Regrouping Before the Walls Fall <Willderness, EK>

[hanabanana]

Watching the altercation between Zilong and Suki with silent, hawkish eyes that plotted and pondered at a hellish rate, Hana sat silently in her corner, rubbing her sore and aching muscles that still screamed in fading agony from the Princess' earlier attack. A douse of lightning through metal bars hurt, yes, and it hurt very much, but she had the sneaking suspicion that Princess Azula wasn't really using full force, sharing only a taste of what could happen if they didn't cooperate...or if the Princess happened to be in a cranky mood. She shuddered at the thought. Casting her quick gaze about the cage, then to Suki and Zilong, and finally settling on Aoru for half a moment, Hana fell back into her earlier routine of sit-ups and push-ups, performing both exercises with ease. There wasn't much else to do, seeing as how her trusted leader had cleanly taken control of the situation and was now provoking the older man's short temper.

At the mentioning of Prince Zuko, Hana watched as Aoru, evidently displeased with Suki for revealing their "secret weapon", stood and placed a silent hand on the leader's shoulder. Hana herself, however, saw no issue with Suki; the Prince was clearly in cohorts with the Fire Nation military. There was no use in lying. Why deny it? Grumbling quietly under her breath in annoyance as she looped a lock of hair behind her ear, an annoying habit she had begun to develop now that her usually upswept hair was hanging loose about her face, she sat up fully from a round of push-ups, resting her back against the cage while her knees were pulled up to her chest, and set her cool brown eyes on the arguing pair.

"Give it a rest, Suki," she advised with a slow grin, "this man is clearly too thick-headed to do much else besides bark orders like a yappy little dog." She bent the ball of her thumb against the tough flesh of her remaining fingers, opening and closing and opening and closing the make-shift mouth and obviously mimicking Zilong. "Maybe we should talk to someone else? Someone of actual importance?" Goading the Sergeant was her last resort for amusement, and while it may have been a bad idea...screw it! He was Fire Nation and automatically scum.

[zilong]

Zilong turned back to glance at the warriors. The loud mouthed one had made a very foolish mistake, and in all likelihood, they would all pay for it. They would be separated, most likely the leader taken to a high security facility, and the rest taken to a different prison. Unless they were smart and answered the questions they were asked, it would not be pleasant for them. They would live, but a few may end up broken. Zilong still hadn’t quite gotten used to the idea of these children being treated as normal enemies, but the information they had was to important to treat them as anything else.

One of the girls joined the leader in her taunts, clearly unaware of just what was going to happen to her and her friends, “Maybe we should talk to someone else? Someone of actual importance?"

Zilong grinned slightly at the irony of the statement, though it had more foreboding to it than joy, “Don’t worry, kid, you’ll get your chance soon enough.”

Before anything more could be said by either party, the voice of the messenger Zilong had sent was heard from outside, and he made his way to the entrance to meet him. Looking down at him with a small frown, he couldn’t help but notice how timid the kid seemed. How did someone like him get into the army?

“What is it? Did you deliver my message?”

[zhi]

Zhi stood at the ready, just outside the tent, quietly listening to the prisoners' attempts at getting under the Sergeant's skin.

The young soldier had dealt with such things in the past; snide remarks launched by ignorant townsfolk under occupation and the like. He figured the Kyoshi's might try the same thing, though, little good it would do them.

He would feel much better once the Kyoshis were split up and moved off for interrogation, the longer they stayed in the camp the the greater the chance for something to go wrong. Be it a lustful Fire Nation soldier up to no-good, or an escape attempt by the girls themselves. He'd heard the tales; they might be backwards, perhaps even brainwashed by those Earth Kingdom dogs, but they were in no way a stupid bunch.

Despite this, the young soldier couldn’t help but feel a tinge of curiosity when it came to the strange warrior girls. Was it their choice to become warriors? Or had they been forced? How long were they trained for? Just... how old were they?

Was the Earth Kingdom military really deranged enough to raise little girls to become fighting machines?

Zhi put his thoughts aside as the familiar Sergeant emerged from the tent, looking down at him. The young soldier snapped to attention, bowing in respect.

“What is it? Did you deliver my message?”

"Yes Sergeant," relpied Zhi with a nod, "I informed the Princess and the Generals as you requested. The Generals seemed quite interested, though the Princess didn't appear satisfied with the amount of information I could provide."

Zhi remained at attention, waiting for a reply, but quickly tacked on: "If you need me for anything else, sir, I'd be happy to help."

