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Post by suki on Jan 28, 2007 23:53:46 GMT -5
Suki gave a slight smirk when Hoji made the assumption that she and the others had trekked across the entire continent in order to reach this far North. She did not like to lie, but the Water Tribe ambassador seemed to have gained a bit more respect for the Kyoshi Warriors because of that idea. If it would temper his arrogance a little bit, Suki was willing to let him continue thinking whatever he wanted...
"Yes, actually," she replied to his last question, "I met a Water Tribe brother and sister travelling with the Avatar several months ago. In a way, they were what inspired me and the other warriors to try and help in the fight against the Fire Nation..." She paused for a few moments as her gaze was lost in the light of the fire. A fleeting image of a dark-skinned boy with a wolftail haircut passed through her mind and a slight smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"In fact," Suki said, turning to face Hoji more fully, "There's a good chance you may have met them. I'd heard that they had spent a good deal of time in the North Pole while the Avatar learned waterbending."
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Post by wordbender on Jan 29, 2007 8:48:00 GMT -5
Hoji raised an eyebrow. A brother and sister traveling with the avatar? Of course he had seen them. He had fought with the girl a few times too, both getting beat and beating the young waterbender. Hoji noticed the slight change of face as Suki thought about the pair. Something had obviously happened between Suki and, most likely, the boy of the group. This was turning out to be an awfully interesting conversation.
Hoji nodded as Suki looked at him. "Yes, actually. Although the girl spent more time waterbending than the avatar, and the boy was too wrapped up with Yue to notice much else." He shrugged, "I had to listen to Hahn griping about him for near over three hours. I doubt that even Ka-"
Oh dear. A slip up. Hoji paused despite himself, knowing that the best way to cover up a slip of the tongue would be to keep on talking. The mention of Kavik, even if only the first sylable of his name was mentioned, was enough to make Hoji lapse into silence, dropping his blue gaze from the Kyoshi warriors, and staring at the fire.
Two touchy subjects had been brought up. One was the implied relationship between Sokka and Yue and the other was the reference to Ka-someone. Hoji winced as he thought about Kavik. His mind traveled to the necklace in his pack and he remembered the details of the piece, the blue beads and intricate carvings, his mind retracing the patterns in the fire.
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Post by suki on Jan 29, 2007 16:30:38 GMT -5
Despite years of training to master her mind and body, Suki still did a double-take when she realized what Hoji had said. It almost looked like a bug had landed on her nose, and in fact that was how she tried to pass off the unflattering reaction. She rubbed her nose a little and made a slight swat at the air as if to catch the offending insect, but then clear her throat as she regained her composure.
The Water Tribe ambassador's last, unfinished sentenced might have intrigued her on any other day, but she had only heard the first syllable of "Ka-" and assumed he was referring to Katara. She planted her hands on the log beneath her and turned herself more fully toward Hoji, reminding herself not to seem too transparent in her next line of questions.
"Was Yue a good friend of the Avatar and his companions?" Suki asked, doing her best to sound nonchalant. She had deliberately avoided mentioning Sokka's name, taking the risk of not getting the direct answer she wanted in order to avoid Hoji's suspicions.
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Post by wordbender on Jan 29, 2007 18:38:12 GMT -5
Hoji instantly noticed the girls change in demeanor. Her shoulders tensed and Hoji looked up at her, seeing her strange expression. So it was the boy, after all. She was normally much more composed than this, and her near-blatant body language told almost the entire story. Almost.
Hoji shrugged. He hadn't paid much intrest to the water tribe princess, but he had seen the southern boy and her talking. He had also heard about what happened at the sacred lake and who had been charged with protecting Arnooks daughter. It often payed to listen to gossipers.
"The princess did not associate much the the Avatar, but I daresay that she and the water tribe boy spent a lot of time together. He was her bodyguard for a while, or at least during the seige of the north." Hoji shrugged and looked up at Suki to judge her reaction. There was one more thing to add to his response, just to make sure that his suspicions were correct.
"Hahn even said that Arnook might have considered that boy to be Yue's betrothed, had his father not stepped in and pointed out the advantages to have a northern noble marry Yue. I heard that the princess made a right fuss behind the walls with her father over that one." Hoji said, going into further detail about the nature of Sokka and Yues relationship. He was glad that Suki ignored his former mistake, and only hoped that she would not bring it up.
