Anonymous
Aug 25, 2020 1:29:20 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2020 1:29:20 GMT -6
Mirja swiveled to a stop; path of dirt and gravel beneath her crunching with the motion. With a bit of shuffling she pulled her map out from her bag in an attempt to pinpoint where exactly she was now. This map is probably older than I am, She thought, thumb trailing over the ripped and yellowing paper. While she appreciated the hand-me-down map that had been given to her by her father she was beginning to realize how woefully out of date it must be. Things changed so quickly and her parents themselves had never left the desert so she couldn't blame them for not realizing how out of date this map was. Even still it would seem Mirja had gotten herself a bit turned around; the path she was on didn't seem to be on this map. She could have been going the wrong direction for miles without realizing it.
Though she was about to take a seat and get her bearings on a nearby boulder the sound of approaching footfalls kept Mirja on her feet. Green eyes narrowed in the direction of the sound; whoever it was they were obscured by the trees. That was something Mirja missed about the desert; no dense foliage to hide others from her sight. "Who goes there?" She called out, hand stretching forward - dirt and gravel shifted alongside the motion. She wasn't about to let some stranger get the jump on her. "Show yourself!"
Anonymous
Aug 29, 2020 16:21:40 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2020 16:21:40 GMT -6
"Whoa whoa calm down there!" I said as I raised my hands and slowly moved from the tree I had been hiding behind.
I was wearing my normal khaki colored expedition clothes. The logo of Ba Sing Se University was stitched in the collar. I was wearing a large brimmed hat to protect from the sun. My dark skin was covered with an oozy yellow white cream - "sun screen". I was helping test it for the university. It was supposed to help protect against burns. I was not sure how it would help if I was attacked by a Fire bender, but oh well...
"I mean no harm! I was tracking a Winged Lemur I heard is all."
I omitted to mention that I had no idea how a Winged Lemur sounded like. I imagined it sounded like an hog monkey that could fly.
Anonymous
Aug 31, 2020 10:02:09 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2020 10:02:09 GMT -6
Mirja's green-eyed gaze traveled warily over the stranger and for a moment she remained tensed as if ready to pounce. Her eyes then locked onto a certain logo stitched into the other's collar and she found her head tilting curiously to the side. "Have you come from Ba Sing Se?" She asked aloud, hand lowering, eyes still narrowed for a flicker of an instant before she blinked. The loose dirt beneath the sandbender calmed once more; she made no attempt to apologize for her harsh reaction to being startled.
"I'm on my way there... in search of education."
Mirja bit her lip; if anyone could give her the directions she needed it would surely be this individual. A lack of trust kept her from asking such a question. Admitting such a weakness as getting lost to a stranger... she might as well be asking to be lead directly into some sort of trap. No, she would observe this person a little first and then maybe, just maybe, she would ask for some directions if she felt that they were trustworthy.
Anonymous
Aug 31, 2020 15:15:37 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2020 15:15:37 GMT -6
I kept my hands in the air. For all I knew the nameless person was the Winged Lemur I was searching for. If so I had to be ready to grab her if she tried to fly away.
"Me? From Ba Sing Se?" I repeated her question, "Well yes. I am from the Biology Department at Ba Sing Se University."
I looked over the girl... or was she a woman? She seemed to be around that age where a child was at the cusp of adulthood. Regardless, she did not appear to be a military scout and that is what I cared about. At least she did not wear anything clearly identifying her as being part of the Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation armed forces.
"Education? At Ba Sing Se?" I asked puzzled.
"I mean... I suppose the university is there but I don't think you'll find an education there. Just lots of old books. If you want to get an education you need to get out of the library and out to the field. Now if you don't mind, may I put my hands down now?"
Anonymous
Sept 19, 2020 1:41:44 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2020 1:41:44 GMT -6
Mirja raised a brow; she supposed the other girl's words weren't entirely false. Getting an education out in the field is better than just reading books. But... she would still need someone to educate her regardless of where exactly she was. She sought a teacher, someone to set her on the path of learning, after a while she could do things on her own she supposed but a teacher was first.
"You may put your hands down. As long as you don't try any funny business I won't try anything either." She folded her arms, staring at the other girl. "Biology hm? I'm looking to study Archeology myself."
"As much as I would like to study in the field I can't just hop right into that, you know. I must start with those old books and preferably the guidance of a professor before I even think of getting out into the field. Before any of that I would first need to get to Ba Sing Se and actually apply." Mirja bit her lip, that was on the one part of this whole thing she was dreading. What if her application was not accepted? Would she have gone to Ba Sing Se for nothing?
"In any case... from which direction did you come?" She supposed that phrasing wasn't as bad as admitting she was lost outright.
Anonymous
Sept 27, 2020 18:03:44 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2020 18:03:44 GMT -6
I let out a breath of air as I put my hands down.
Hmmm. I thought to myself. She wanted to study archeology? Wasn't that just someone who studied dead life?
"You want to be a necrologist at Ba Sing Se University? Oh..."
I pointed towards the northwest, "I came from Omashu to the northwest of here. I had I am looking for a flying bison. I heard that it was spotted in the southwestern Earth Kingdom."
I wiggled my nose, "Although I could be wrong. I'm not a geographer. Why don't we consult my map?"
I slowly took out a parchment from my travelling bag and laid it on the floor. I made an effort to show the girl that there were no weapons in the bag.
"I was in Omashu about four days ago? Two days ago or so I passed the Foggy Swamp. I think we are two or three days away from Chin Village. I wouldn't recommend going there. The people there don't strike me as having any useful books. They make good pastries though!"