[mab]

Actually, Mai didn't believe the Sergeant would have much more information then the messenger had given. If the girls had realized what they'd given away, however minuscule, they had probably ended the sharing session there. At any rate, Azula had just said she had little interest in the Avatar. Spinning around to fall in step behind the princess and beside Ty Lee, she shrugged. "I'm sure you're right." It's a wonder he hasn't been caught yet. She added silently. There was talk the Avatar, though just a boy, was the one thing that stood in the way of a complete Fire Nation victory. Mai would think Azula held more interest in him.

From the way the princess spoke, Mai could not help but share her confidence. Her steps were quick and light over the trodden grass and dirt. They would have to be swift and unwavering, but they would do it. Then her parents could stop reminding her of how important it was to keep working to hold their position. She would have been a part of something greater than either of them had been a part of. "We'll be honored to work to bring even more honor to the Fire Nation and strengthen their hold." Her thin eyes darted to Ty Lee as she spoke. "The side-trip." Mai said, speaking of the 'hunt'. "It's better than just sitting around." The tent holding the prisoners was drawing closer as the trio had not made it far before the messenger had caught up to them. "Do the girls know of the Drill?"

[prodigy]

The princess paused just out of view of the cage that held the warriors. She lifted a hand to stop the other two comapnions. Azula had no intention of going near them again, or of listening to the sergeant tell her information she truly did not care about. However, standing here, waiting they might be able to gather some information. She narrowed her eyes, growing truly annoyed that this day did not seem to be ending anytime soon.

Azula narrowed her eyes. "I think we should leave tonight. Go track down Zuzu.. it shouldn't be hard considering His Ship's captain checks in regularly with the Admiral of the Navy given the ship's special status.." She spoke softly between the other girls, glancing back over her shoulder at them, strands of hair brushing against her cheek.

Ty Lee seemed excited about the side-trip, the cross-country journey they'd take to find Zuko and maybe, if they cared, the Avatar. Azula had orders to bring Zuko back to the Fire Nation so he would stop embarrassing the family and that she would do... The princess listened, her frown growing as she grew even more disappointed. She spoke harshly then, a snap coming to her voice.
"Ladies.. I doubt we can learn anything here.. Let's turn around and gather our things. We leave tomorrow." She decreed. That left them little time to gather things together, but most of it would have to stay with the army as they awaiting the arrival of the..

"What is it about the Drill?" The Princess asked, for once showing slight concern. Not that she doubted the drill's integrity but it was CRITICAL to their plans.

[mab]

Mai's mind had been set in motion, calculating what exactly should be brought and in what quantity. If they traveled on mongoose dragons, which was highly likely, they'd have to go light. She'd have to be sure to carry enough arrows...Wherever Zuko was, the Avatar was probably close as well. The banished prince was well known for his tireless chasing of the young boy and Mai had no doubt they would at least see him. "I can't imagine he does that with your brothers knowledge. I got the impression Zuko was very secretive about matters such as his position."

Ty Lee seemed like she could hardly stand in place. Mai was happy this excursion would at least use up some of her friends pent-up energy. Turning slightly from her path to the prisoners tent to head to her own quarters, Mai counted silently in her head. A thin arm lifted itself up and slipped her had into the folds of her vest, feeling the empty places of a few daggers. It was no matter, really, She had enough in her trunk. "You said the best mechanics were in charge of it. They have to know how to handle their own creation. It shouldn't cause you any worry."

[vu]

Caught off guard, Vu fumbled with his scroll amidst the increasing glow of candle and torchlight. Rolling it unevenly, the scroll was kept clenched in one hand while he reoriented himself.

"Um--ahem," clearing his throat, soon enough realizing who it was that just sat down. "Yeah--yes, certainly so."

And yet even knowing full well who it was, after taking one good look over Xiaofan's dirty attire, Vu still scooted once further back down the log. As if the grease and oil upon her clothing was contagious or could easily be flung upon him with a mere sneeze.

"I am told we are to be moving out by early morning," regaining his composure, "towards Ba Sing Se."

"But try not to get too excited. We will be heading to an encampment we have established around... maybe three years ago. Then we wait. Again." Sounding none too please about such.

[suki]

Suki was still unsure of how their captor had made the connction between Prince Zuko's arrival on their island and the presence of the Avatar. She'd made no mention of Aang or anything else that might have given it away. For a moment her expression was one of slight disbelief, but she managed to cover it with one of simple confusion. The man sounded sure of himself, but until some one explicitly gave away that information, she could just act as if he had reached the wrong conclusion.