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Post by suki on Jan 29, 2007 20:37:18 GMT -5
Suki's face remained stoic as Hoji informed her that Sokka had been assigned to guard this 'Yue' during the battle. In fact, her shoulders seemed to loosen up slightly, and she let out a slight humming sound. If he was just protecting her on orders then perhaps she'd taken Hoji's first statement incorrectly. However, when the Water Tribe ambassador continued, she was listening on his every word.
"Hahn even said that Arnook might have considered that boy to be Yue's betrothed, had his father not stepped in and pointed out the advantages to have a northern noble marry Yue. I heard that the princess made a right fuss behind the walls with her father over that one."
Suki was proud of herself that she didn't allow the slightest hint of hurt or jealousy to cross her features. Her eyes stared calmly back at Hoji and her mouth didn't twitch at all into the frown that she was working so hard to repress. In her mind, however, the implication that Sokka and some other girl could have possibly wed was weighing heavily on her heart. She knew deep down that it wasn't only the desire to fight the Fire Nation that had carried her far from her home. She still harbored some feelings for that goofy, yet lovable boy from the Southern Tribe, and in a way she had hoped to meet him again out in the Earth Kingdom.
Although, she also started to realize that she was probably foolish to think the week they spent together would be enough to keep him entirely chaste as he travelled the world. Suki even began to think that perhaps there were several girls like her across the kingdom who had grown a soft spot for the young warrior from the South and had to watch him disappear into the sky on Appa's back. Did she really think a kiss on the cheek would solidify her claim on Sokka's heart? Especially when compared to Water Tribe royalty.
She might have fallen into quite a depression just then if she hadn't realized the terrible irony of it all. Here she was, halfway across the world, partially due to her feelings for Sokka and she hadnt even stopped to consider the possibility he might have found some one else along the way. She actually smirked at the idea, and gave a slight laugh, breaking the several long moments of silence that had settled in after Hoji finished talking.
"That does sound like Sokka," Suki said, offering a slight laugh to hide the tremble in her voice that she quickly brought under her control. "He's quite the charmer... or so he likes to think himself."
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Post by wordbender on Jan 31, 2007 20:55:31 GMT -5
Hoji raised an eyebrow. The girl was doing an awfully good job at trying to convince him that this boy meant nothing to her. He felt bad for her, in a way. It was almost like his small little dramas and incidents mirrored hers, in a strange, perverse way. To see her, normally so strong and self-confident, even in the few hours that he had known her, seem so beaten and dissapointed, and to know that what he had said caused that, made Hoji feel the slightest bit guilty.
He sighed and stood up, walked quickly over to where Suki was sitting and sat near her, his leg almost touching hers. His dark hair fell into his eyes as he leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees as he stared into the fire. There were only a few things that he thought would be able to make Suki feel better, and he would be willing to share them if he thought that she would benifit. It was odd, but there was something very interesting about this strong Earth Nation girl.
"There was this girl up in the north. Her name was Kasumi." Hoji started, trying to put his experiences in words that Suki could accept and understand. "I thought I loved her. I know that Kasumi loved me, more than anything. Then, something happened beyond our control. Not even I, with all my influence, with all my prowess as a bender, could do a single thing.
"She became engaged. Her parents set it up. And yet, even though we knew. We continued to love each other." A pause, as if to collect himself for what he was about to say. "Then I told her that I wasn't going to ruin her for her betrothed. I told her that I didn't want her. I told her that she should consider me no longer in her life. That I hated her." He looked at Suki, a small sad smile on his face.
"I lied." Those two words were filled with more emotion than Hoji had expressed throughout the entire trip. His face and his voice were sad beyond belief, and carried a hint of remorse that was almost heartbreaking.
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Post by suki on Jan 31, 2007 21:19:47 GMT -5
Suki managed to put her feelings aside for a minute as Hoji began recounting his sad story. In the back of her mind, Suki registered that this 'Kasumi' might have been the name he'd started to say early. However, that realization was minimized compared to what Hoji went on to reveal to her.
He had forsaken his love just to avoid ruining an arranged marriage? Suki didn't know too much of the Northern Water Tribe's traditions and how important such arrangements were to them. Under normal circumstances she might have thought him cold and callous for doing that to some one he cared about.
