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Post by suki on Mar 15, 2007 23:19:42 GMT -5
A ghost of surprise played across the normally placid expression on Hoji's face, and in that moment Suki realized there was something important about this necklace. She held back her own smirk and got a small deal of amusement at the way the Water Trribe ambassador tried to play it off cooly.
"isn't it? I hadn't realized it was in there." Hoji went back to his work ammending the scrolls, or at least tried to. Suki was aware of his side glances and it only confirmed her suspicions. The Kyoshi warrior decided to press the matter a little further. She considered it payback for his attempt advance on her earlier that day.
"But it must have some kind of story behind it," she said, adding an innocent inflection to her tone. She leaned toward Hoji, planting one hand on ground and holding up the necklace near her face with the other. "A family heirloom?" she pondered, "Or maybe a gift from some one close?"
"Ooh, that's such a pretty necklace!" came an exclamation from the side of Suki and Hoji's bedrolls. The Kyoshi leader turned her head to regard Kopa, who had apparently caught sight of the dangling trinket in her hand. The other warrior sat down cross-legged beside them, smiling her usually happy smile. "Did Hoji give that to you?" she asked, looking back and forth between her comrade and the waterbender.
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Post by wordbender on Mar 24, 2007 16:01:58 GMT -5
The situation quickly went downhill, and Hoji knew he was upwind of the predator, and he didn't like it. Playing stupid was not an option, and Suki seemed far to intrested in the necklace to put it off until a later date. Glaring at his scroll he put it away, trying to delay the question as Suki held up the trinket and smiled, seemingly innocent.
"A family heirloom? Or maybe a gift from some one close?"
Hoji winced inwardly, but on the outside his face retained a cool demeanor as he turned, smiling slightly, to face Suki. He opened his mouth, about to pull an answer out from were the sun doesn't shine when another girl came up, turning everything from bad to worse. Although Hoji's sweet expression remained resouloutly intact, even showing a slight amount of amusement as Kopa asked if Hoji had given the necklace to Suki.
"I'm sorry to say Kopa, that I haven't given that old thing to Suki - such a small trinket can not compare to what I would like to give Suki." He said, smiling brightly at Kopa. Kopa was easy to deal with. Young, impressionable, moderatly bright with minimal intrest in men in general. What a great girl. Suki however, was a different game altogether - a challenge that Hoji was wary to take on.
"It's a just something small that someone gave me. Sort of a goodbye present, you could say." There. Not the whole truth, but not exactly a lie either. He smiled at Suki, waiting for her to do something in response, while Kopa looked on, admiring the intricate glass and bone necklace.
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Post by suki on Mar 25, 2007 14:26:27 GMT -5
"I'm sorry to say Kopa, that I haven't given that old thing to Suki - such a small trinket can not compare to what I would like to give Suki," Hoji responded to the young Kopa's inquiry. His words seemed quite hollow to Suki, though, despite the acting that went into them. The Kyoshi Warrior opened her mouth slightly and let her tongue hang out a bit as though she had a bad taste in her mouth, and she gave a slight shake of her head toward the waterbender. "It's a just something small that someone gave me. Sort of a goodbye present, you could say," Hoji finishedexplaining the origins of the necklace.
'How wonderfully vague,' Suki thought to herself, smirking slightly at his reply. She knew that he was downplaying this necklace purposefully, and she was almost certain that he knew she realized it. However, guessing by the way he was quickly spinning out attempts at distracting flattery and vague explanations, she doubted she could get him to really tell her what the significance of the necklace was. That and Kopa, now smiling warmly and making an "Awwww!" noise at Hoji's sweet words, would make things even more difficult just by her mere presence.
Suki simply continued to stare at him with that knowing smirk and let him squirm.
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Post by wordbender on Apr 2, 2007 19:45:15 GMT -5
Of course Suki wouldn't believe him. Had he really expected her too? Not really, but it was worth a shot. Although Hoji had to admit, even to himself that it was a rather worthless shot, as he had merely spilled some sentimental garbage and flattery in the hopes that the younger Kyoshi warrior would accept it.
It was a good thing she did, because Hoji didn't know what he would have done had the girl thought him a liar. He smiled brightly, relaxing a bit as he basked in his own self-inflamed pride. He turned his eyes from the necklace to Suki, matching her smirk with one of her own. Of course she didn't like it. Of course she wouldn't believe him.
And that was okay. Who wanted a person who believed everything readily? Hoji broke his gaze with Suki and turned again to Kopa, holding out his hand for the necklace.
