Daichi ran as fast as he could to avoid blasts of fire from the fire benders he'd robbed... well almost robbed. He'd planned to steal a priceless vase from a fire nation governor of a small, now impoverished, earth kingdom town. However, on the way out, he'd been discovered, and while running, had no choice but to through the vase in order to use his knives. The soldiers had pursued for a while, but eventually stopped as the thief entered a near by wooded area.
Ahead, the knife thrower saw a clearing. He entered the area, staring around in amazement. There was a slope leading down into a clear blue lake. The stars above danced in the water, and little fire flies blinked to fallow suit. There was a gentle breeze, slightly warmed by the summer day that it fallowed. All together it made one hell of a scene.
"This place is beautiful," Daichi noted. He looked back to see if anyone had fallowed him. No fire benders in sight. Only the owls and crickets sounded out. "Well it looks like i have this little beauty all to myself."
Smelling himself, the young man quickly realized he hadn't bathed in a few days, and was in desperate need of one. Gently stripping off his clothes, the moon like bathing his smooth skin even before he entered the water, he slowly walked to the water and gingerly tested it. Even the water here was at a perfect temperature.
With soup and a brush the thief had managed to grab before leaving the last inn he'd stayed in, he began to clean himself. Along with the pure water of the lake, he finally felt fresh, and even happy for a change.
The boy looked down at his own reflection for approval. He had dark brown hair, matching his deep hazel eyes. His olive skin shined with wetness. However feeling his face and it's lack of facial hair, his slender body with its lack of muscle, he couldn't help but feel the his buzz had been shot down.
"I'm too feminine," he sighed, gently wiping away his reflection.

[OOC--Daichi, it's "follow", not "fallow". just pointing it out like the writing nerd that I am :3]

The woods were a good place for earthbending training, and when Himoto was not employed, that was her pastime. She was not necessarily training to become a warrior to go off and fight in the war, but she wanted to keep her skills at a high enough level to be able to hold her ground in a fight, should she get in one. The trees provided ample obstacles for her to either attack or evade, and with the type of training she was doing at the moment, it was very effective.

She had surrounded much of her body with rock, and she was using the ground beneath her feet to race across the surface, and so she was practicing escape maneuvers. the trees she pretended were enemy soldiers, and so she zipped and dodged and zigged and zagged around them and past them as she practiced. She was not perfect at it, and there were a few times when her lack of attention cost her a painful collision, which usually was taken by her forehead.

However, just like when she worked, when she trained, this earthbender did not ever give up. she would simply put her hat back on her had, get up, and start again. this time was no different...

...or rather, was no different until her evasive maneuvers led her out of the woods and into a clearing. Himoto actually lifted her hat for a moment to catch a glimpse of her surroundings, as there was a lot to take in, and she usually kept her eyes down as she lived her life.

the focal point of the scenery was a beautiful lake, its crystal-clear water almost calling out to the hot, sweaty fighter who stood gazing down at it. she had been training for a good couple of hours, and it looked very refreshing. her vision was somewhat poor as things stood, and so she slowly released the rocks surrounding her body and took a few steps closer to the water. after she had reduced several yards of distance between her and the water, she was able to focus a little better. It was around this point that she made out the outline of another figure already sitting in the water and relaxing.

"damn" she thought to herself, "someone else had the same idea as me."

but the lake's alluring appeal was just too much for the young woman to handle. she approached the young man and saw better the details of his face. he looked to be in his late teens--only a few years younger than she was. of course, she appeared a few years younger than she really was, and age was not something this woman usually worried about.

She had also noticed his clothes at the edge of the lake, but that did not bother her too much either. She just wanted to relax in the water, but did not want to unsettle the young man already here.