But the pain in his voice tempered her harsh response. The look in his eyes spoke of true sorrow and regret. Even if she didn't understand why anyone would do what he claimed to have done, she realized that he obviously felt it was necessary in his situation. Either that, or he was a fool to put himself and his love through that kind of pain.
"I'm... sorry to hear that," was all Suki could think to say in response. She tenatively placed a hand on his shoulder, thinking to show her sympathy even if she couldn't verbalize it at the moment.
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Post by wordbender on Feb 1, 2007 16:56:40 GMT -5
Hoji felt Suki's hand on his shoulder and stiffened, his muscles in his shoulders and back tensing under the unexpected contact. As suddenly as it had happened, Hoji relaxed, breathing and letting the rigidity in his body melt away. He took a deep breath and sat up, thinking, his small smile still on his face, but loosing most of it's sadness.
It wasn't a bad idea. And it made sense to Hoji, at least logically. It seemed to him that the pro's outweighed the cons, few that they were, and that it wouldn't hurt him or her, reputation-wise. To Hoji, what he was planning seemed perfectly acceptable, possibly even predictable.
Hoji was still watching Suki, scrutinizing her with his bright blue eyes, his attractive face lit softly by the fire light, making his sharp features a little softer. He was still smiling slightly, just staring easily at the girl next to him.
"Want to kiss?" He asked, not really moving, just tilting his head to the side, asking the question innocently. He didn't add any innuendo to his words, speaking plainly and without any hidden meanings, his voice smooth and soft.
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Post by suki on Feb 1, 2007 17:15:35 GMT -5
Suki's jaw seemed to become unhinged at Hoji's unexpected proposition. Just a moment ago she had been feeling so sympathetic for the Water Tribe ambassador, but now those feelings were replaced with utter confusion. In the last minute of conversation her emotions had just gone on a roller coaster ride, and now...
He wanted to Kiss!?
What kind of game is he playing? she windered, managing to close her hanging jaw as she fixed him with a look of disbelief. A dozen retorts all started to formulate in her mind, but she couldn't decide on which one to use. For several seconds her lips went through the motions of replies that ranged in tone from outrage to insult, but nothing got past the first syllable.
Suki managed to take a breath, though, and once she'd calmed her mind, she was able to finally spit out the single word, "What?!"
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Post by wordbender on Feb 1, 2007 17:40:09 GMT -5
Hoji raised an eyebrow as Suki's eyes widened and her mouth began to move silently. He could almost see the confusion slipping out of every pore in her body as she worked to come up with an appropriate answer or retort to his simple question.
"What?!"
Hoji shrugged and leaned back, placing his hands on the log, his right hand occupying the small space that separated himself from Suki, still not touching her.
"Well it made sense to me." Hoji said, turning his head from where it had turned to view the sky back to Suki. "From where I'm sitting, it seems to me that you're still care about this Sokka boy, right? And I still care, although I'll never tell her, about Kasumi." He said, explaining his position calmly.
"And since both of the people we care about now care about someone else it seems perfectly feasible that we could engage in some sort of relationship on the way to Ba Sing Se. Probably even in Ba Sing Se, if you would be willing to stay." He said, smiling slightly.
"Besides, you are very interesting. I might not show it, especially around others, but I really do like you, at least comparitively." Hoji finished explaining shrugging again and smiling slightly.
"What do you say? It's alright if you don't want to, but I might persue you a bit more actively." He said, smiling and laughing a little. "I'm a guy, after all."
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Post by suki on Feb 1, 2007 20:29:44 GMT -5
Could he be for real? That was the main question on Suki's mind as she studied Hoji's expression closely. He was completely calm, sitting there and smiling at her. The waterbender seemed completely at ease, despite the fact he was more or less proposing a relationship completely out of the blue. The warrior from Kyoshi had never been in a situation like this, but unless Hoji was a fantastic actor, she really believed he meant what he said.
...Though that hardly changed Suki's answer.
"Well, she began, taking a deep breath to compose herself and quell a bit of laughter that was starting to bubble it's way up, "as logically as you put it, and as... tempting," she stifled a giggle, "as that offer might be, I think it'd be in the best interests of our group as a whole if I just said 'No'."
Suki smirked at Hoji and patted him on the knee, almost in a patronizing gesture to make it clear that their relationship was going to stay completely platonic. In her mind, she was genuinely amused by his attempt. It spoke volumes about the Water Tribe ambassador's character, and only solidified what she had already inferred about him from their very first meeting.