"I'm glad you appreciate some of the more delicate beauties that the Northern Water Tribe has to offer." Hoji said as the girl gently placed the jewelry back into the mans palm, the darkness closing around them swiftly. "Sometimes we are easily mistaken as barbaric. And considering some of the inhabitants, it is not a far conclusion to leap to." Hoji smiled at Kopa and then, glancing longways at Suki, whom he could only assume would tell him he was one of those less pleasant inhabitants, shot her a small smirk, a quick upturning of the lip that she might notice in the dim light of the stars, but Kopa most certainly would not, still captivated as she was by the necklace.
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Post by suki on Apr 4, 2007 22:16:19 GMT -5
"Barbaric? Hmmmm," Suki hummed, shifting herself back into a seated position on her bedroll, "Now how does anyone get that impression?" She smiled a bit to herself as she reached behindher head and untied the cloth that held her decorative brass headband in place. She deposited the piece of headgear alongside her fans and sword. Her fingers brushed her cheek as she brought her hands forward once more and she felt her make-up was somewhat dry and beginning to wear. Without a mirror handy, she couldn't tell, but she figured she should probably remove the remaining paint of her face before it became too haggard and she simply looked like a cheap geisha...
"At any rate, we have a long day's travel ahead of us tomorrow," Suki said after a moment. She looked specifically at Kopa and asked in a sisterly tone, "Could you make sure your friend Popo is tied securely and has had something to drink?" The younger warrior smiled and nodded before standing up and giving a slight stretch.
"Sure thing," Kopa said, pausing for a moment to regard Hoji, "Good night!" She offered about before scapering around to the end of the row of bedrolls to make sure the ostrich-horse was taken care of. Suki continued to smile as she watched the girl go and then cast one last glance at Hoji.
"Rest up, Ambassador," she said as she positioned herself comfortably on the bedroll, "I don't want to hear any complaints until we reach the river across this plain."
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Post by wordbender on Apr 13, 2007 16:24:51 GMT -5
Hoji smiled and nodded at Kopa as she left, leaving only himself and Suki even moderately awake in the area. The man, finding nothing better to do, began to shove his scrolls and charcoal into the bag, rearranging the once neat and tightly-packed clothing into a ragheap inside the neatly embroidered hide.
He looked up, catching Suki's glance. He smiled indulgently, as if to a small child who had finally achieved a trivial feat. Long lashes covering his eyes, Hoji acted as if what Suki had said was something to be laughed at rather than a less than polite warning of the trials to come.
"There's an end to the plains? That's too bad, I was planning on watching grass grow for the next week." Hoji said, still smiling softly. He looked around his bed heap, looking for the necklace. He spotted the flamboyant thing and brushed his fingers over it for a single, fleeting second, before snatching it up and into the pouch. Finding nothing more that needed packing, Hoji lay down, finally realizing just how close he had put his bag to Suki's.
He looked over at her, shrugged, and put his hands behind his head.
"Sweet deams Suki. . . " He muttered, more to himself than to the girl. Hoji's breathing began to slow. His eyelids to flutter. The wind was blowing. The dark night was only pierced by the stars. The stars.
They were awful bright. . .
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Post by suki on Apr 13, 2007 18:36:16 GMT -5
The next day followed much the same pattern as the last. Shortly after dawn the Kyoshi warriors were up and packing their bedrolls. A few of them took a moment to re-apply a fresh coat of make-up, and then they were off. The band spent the morning traversing what seemed to be a never-ending field of grass, bushes, and the occasional tree. The rested around noon and resumed their walking until dusk. The next day brought more of the same.
However, by nightfall of that day, the group finally reached the end of the plains. Suki and the others came to a stop on the edge of a wide river. The mountains that had been just barely visible on the horizon when they entered the plain now seemed much larger. They towered up toward the sky a short hike from the other side of the water. Once the group crossed the river, they'd have a relatively rocky road to follow for the next day or two. As such, the group decide to hold off crossing the river until the next day.
"This spot will make a fine camp," Suki announced as she led her warriors plus Hoji to a small hillock by the water's edge. It sloped down toward the river and was mostly hidden from view to anyone but a person looking from the opposite bank. The leader of the Kyoshi warriors dropped her belongings into a neat pile where she stood and, taking the cue, the other warrios foolowed suit.
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Post by wordbender on Apr 13, 2007 21:41:02 GMT -5
Walk. Eat. Walk. Eat. Sleep.
The thrills Hoji experienced on the walk through the plains could be measured by the number of times Suki honestly smiled at him. Not at all.
