middle ring... But he did miss his old home out on the rice feilds... He sighed and looked to the north.
" Don't worry mom... I'll be home soon..." He said to himself in a quite voice.
Anonymous
Apr 12, 2007 22:20:19 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2007 22:20:19 GMT -6
Middle Ring
Susin-ya walked over to Karanbir and made sure she closed the front door and went to kiss him. She had wanted to kiss him for so long she just didn't want anyone in the house to see them. She wrapped her arms around him as she kissed him. After a bit she stopped and said "I'm sorry...I should have told you that I was going to kiss you..."
She then thought about when they would finally be leaving Ba Sing Se for the first time in three years. "I'm glad you decided to change your mind about us leaving in the morning rather then after you are done working. I bet you'll be tired and it will be late which isn't good if we are going through the Lower Ring. Besides I want you to be fully rested since you will be leading the way after all."
lin
Apr 12, 2007 22:24:16 GMT -6
Post by lin on Apr 12, 2007 22:24:16 GMT -6
Upper Ring
Ling stared at Suzuran. "WIthout a fight?" she asked? Was this girl crazy? "I don't care how stealthy or sneaky you are, Suz, but there is no way in the 7 Lower Hells that we can sneak through the Royal Barracks. We don't even know what we're looking for!"
Ling cursed, silently. If her partner wasn't a prodigy in some form of combat, there was no way they were going to get anywhere near the barracks, let alone have enough time to find anything on the war. Didn't Orange-Eyes realize the sheer scale of the amount of guards soley devoted to the palace alone? And if they were Royal Guards... there would be hundreds of Elite level Earthbenders dotted around the Palace. And that was just the army! What about the Dai Li?
"I think we're going to have to rule out the Royal Barracks" she said, sighing and taking out the map again. "But there are a couple more outposts... here, here and here. Further away, yes, and less likely to have information pertaining to this... this War, but at least there will at maximum be about 30 guards per outpost, and a much smaller chance of running into any Dai Li." She rolled up the map and again palmed it to another pocket. "Or we could see what the information network in the Lower Rings has to say. But that could take days, and you'd have to stay with me or something for that long..."
liobit
Apr 13, 2007 10:14:31 GMT -6
Post by liobit on Apr 13, 2007 10:14:31 GMT -6
Upper Ring
Suzuran shrugged, gazing sightlessly at the wall. “Teach me then,” she said, her words spoken like a breeze passing through the alcove; “to fight, I mean. After we do some snooping around wherever doesn’t require any kind of fighting.” She was feeling rather flighty now. In control, as always, but she was in the Upper Ring, and she hadn’t gotten caught! There were no Dai Li just around the corner; she felt safer than she had in years. Maybe that was because of Ling.
Perhaps Ling could teach her something that could be used to help her firebending, even if they were earthbending techniques. The two were similar, after all; besides, she only knew the stances and movements of earthbending from spending so many years with the Dai Li. Even if she knew what firebending looked like, of which she did remember somewhat, she still didn’t have anywhere close to the amount of experience with it as she did with the Dai Li’s style. Suzuran was just a better earthbender, minus the earth moving part.
But as much as the orange-eyed girl was beginning to trust Ling, she still hesitated at the thought of revealing her firebending. How would a loyal earthbender act if she discovered that her new companion was a firebender? Then again, was Ling really all that loyal? Suzuran had no way of knowing.
ailin
Apr 13, 2007 17:13:04 GMT -6
Post by ailin on Apr 13, 2007 17:13:04 GMT -6
-Lower Ring-
Good grief Heika was possibly the most cheerful person Daiyu had ever met. Even in her happy days years before the tragedy had stuck, she still hadn’t known someone who just seemed to be so excited to do anything even remotely pleasant.
He was right, though. Any sightseeing that was going to be done shouldn’t be done on an empty stomach. Daiyu looked down the street; they would be at the tavern in a minute or two. A few more people were coming out onto the streets now, rising (maybe not shining) to another day of toil. Their faces were such a contrast to the beauty of the morning. Above them the sky was a clear and crisp, the light from the morning sun pale and pure. Below on the streets the people at best were covered in dirt, their faces worn prematurely from the hard days in the Lower Ring.
Were there any sights to be seen in this ring other than the hopeless misery that was etched into the faces of the refugees that filled every crevice of the place? Daiyu wasn’t quite sure, but they would find out soon enough.
Heika muttered, and she assumed what he was saying was more to himself than her, about needing to mark down this date when he got back to the boarding house. It was a monumental occasion, one that would go down in history…at least for him. He had apparently never just gone out and spent time with anyone for fun. Okay, that made sense. Heika had never had any friends before. It still sounded strange, but there was no reason to disbelieve him at this point.
Making a lot out of this, isn’t he? Daiyu mentally shrugged at the idea. He thinks it’s gonna be a scroll worthy day. That’s up to him.
“Not sure anything in the Lower Ring will be something to write about,” she said as the two turned the corner, the tavern coming into view at the end of the street. “I’m no expert on the whole ring, but so far…it’s pretty…dirty.”
karanbir
Apr 13, 2007 19:56:20 GMT -6
Post by karanbir on Apr 13, 2007 19:56:20 GMT -6
The two continued to walk down the now busy streets of the lower ring. Dust kicked up with every step that was taken by the two. Heika could feel his once clean feet now getting dirtier and dirtier with every step. When he first arrived in this city he felt a little strange with so much dust being gathered by his feet... But he had gotten used to it by now. He continued to walk by Daiyu's side, a smile shown on his face.