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Post by wordbender on Feb 3, 2007 11:43:02 GMT -5
Hoji was thuroughly amused. This was turning out much more interesting than he had thought it might. He was more or less expecting nothing short of a physical attack, and was incredibly pleased that Suki was having almost as much fun as he was imagining the situation. As the girl began to talk it was obvious that she wasn't going to agree to his request. She nearly laughed in the middle of the short tirade, causing Hoji's eyes to crease in amusement.
"Of course." Hoji said, smiling as Suki patted his knee in an extremely companionable manner. He straightened as he stood, streching his arms back behind his head as he walked around to the other side of the fire.
"If this is the end of our meeting, I'll be turning in." He said, walking over to his mat and slipping out of his parka, lying it neatly on top of the bed roll. He was still smiling to himself and looked over at Suki, who was still by the fire.
"Last chance to keep me warm tonight." He called over, amusement written all over his face, his head tilted slightly and one of his hands on his waist, the epitome of relaxation.
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Post by suki on Feb 3, 2007 12:04:17 GMT -5
After Hoji accepted her decision -with a certain deal of amusement it seemed- Suki realized that the night had more or less come to a close. Shortly after the Water Tribe ambassador started for his tent, she stood as well and strolled once around the campite to make sure everyone was accounted for. The quick headcount revealed that no one was missing, and so she returned to the fire to kick some dirt on it and dull the flames slightly.
"Last chance to keep me warm tonight," Hoji called over from his tent, giving the Kyoshi warrior pause as she started toward her own. Suki returned his smug expression with a smirk and she swiftly stepped over to the edge of her tent and picked something up from inside. She held it concealed behind her back as she casually strolled up the waterbender, her eyebrow slightly raised, almost suggestively.
Suki stopped a foot from Hoji, holding his gaze for just a moment before saying, "This should do the trick." With that she pulled the folded up blanket from behind her back and shoved it forcefully into Hoji's chest. She smirked at him a moment longer before turning away and walking back to her tent.
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Post by wordbender on Feb 4, 2007 17:11:45 GMT -5
Hoji smiled and nodded as the blanket was thrust into his chest. He stood there for a few minutes, staring impassively down at Suki, his infuriating half-smirk still placed lightly on his sharp face. And for a second he had thought her serious. He chucked, amused.
This would be a fun little trip to the capital.
He smiled and placed the blanket over to the side, if anything he would be overly warm in the humid Earth Kingdom night. He slipped into his bedroll and lay back, watching the stars and the moon in the sky. The dark expanse winked at him, the individual stars blurrring as his eyes grew heavy.
He smelled the fire burning, the wind moving over the camp, the dried blood on his clothes. He heard the woods and the air, and listening to the soft sounds of night, the hardened war shaman fell into a light sleep, barely moving as he slept lightly through the night.
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Post by suki on Feb 5, 2007 17:28:15 GMT -5
The night passed uneventfully by and nearly an hour after the first rays of light reached the capsite, the Kyoshi Warriors were beginning to stir. The campfire was nothing but a pile of ashes trailing a whisp of smoke into the air. Popo the ostrich-horse was nestled comfortably in a tight ball under a tree, and a light mist was creeping in on the tents off the surface of the small pond.
Suki was among the first of the Kyoshi warriors to leave the comfort of her bedroll. Her face was still covered with her usual make-up, though it appeared worn in some places and needed to be touched up before they resumed traveling. Her hair was only slightly mussed, but she didn't look very bedraggled. The way she walked hinted that she had not been asleep for some time but was just now deining to get out of bed.
The warrior girl stretched out gracefully, pushing her arms far over her head as she leaned back slightly, enjoying a few relieving pops in her joints. Around her, several of the others had beun to claw their way out of their tents in order to begin the day's travel. Most looked at least a little groggy and were yawning with fatigue, and more than a few would need to spend a little while straightening their hair or re-applying their make-up.
Kopa seemed as energentic as ever as she scrambled from her tent and bounded over to rouse Popo from his slumber. She almost seemed like sleep had not affected her at all. Suki allowed a slight grin at the youngest, and easily most excitable warrior among them. She hoped to be fully packed and ready to resume their travels in half an hour.
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