Still standing about 10 feet away from him, she decided to ask him from there, as to respect his privacy.
"Hey." she called out. she did not do so very loudly, as the quiet serenity of this place was not something that needed to be razed by shouting. "do you mind if I slip in here, too?"

the way she indicated it just meant that she wanted to slip into the lake. it was plenty large enough that they would not have to be very close to each other if they did not want to be. Either way, her clearly was intent on removing her clothes if she got in, as that was generally the common-sensical thing to do when one bathed or went into water in general. Himoto's clothing was modest--she had a sturdy pair of shoes, and durable pants held up by a thick belt with a large buckle. This buckle was shaped like the Earth Kingdom Emblem, and her hands were already on it, ready to unloose it should this boy not be bothered by her presence. her hands were the only part of her body that were exposed other than the lower half of her head. The upper half of her head was covered by her hat, which was a traditional Earth Kingdom warrior's hat, but it also shielded her head from the sun. Himoto's shirt was much like her pants--it was sturdy, but baggy. her sleeves were bound by some wrist-guards to keep them from sliding up when she worked or moved her arms. This was the sight that Daichi would see should he turn around and notice Himoto. She was not at all imposing, because she was short for her age, and her clothing was not even warriors' clothes--they were all dark green, but they were loose, and therefore not too hot.

Himoto's expression remained neutral, and she awaited the boy's response.

~Himoto~

"HOLLY SHIT!" yelped Daichi, startled by the sudden voice. He went to spin around quickly but tripped, falling back into the water. One would find the whole thing rather comical. Popping back up, and shaking his hair, he looked to see who had spoken. At first afraid he'd missed a fire bender, he was relieved to see the small earth kingdom girl. Suddenly, he turned bright red realizing his predicament.
Great.... he thought to himself, not only did fail to hear her approach, but i also made a fool of myself. She's kinda pretty too... he added studying her for a second. He didn't get a chance to talk to a lot of people. Especially not women.
"Umm... sorry bought that..." the young man replied still blushing, "Yeah.. you can hop in... if you want."

Himoto cracked a smile at the boy's reaction, for no other reason than it was rather comical.

"Umm... sorry bought that..." the young man replied still blushing, "Yeah.. you can hop in... if you want."

"Alright," Himoto answered, "thanks."

She walked to the edge of the lake so that she was about 15-20 feet away from Daichi. With the distance in place, she undid her belt, and her pants fell to her ankles. She was not incredibly beautiful or ridiculously pretty, but she certainly was not hard on the eyes either. Underneath her worn work clothes, her legs did not look like those of a worker. The earthbender was not excessively muscular, but that may have perhaps been more of an illusion given because of her small size. The young woman’s legs were not amazingly toned either—she was just average.

She was not paying attention to Daichi anymore, mostly because she was more focused on undressing so she could slide into the wonderfully alluring water. She undid the bracers on her wrists, and her pants were baggy enough that her shoes did not even obstruct them as she stepped out of them. She removed her hat carefully, and set it and her bracers in the pile with her other clothes. She then pulled her shirt off, as without her belt and bracers, it was a lot baggier than it looked.

Himoto’s chest and torso were nothing amazing either, but was still not hard on the eyes. Himoto was clearly not the seductive type, for not even her underclothing was suggestive or revealing in any manner. She stepped out of her shoes as well, and undid her hair. Several of her bangs fell into her face, but she ignored them. She turned around, removed her underclothing slightly faster than she removed her clothes, and then slipped in, submerging her head.

The water failed to disappoint. It was just as wonderful as the earthbender had expected it would be, and it felt so relieving to her after a long day of work and training. She put her head under a few more times, feeling the water drip down her neck as well as off her bangs. She glanced over at the boy she had just met, since only her head and upper neck were above the water.

“Seriously,” she said, “thanks—I really needed this.”

And of course, her clothes were easily still in reach if she needed them. Right now though, she just wanted to clean up and relax.