The moment Hoji saw the river he was tempted to begin running through the grass and genuflect at its banks, worshiping the water that had been his home for so long. It was only his damn pride that kept his pace in check as he walked steadily with the Kyoshi warriors.
When they all looked expectantly at Suki, Hoji could almost hear the hearts breaking as they expected the young woman to insist on pushing onwards. Hoji could hardly help shooting an empathetic glance towards the girl as she paused, thinking about their next move. Hoji's face broke out into a smile and he sidled over to Suki, throwing a grateful arm around her shoulder, his face still transformed by the honest happiness of just being near running water.
"Suki, you are the most capable, the most kind, and generous and - did I mention beautiful? - able woman I have ever had the pleasure of accompanying through any form of woods or waters. You, dearest Suki, are a pearl among rocks, a diamond among the sands - " He turned back to the rest of the girls, a few laughing behind their hands, a few annoyed, a few just simply uninterested - "Nothing against you lovely ladies, of course." Hoji finished, giving Suki's shoulder a final squeeze as he dropped his pack - closer to hers than anyone else was to each other. An absence of signs of human habitation, space to spare, and a straight river in easy sight of the original campsite led to the warriors spreading out along the bank.
Hoji quickly slid down the small hill, blue eyes bright with barely contained relief at the sight of water as he quickly stripped off his shirt on the way down, shoes and arm and leg bandages ripped off at the bank. He jumped, and quickly dived into the water, glad it got deep quickly - the steep shores of the long, lonely river providing a gracious relief from the hike along the grasslands.
Smiling lightly, composure hardly held in, he waved over at Suki - although it was in the general direction of all the Kyoshi warriors - "Would you care to join me?"
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Post by suki on Apr 13, 2007 23:31:18 GMT -5
It took nearly every ounce of restraint Suki possessed not to forcibly remove Hoji's hands and break every bone in the ambassador's body as he gripped her shoulders. She sat through his seemingly endless string of flattery with a look of utter contempt on her face. Her eyes were narrowed and her arms were pulled in tightly to her body. Suki cast a look at her fellow warriors that she only hoped conveyed her sense of total displeasure with waterbender's flattery.
When he finally released her Suki took a few steps away for good measure, even though he had already started off down the riverbank. He tossed aside his clothes as he went and for a moment, Suki wondered just how much he planned to take off before his swim. She raised an eyebrow and glanced at her fellow warriors. Some were watching Hoji while others echoed her look of annoyance.
"Would you care to join me?" the Water Tribesman called out, giving Suki the distinct impression he was asking her specifically despite his projection of the question. The leader of the warriors huffed initially, though truth be told she was long overdue for a bath. However there was almost no chance of her removing anything past her armor in view of the insufferable ambassador. He was hounding her enough as it was and he'd never even seen her real face under the make-up! She couldn't imagine what he'd be like if he actually caught a glimpse of her actual skin...
"My modesty forces me to decline," Suki called back at Hoji. She looked towards the other warriors and said more quietly, "If you want a bath, take one. But try and be out before the sun's gone completely. It's not going to be too warm tonight and I don't want to hear sniffling noses for the rest of the trip." Among the girls, Kopa, Aoi, and Tsuya began depositing their supplies and casually undressing down to their underclothes. They still retained a light close-fitting sort of tank top and short briefs and the three warriors set off toward the water. For some reason, Suki couldn't help but notice a bit of a swagger in her step. She wasn't sure whether to be amused or concerned for Tsuya..
Regardless, she picked up her belongings once more and move a good distance further down the bank in order to put a buffer of distance between hers and Hoji's sleeping areas.
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Post by wordbender on Apr 15, 2007 11:59:49 GMT -5
Hoji smiled as Suki made her excuses. He hadn't expected her to join him, but he knew that she must be just as tired and sweaty as he was, if not more, after the days long trek. Three days without water for a bath was gross by anyones standards, and Hoji was positive that Suki wouldn't stand on her high ostrich horse for long.
The man noticed that a few of the girl had started to get ready for a refreshing dip in the river. Hoji raised an eyebrow while his smile turned into a sort of smirk. It quickly dissapeared, however, as the girls came closer and Hoji dunked himself in the stream, sliding his feet into the mud as he pushed the water through his black hair, hoping to rid his head of all the dirt and sweat and just general plainlyness that in had accumulated during the march through the grasslands.
He came up from under the relatively clean water with a slight tinge to his tanned cheeks. Aoi and Tsuya had gotten into the water while Kopa had taken Popo downstream, in order to give the silly animal the bath it had so desperatly needed a week before they had aquisitioned it. Hoji smiled at the two girls, still a few meters away.