His attention would once in a while get caught by little things here and there, such as a child running about with toy swords, or a few kids playing with a round leather ball... All things that he had never really done as a child. How he envied those children for actually having friends, and one could tell by his narrowed eye's and his small frown... But then he smiled once again and looked over at Daiyu... ' Well now I have a friend...' he thought to himself and laughed a bit to himself. He then noticed that they where now coming up on the tavern.
“Not sure anything in the Lower Ring will be something to write about,” she said as the two turned the corner, the tavern coming into view at the end of the street. “I’m no expert on the whole ring, but so far…it’s pretty…dirty.”
With that being said Heika looked down at his now dust covered feet and pants... He smacked his pants as he tried to dust them off... But no matter how many times he did so dust continued to fall...
"Yeah... I kind of noticed.." He said as he starred at his still dusty pants... They where now at the door of the Tavern which they met in only a few days ago. Heika walked over to the door and held it open for Daiyu as he waited for her to enter.
" Hmm... I wonder what they have for breakfast..." He said to himself as he held the old door open until Daiyu had stepped into the dark tavern.. It took few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the light difference but once thy did he followed Daiyu to where they would sit.
-Middle Ring-
Karanbir heard the door close behind him and wen he turned to see who it was pleased to see that it was Susin... but before he could say anything to her she had pulled him down for a kiss. His eye's widened in surprise but after the first second they had closed and he simply enjoyed the moment.
But it was short lived as she pulled away and said she should have asked.
"Oh no really... I like surprises!" He said with a smile on his face. She then started talking about how she was glad about his decision change...
" Ah yeah... I just thought it would be better if we left in the morning... Plus I think tonight might be a rough night at work..." He said as he sighed and then looked out to the clean streets of the second ring.
" Hmm... I sure do wish we could just spend the night together instead of me heading off to work... But then there wont be any money... And money is the only reason we have such a comfortable life style at the moment..."
Anonymous
Apr 13, 2007 20:12:52 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2007 20:12:52 GMT -6
Middle Ring
Susin-ya laughed a little as she was thinking about what Karanbir was saying. "Well...I could just sneak into your place like I did last week while you working so when you came back you got to see me..." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
She was now thinking of what Karanbir's village looked like. Not to mention the fact that she was also thinking about everything else that was going to come soon...but she didn't care at this moment though she kind of should...since whenever Kymatano and Nata would find out that she was getting married she was going to have to listen to the chaos to what they were going to say. She sighed cause she also felt bad that Karanbir had to work just to be able to see her...she didn't think that would be right. "Hey we should get walking before Kymatano decides she wants to come too since she can never tell when people just want to be alone with one another.." she said as she smiled.
karanbir
Apr 14, 2007 9:30:30 GMT -6
Post by karanbir on Apr 14, 2007 9:30:30 GMT -6
-Middle Ring-
Karanbir looked over at Susin when she suggested that she sneak over for the night... A huge smile made its way across the earth benders face.
"Yes maybe you should come over to my place.." He said that smile still on his face. But then he thought about their trip the very next morning... If she came over.... Well it would be fine. The she suggested that the two of them leave in order to avoid Kymatano from trying to tag along with them..
"Right lets get going... We have to go make our reservations at the Jade Crane..." With that being said he started walking away from the house and out on to the streets. His [ace was slow and calm as he waited for Susin to come up to his side. As he walked on the solid stone street of the middle ring... He looked around to see the people in the streets. It was still morning so the streets had not become as full as they would be later on in the day... No people where still getting out from their houses, rubbing their eyes, yawning, and stretching...
" We are going to have to get up early tomorrow to avoid the hustle and bustle of the city streets..." He said not knowing if Susin had heard.
Anonymous
Apr 14, 2007 9:55:57 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2007 9:55:57 GMT -6
Middle Ring
Susin-ya got up to Karanbir's side and heard him say that they would have to leave very early. "I know which makes more sence that I stay at your place since we can just get up and go insead of you getting up coming back to the house to get me up and maybe everyone else, which would mean that we would be wasting time by everyone not letting us go yet...Besides I can be ready to go really early and while you're working I can pack our stuff so we won't need to mess with later."
She then lightly grabbed his hand as the two of them were walking down the street. She couldn't wait to be out of Ba Sing Se whether or not it was for a few minutes or years just to be outside these walls would be enough. She smiled since it was going to be just like before when both of them were outside the walls just wondering through the Earth Kingdom together. That was the one thing that made Ba Sing Se not be such a bad place to Susin was the fact that this city brought them together.
karanbir
Apr 14, 2007 22:08:50 GMT -6
Post by karanbir on Apr 14, 2007 22:08:50 GMT -6
-Middle Ring-
As he walked down the street, it grew busier and busier. he felt something grab his hand, and when he went down to look as to what it was he was pleased to see the oh so familiar small light skinned hand that belonged to Susin. He smiled and then looked back up at the busy city streets as they made their way to the Jade Crane restaurant.
" Well ok you just come over tonight and spend the night with me!" He said with a large smile on his face. His attention was then caught by a lady carrying a small child in her arms... He then looked down at Susin... He began to wonder about life after they got married... How long would it be until they had a child of their own?
Well for now he could do without one... He was barely getting by on his own with his current job... And no way would he want to raise his kid in the lower ring... There always was his old village... He could raise their children there! Yes back in his own home.
" When are we gonna have kids?" He asked with a curious look on his face as he starred up at the clouds.
))