~Himoto~

Daichi's eyes widened as she undressed. She may not have been anything special, but to Daichi the female body was a quite foreign thing. Not to mention for some reason he felt strangely enchanted by her confidence. He himself would never dream of disrobing in front of another person. Especially not a stranger. He tried not to pay attention and go about his business out of respect, but despite himself, the boy kept making quick glances, his face getting redder and redder still. He sunk down into the water so that only his eyes and above were not submerged.
“Seriously,” she said, “thanks—I really needed this.”
"No problem," the young man said popping his head up forcing a smile. Suddenly her words seemed to strike a chord. Maybe we aren't so different...
"So what's your name? I'm Daichi. A.... wanderer of sorts." said the wanderer of sorts.

"No problem," the young man said popping his head up forcing a smile. Suddenly her words seemed to strike a chord. Maybe we aren't so different...

"So what's your name? I'm Daichi. A.... wanderer of sorts." said the wanderer of sorts.

“’name’s Himoto,” Himoto answered, smiling as well. “Himoto Takeshi’s what they call me. I’m much of a wanderer as well, though I go where the work is.”

Now that she was saying more than 3 words at a time, it became apparent that she had a slight country accent. The earthbender was not ashamed of this, as there was very little in life that bothered her.


Himoto would have likely been a little shyer if she had received compliments about her body. She was not anything exceptionally pretty, especially compared to some of the noble girls she had sometimes been hired as a servant for, but she also was certainly not ugly or even hard on the eyes at all. She did not wear the clothes she did to hide her body—but rather because they were work clothes—they were light and comfortable, and yet tough and durable for hard labors. Even Himoto’s hands were not rough and scarred—they and her face were the parts of her body that she took care of—otherwise they would stand out in stark contrast to the rest of her frame, which she kept covered with her clothes.

This boy though… there was something Himoto liked about him—maybe it was just his comical reaction to her presence, maybe it was more. Either way, she thought he’d be a decent friend. Friendship was usually the default path she took when she met someone, and so she’d wait and see how this went.

“oh, and sorry if I made ya’ uncomfortable with me takin’ m’clothes all off,” she added, her face taking on a slight pinkish hue, “It just never bothered me, so I never worried ‘bout it.”

~Himoto~

“oh, and sorry if I made ya’ uncomfortable with me takin’ m’clothes all off,” she added, her face taking on a slight pinkish hue, “It just never bothered me, so I never worried ‘bout it.”

"No problem, lots of things make me uncomfortable," he laughed feeling more at ease, "Town guards, fire benders, bears that find their way into camp. Out of all them, however, seeing a pretty girl undress is definitely not the worst feeling in the world."
He didn't know what it was about this girl, but something made him feel uncharacteristically comfortable. Maybe it was her down to earth style. Maybe it was the fact that he could sort of relate to someone for once. Perhaps it was just that accent? Whatever it was he liked it.

[OOC—curious question—is he naked too?]

"No problem, lots of things make me uncomfortable," he laughed feeling more at ease, "Town guards, fire benders, bears that find their way into camp. Out of all them, however, seeing a pretty girl undress is definitely not the worst feeling in the world."

Himoto went violent red at this statement. She knew that that had been exactly what she had done, but it had been too long since she had actually heard that described back to her.

Her head sunk lower into the water as a response—just to below her nose, so that she could still breathe. However, this was only briefly, as she turned it into a complete submerge, and then resurfaced seconds later. When she resurfaced, she brought her whole head out of the water so that she could speak.

“Alright,” she replied, “that’s good t’know…” she shook off her reddish hue, but the question was still consistently nagging her, so she couldn’t drop it. She was not trying to draw attention to herself with this thought, and she was not entirely sure how to word it, and so she stumbled through that question as best she knew how. Of course everyone had differing opinions—how could she forget something like that? Either way, it made her feel good about herself—not to the point of bragging or anything, but it did secretly delight her to know that she wasn’t half-bad looking. She was more curious than anything—what was it about her that he had taken a liking to?

“Didja just… call me pretty?” she asked. Her tone was soft and almost sounded timid, and the country girl’s face matched her fumbling words. She was getting pinker and pinker, and almost decided to reach for her clothes. She did not though, and decided to wait for his answer before she reacted too extremely. She was not embarrassed, but she did find Daichi’s compliment very touching.