"A little chilly, isn't it ladies?" He asked, his black hair plastered to his head. Aoi giggled, holding a hand up to her mouth, laughing at the slightly ridiculous sight the ambassador made.
"I don't know Hoji." Tsuya said, a wicked smile coming onto her face. "It seems to me that you don't look quite cold enough." Suddenly, she pushed her hands in front of her, troughly splashing the blue eyed boy. His eyes widened and he mad no move to halt the water, just turning his back so the chilly wave wouldn't get into his face.
"Girl you don't know what you just did." Hoji said, turning back to Tsuya, an equally wicked smirk on his own face. "Waterbender." He reminded, raising his arms as a huge rush of water rose behind him.
"Dearest Tsuya I think you look quite bedraggled from our journey. Here. Let me help get that dirt off."
The water crashed down on the girl, who squealed and ducked under the surface, holding her nose. She came up to the two other bodies laughing and narrowed her eyes playfully.
"Alright mister waterbender." She said, grabbing Aoi for a double team. "Now it's war."
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Post by suki on Apr 15, 2007 12:50:24 GMT -5
With the watchful eyes of a mother hen, Suki supervised the waterfight from further up the riverbank. Things seemed harmless enough, but she couldn't shake her instinct as team leader to ensure her fellow warriors' safety. She must have stared after Tsuya and Aoi for too long, though, for beside her Aoru remarked, "They'll be fine." Suki shook her head slightly and looked beside her to her unofficial second-in-command. She opened her motuh to respond, but Aoru added, "You're their leader, not their mother..." The other warrior was unfurling her bedroll and she cast Suki a knowing sort of look that spoke volumes. A slight smile spread across Suki's face.
She gave a nod toward Aoru and walked over to the pile of supplies that had been removed from Popo's saddle. Despite being so seemingly inattentive and nonchalant, Aoru probably noticed more about her fellow warriors than anyone in the group. And despite her very few words just now, Suki knew from her specific phrasing and tone that Aoru understood exactly what Suki was concerned about.
The auburn haired girl carried her bedroll over to an open spot along the riverbank. When she deemed that it was a safe distance from Hoji's predetermined sleeping location she dropped it on the ground and unrolled it with a kick from her boot. She let out a heavy sigh as she heard the sound of more loud splashes coming from the river. It sounded like they were actually having fun down there. Suki resisted the urge to look back at them. If she did, she might be tempted to join them, and that was something her pride would simply not allow.
Instead, she went about the task of removing her armor, bracers, and headpiece. She sat down on her bedroll in just her green robes and looked down over the river. The sun was beginning to descend behind them and soon the riverbank would be in shadow. She would miss her chance to frollic in the water, it seemed, but at the very least it was good to simply lie down without the ever-present weight of her armor and weapons. However, she still felt as though she could use a good wash and began to ponder the possibility of going to the river after the others, or at least Hoji, had gone to sleep.
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Post by wordbender on Apr 16, 2007 19:02:29 GMT -5
Despite his original acting Hoji actually found it enjoyable to reduce his maturity level to that of a turtle seal pup and splash around with the girls. The furious waterfight continued for a good ten minuted until Hoji noticed that Aoi's lips had started to turn an unhealthy shade, despite her enthusiasm for the game. She laughed and when the giggle turned into a hacking cough, caught Tsuya's attention.
Hoji quickly stepped over to the girl, scooping her up into his arms and began to carry Aoi to shore, despite her feeble protests that she was fine. Tsuya huffed a bit in Hoji's wake, but heard her friend cough again and desided against holding a grudge. She hurried after the ambassador, frowing as Aoi again coughed hard, her face flushed while her body shivered in Hoji's arms.
Hoji shook his head. Northerners. Couldn't stand a bit of cold. It was probably just the signs of a cold, but you never knew. Hoji had seen too many cases of hypothermia to take getting cold lightly.
"Which one is her bag?" He asked Tsuya as they got out of the water. The other girl pointed to one of the sleeping bags that was neatly laid out next to a pile of meticulously folded clothes. He quickly slipped Aoi's slim body into the bag and laid the travelling outfit over her, her shivers going down. Hoji sighed and sat back on his feet, plopping to the ground and crossing his legs.
"I guess we overdid it huh?" He said, smiling slightly up at Tsuya while Aoi looked at the boy. Tsuya shrugged and looked away, towards her own pile of clothes.