~Himoto~

OOC: yep. that's half the reason he was so embarrassed.

“Didja just… call me pretty?” she asked. Her tone was soft and almost sounded timid, and the country girl’s face matched her fumbling words.

"Yeah," he replied now turning his back on her to continue his scrubbing, "Your better looking then most those scummy overly uppity aristocrat girls. Then again I've never really cared for the rich." He turned back to smile and noticed her blushing.
Am i a bad person if that makes me happy? he thought, I mean usually it's me feeling shy and awkward. Is this how it feels being on the other side of that.
"Sorry. Now I'm making YOU feel awkward," the young man apologized, "I'm not normally this chatty. You just have a comforting feel about you."

[OOC—okie, haha. Just thought I’d make sure]
"Yeah," he replied now turning his back on her to continue his scrubbing, "Your better looking then most those scummy overly uppity aristocrat girls. Then again I've never really cared for the rich." He turned back to smile and noticed her blushing…
"Sorry. Now I'm making YOU feel awkward," the young man apologized, "I'm not normally this chatty. You just have a comforting feel about you."

“it’s ‘lright,” she replied, “I just don’t hear that a lot. Umm… thanks.”
She was still pink, but she also felt pleased that he had been polite enough to apologize. Most of the time, people would just compliment her like that for her politeness as she worked. Of course, maybe it was the fact that she, along with he, was naked, but maybe not. Himoto was not about to step up and flash him—no, even she had more modesty than that.

“The rich usually pay well,” the earthbender remarked, mostly because she could testify of this from experience. She had worked for many a rich person, and they typically paid generously. “of course, you can pretty easily tell the good from the bad. The ones that’ve made an honest pay to get where they are, are a bit friendlier than th’ones that inherited it or got it sm’other way… ya know?”

She then turned back to what she was doing, which was just relaxing. She put her head under again and shook the hair into her face, and then she closed her eyes and laid down near the edge of the water. She was not about to fall asleep, and she was not exposing any inappropriate parts of her body, but she did want to put some time into relaxing, and now was that time.

But she also did not want to be seen as rude for abandoning the conversation. Therefore, she spoke again.
“so whatcha like ta do for fun?” she asked curiously, and then awaited his answer. She was not facing him, but it was very obvious that he was directing it at him.

~Himoto~

“so whatcha like ta do for fun?” she asked curiously, and then awaited his answer. She was not facing him, but it was very obvious that he was directing it at him.

Daichi thought hard on it. "To be honest, I really don't have that much fun," he said fallowing Himoto's lead, and laying down a little ways off sure to give the earth bender her personal space. "I'm constantly working on jobs and moving. I guess for fun I relax and take everything in. Never took to a bending discipline or anything like that, but I still got my way of meditating." He stared into the night sky. "It's truly magnificent... to stare into something so vast. Those air benders had it right..."

Daichi thought hard on it. "To be honest, I really don't have that much fun," he said fallowing Himoto's lead, and laying down a little ways off sure to give the earth bender her personal space. "I'm constantly working on jobs and moving. I guess for fun I relax and take everything in. Never took to a bending discipline or anything like that, but I still got my way of meditating." He stared into the night sky. "It's truly magnificent... to stare into something so vast. Those air benders had it right..."

Himoto nodded, though she was not sure he saw it. Either way, she followed it with a response.

“that’s always fun,” she replied, “having spent much of m’life in the back-country, I’ve seen the true beauty of the starlit sky. I work to support myself, and as an earthbender I hone my skills every now and again. With that all in mind, we don’t seem to have very diff’rent interests.”

She chuckled at this, but also thought it was cute. She did not address this thought though, as it would only spawn awkwardness. She was not sure what to do with the conversation from here. As a result, she fell silent—for a time. The relaxation she was undergoing seemed to help clear her mind a little and therefore make her think slightly better. A few minutes later she continued.

“I also enjoy relaxin’ like this,” she added, “it’s a good way just to unwind and let go of all them stresses and other annoyin’ things that get on ya mind and such. This water is amazin’… I hardly wanna get out, but I think I should ‘nless I wanna turn into a giant raisin…”

She chuckled softly at her own joke. Time seemed to slip by rapidly when she was in such a relaxed state. She was not entirely sure how long she had been in the water, especially with her eyes closed, but it had been a good amount of time, and getting out at this point would not make her dip into the lake be brief.

She stayed submerged nonetheless, except her head, but she submerged that as well every now and again.

“ah well,” she shrugged, “I guess I’m feelin’ too comfortable to get out jus’yet. Glad we was able to share the lake like this—I’m not sure how long I woulda lasted if I hadn’t done this… and sorry if I’m ramblin’… I’ll get off on a subject and just keep goin’ and goin’…”

She was indeed sort of rambling at this point, but she felt comfortable about it. Many people teased her because of her country accent, even though it wasn’t incredibly prominent. The fact that he had not teased her about it made her feel a lot more comfortable with talking to him.

[OOC--and like I said in the PM, I won't be here Sunday, but I will most likely on Monday.]
~Himoto~

ah well,” she shrugged, “I guess I’m feelin’ too comfortable to get out jus’yet. Glad we was able to share the lake like this—I’m not sure how long I woulda lasted if I hadn’t done this… and sorry if I’m ramblin’… I’ll get off on a subject and just keep goin’ and goin’…”

"It's fine," Daichi said closing his eyes and smiling, "I don't talk with a lot of people. It's nice to here about other people's opinions and lives. Only problem is your voice is kinda calming. That and the long day is gonna put me to sleep before i even leave the water."
He had a warm feeling inside. It wasn't just the midsummer night's air, our even the lake that seemed to be the perfect temperature. Had he just met a friend? Had he just met something a little more then that?

"It's fine," Daichi said closing his eyes and smiling, "I don't talk with a lot of people. It's nice to hear about other people's opinions and lives. Only problem is your voice is kinda calming. That and the long day is gonna put me to sleep before I even leave the water."

“aye,” the earthbender nodded in agreement. “after a long day, the midsummer night air seems to be the perfect match for how lovely the water feels right now. I may end up fallin’ asleep m’self… though you might be able to notice that, as people tell me I snore loud enough.”

She chuckled a little at her own remark. There was nothing false about it—apparently some people who had slept near her had complained the following morning to her saying she snored loudly. And perhaps it was something in her Earth Kingdom nature, but she also was a very heavy sleeper.

She was very content with her current situation, and so she stretched [still in the water of course], put her head under again, and then shook her hair to get some of the excess water out of it. When her hair wasn’t done up, its light brown waves dropped to about halfway down her back. The only reason Himoto usually ever did it up was because if she didn’t, it sometimes got in her way when she was working or training.

Her mind then moved to Daichi’s first remark.

“M’voice is kinda calmin’?” she asked curiously, “How’s that?”
This made her especially curious. She was used to being made fun of because of her country accent, but it was not often that she found someone who actually liked something about her voice. She was curious to know the boy’s reasoning.

~Himoto~

“M’voice is kinda calmin’?” she asked curiously, “How’s that?”

He shrugged, then turned giving her a reassuring smile.
"I don't know," sighed Daichi closing his eyes and stretching bit himself, "Must be that country accent. Makes you seem down to earth and kind."
His mind shifted to his own voice. It was quiet and gentle. Perhaps this came from a need for silence. He generally didn't want people to acknowledge his presence, and not entirely do to his line of work. But Himoto was different hen most people. He wanted her to notice him. For as much as he found he was disappointed with himself, or as little self respect as he had, she didn't seem to reflect this train of thought.
She may have not found her self to be perfect, but to wanderer, she was all right. "Perfect people" were over rated anyway.

He shrugged, then turned giving her a reassuring smile.
"I don't know," sighed Daichi closing his eyes and stretching bit himself, "Must be that country accent. Makes you seem down to earth and kind."