"How do you feel?" Hoji asked, smiling as Aoi blushed and turned away.
"Cold. . .And a little. . .warm at the same time?"
"Fever." Hoji stated, putting a hand onto Aoi's forehead, causing her blush to deepen. "You should be fine in a bit. It's the bodies natural reaction to intense cold." Hoji said, his smile returning. "It's good we stopped when we did. You two were getting killed."
Hoji laughed as dual protests came at him, insisting that they were the ones that had won.
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Post by suki on Apr 22, 2007 10:57:15 GMT -5
Suki continued to watch Hoji and the others play in the water, although mostly out of the corner of her eye. She had her sword unsheathed across her lap and was applying a few drops of oil to the blade. It was just a little bit of routine maintainence that wasn't really necssary so soon, but it kept her mind from doting on the well-being of her fellow warriors as they had a splash fight with Hoji. The temperature was dropping a little bit, though, and if they didn't get out soon she was ready to call them out.
However, a few moments later the Water Tribe ambassador scooped up Aoi from the river and carried her back up to her sleeping bag. As they got a little closer, she could see that the younger warrior didn't look too good and she quickly sheathed her sword and got to her feet. Hoji laid her down in her sleeping bag while Tsuya stood beside them, arms wrapped tight around her torso and shivering slightly.
Suki walked swiftly over to the pile of supplies that had been carried by Popo and pulled out a pair of rolled up blankets. "Here," she called as she came within easy speaking distance of the others. The Kyoshi leader tossed one of them to Tsuya who hastily wrapped it around herself. The other one she unfolded and placed over Aoi's sleeping bag.
"Thanks, Mom," Aoi said to her with a bit of playful sarcasm. Suki returned the comment with a slight smirk and then turned her gaze to Hoji.
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Post by wordbender on May 22, 2007 16:12:59 GMT -5
Hoji sat back, not really relieved - he hadn't been very worried in the first place - but definitly satisfied in the continuation of Aoi's health. Hoji smirked and leaned over as Aoi was answering to Suki, ruffling her hair as an older brother might do.
"Poor Aoi, always getting into trouble." He grinned, as if laughing at her misery, "It's only lucky that Hoji-kun is here to save you every time, ne?"
Aoi frowned at Hoji, her expression failing miseribly in the light of Hoij's irascible smirk. "I don't need saving. You just happen to be around whenever I require a bit of assistance." She muttered turning around. Hoji smiled and looked up at Suki.
It was a wierd feeling. For the most part of this trip he hadn't given a putrid dungheap about these girls. But just then - it had felt like he cared. A sort of tugging in his mind, recalling all the possible things that the might have happened to Aoi, and that he would regret it very much if she wasn't around. Not that he cared for her specifically - but it was the dynamic of the entire group. If something happened to one of the warriors, it seemed like it affected everyone.
It was a very different atmosphere that Hoji had come to enjoy, and he realized that he really liked the intimacy. He wasn't accepted by everyone, and that was alright. You couldn't please everyone all the time.
Hoji leaned back, breaking his quick eye contact with Suki. He was still smiling, but it wasn't the mischevious smirk he had been wearing a few seconds ago. It was sad, reminicient. He felt content - like he did with him.
It wasn't a pleasant feeling Hoji realized, and his smile slowly faded as he watched the night sky. He shook his head slightly and stood, brushing off his pants.
"It's getting late. I should probably turn in." Hoji said, aining towards the direction of his pack.
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Post by suki on May 23, 2007 16:06:14 GMT -5
"As should we all," Suki agreed. With a glance toward the others she said slightly louder, "We're crossing that river tomorrow, one way or another, so get what rest you can." A few comments of acknowledgement were heard andf those that weren't already halfway into their bedrolls began preparing for sleep. Suki was satisfied that her fellow warriors had gotten the message and said quietly to Aoi, "Get into some dry clothes before you turn in. The younger warrior replied with a slight nod, and Suki stood up to go prepare herself for bed.
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Despite the days growing longer as Spring wore on, night still seemed to come swiftly and with a bit of a chill. Suki had allowed herself a little comfort this night and disrobed down to her bottomost layer of clothing; a simple grey sleeveless shirt and matching shorts, both closefitting and made of a light cotton. It was much more comfortable than her tough green kimono and armor, though she was compelled to sleep under the cover of her bedroll instead of atop it. It made her much more vulnerable in the event of a night-time attack, but she truly did not anticipate anyone else being nearby or even aware of their presence.
Suki slept soundly and without her make-up, simply enjoying a relaxing sleep after their long journey across the plains.
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