Himoto’s cheeks went slightly pink as she heard these words. It hadn’t just been her voice, but it had been her accent that he liked—he had even directly mentioned it. It meant much more to her than she was able to convey, as about 95% of the time, any mentioning towards Himoto of her country accent had been in a negative manner.

She actually did stop to assess herself though, closing her eyes and thinking. She really was very down-to-earth. She had grown up learning how to work, and how to earn an honest living, and she never went and bragged about her accomplishments. She had simply always believed that nothing should be left partially finished, and so she would always do a job or a task until it was done. When she was done, the only thing she ever mentioned of it was that she had finished the task and therefore requested her pay, be it in food, money, lodging, or whatever else she may have been hired for. She was mostly just a normal person leading a normal life.

And kind… She was kind for the most part. Even the best of people had their bad days, but the only things that usually upset her were those who stole from honest laborers—such as those who sometimes had not paid her in full of what they promised. She was not against all kinds of thievery—she herself had stolen a few times before, but she had only targeted people that seemed arrogant, or seemed to not know how to make an honest living. She was almost always able to distinguish the types. She was also normally pretty generous—she did not mind sharing what she had with someone who needed it, but she did not like being taken advantage of. So she figured that she might be kind—she was pretty laid-back most of the time.

“Thanks,” she answered shyly, “I’m glad t’know that there are still some friendly people left in the world.”
She then took a deeper breath.
“I’m glad I was able t’meet ya.” She said, smiling. “You’re the first friend I’ve made in a while.”

~Himoto~

“Thanks,” she answered shyly, “I’m glad t’know that there are still some friendly people left in the world.”
She then took a deeper breath.
“I’m glad I was able t’meet ya.” She said, smiling. “You’re the first friend I’ve made in a while.”

"Same hare," replied Daichi smiling back. They really weren't so different the two of them.
"You know," he said after a few moments, "We could team up and travel together. I mean I have nowhere special to go, and it doesn't seem you do either, and it gets dangerous traveling alone for too long. Not to mention, we really don't have that much to hide from each other now."
Grinning and growing a tad red after the last sentence, realizing they were both still naked.

"Same hare," replied Daichi smiling back. They really weren't so different the two of them.
"You know," he said after a few moments, "We could team up and travel together. I mean I have nowhere special to go, and it doesn't seem you do either, and it gets dangerous traveling alone for too long. Not to mention, we really don't have that much to hide from each other now."
Grinning and growing a tad red after the last sentence, realizing they were both still naked.

“Hey,” the earthbender remarked, “you’re pretty much right. I definitely agree with you about the dangers of travellin’ alone—especially when size ain’t one of your strengths.”

Daichi did not look very large to Himoto, and she knew that her own frame was not very large either. When standing, she was probably only about 5’2” at the tallest. She was a little on the thin side, but not terribly skinny. Her body was well-built, and she had kept it that way through her life of labor. She actually enjoyed most types of work that she performed. Of course, ultimately, the young earthbender’s statement had been referring to herself. Moreover, if she was criticizing someone for their small size, she would be hypocritical, so this was not meant to be taken as a negative statement by any means.

The country girl noticed his grin, and she grinned back in the same playful manner. She also noticed the increasing hue in his face, and she assumed it was for the same reason that she too was growing red. They were both naked, and while they had not really directly revealed any of their private areas to each other, Daichi’s last statement could possibly be taken the wrong way. Luckily Himoto understood what he meant, and worded her reply accordingly.

“well,” she said, “I ain’t really a very secretive person, really. I find that just being m’self gets more people to trust me usually. The innocent have nothin’ to hide… that sorta thing, you know?”

She suddenly paused, realizing that her whole statement about “nothing to hide” could have been taken literally. She had been pretty easy-going about undressing completely, but she really wasn’t dirty-minded that way.

“erm…” she stammered, “maybe I should consider gettin’ dressed…”
It wasn’t that she was suddenly afraid of being naked—it was just that some of each of their statements could potentially generate awkward feelings or thoughts, and Himoto didn’t want that.

~Himoto~