The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors folded her arms a moment before feeling Aoru's hand on her shoulder. After meeting her comrade's glance, she could tell that Aoru was not in favor of divulging any more information... no matter how vague. If these soldiers were as well informed as it appeared, even an inocuous detail of their journey could reveal something unintentionally.

Hana's snide commentary was a welcome relief from the uncomfortable silence coming from the Kyoshi's. Suki smiled slightly at the jab and offered a small nod Hana's way. After a moment, Suki walked away from the front of the cage, done with speaking to the guard and she took a seat against the far wall.

Expelling a long sigh, Suki turned her thoughts inward for the moment. She recalled what the princess had said about splitting that up and it put escape back at the top of her priorities. It would be hard enough getting out of this predicament with all of them together, but split apart without any way to communicate would make it almost impossible.

[zilong]

Zilong frowned a little. The Princess hadn’t been pleased? What exactly did she expect of him? He was a soldier, not an interegator. He had thought she’d be pleased to know that the prisoners had valuable information. After all, the Prince was her brother. Was she not concerned about him at all? He had been thought dead for a while now, out of contact for months. He shook his head. The messenger had probably misunderstood her.

“No, that will be all,” Zilong told the boy.

He was about to turn back into the makeshift prison when he saw a small unit approach. Komodo-rhino riders and a few footmen. Eyes narrowing Zilong turned towards them as they approached. Before he could speak, he recognized the man leading them as one of the higher ranking generals in the camp, and immediately saluted.

“At ease, Sergeant,” the general said. “You did good work. We were going to break camp, and we weren’t certain what to do with the prisoners until your report. Now that they seem to be worth keeping, we’ll be sending them to prison camps for proper questioning.”

Zilong tried not to look confused. They hadn’t known what to do with them? Surely they hadn’t meant that they were considering...discarding them. They were just children. No, no, they were warriors. Zilong felt his chest tighten a little. He had to think of them as any other enemy, just as the generals had done, apparently.

“Now then, which one is the leader?” the general asked, stepping into the shack, to which Zilong responded by pointing her out. “Thank you. You’re relieved, Sergeant. Go rejoin your unit.”

Zilong saluted, glanced back at the imprisoned warriors momentarily, and then left the shack. He gave the young soldier who had delivered the message a small knock I the shoulder.

“Let’s go. They’re not our concern now.”

[Consider this Zilong’s exit]

[prodigy]

The princess paused to turn back and to glance at Mai and Ty Lee. The sullen, ashen face of the tall young woman, the cheerful, bright peach of the bubbly one with the personality of a dumb ladybug. Though she often thought of the more as simply.. tools, incredibly useful and trustworthy... there were few times when Azula could call them comrades. Never friends.. no, She didn't need friends. She was strong, independent, and in control.

Her lips curled into a cupid's bow smile as she tilted her head ever so slightly at the girls, narrowing her eyes to mere slits in feign happiness. "Well then.. "She inhaled and then leaned forward to the two of them, her hands still folded behind her back. "Sleep well, Ladies. We leave shortly after dawn on the basilisk lizards. I shall see to it that our supplies are prepared and ready." Ah.. nothing like a road trip with three teenage girls. She turned on her heel like any military personnel, ignoring Ty Lee's shouting of "Good night, Azula!" Even though it was hardly mid afternoon. Once her back was too them, she rolled her eyes and mouthed the word "Idiot.." to herself. Ty Lee's cheery exterior.. was such.. a drag.

"You there!" She pointed a razor tipped finger at a nearby solider who started shaking in his boots, practically dropping his bowl of slop. "See to it that our supplies are ready tomorrow morning. Well what are you waiting for? GO!" A hasty salute, and the bowl crashed to the ground smashing into pieces. A smug smirk danced on the princess's face as she continued on to her tent, the largest in the complex, the royal ensignia emblazoned on the top. Gold trim and fringe decorated the 'roof' line and the ropes that held it steady. She disasppeared inside without a word, the guards posted quickly crossing their staves so as not to allow any entrance.

[Azula is out. Mai, I shall make a thread for us soon.]

[zhi]

Still standing rigid, Zhi nodded at the Sergeant's response. As the he turned back toward the imprisoned warriors Zhi made up his mind to return to his tent. But before he could put his plans into action he noticed the Sergeant turn his head, the young soldier followed suit and observed a small procession approach.

Zhi stood and watched, curiously, as the group of soldiers and cavalry drew closer. He quickly recognized the fellow leading the group, one of the Generals who'd looked upon him with confusion when he'd delivered the message.

The young soldier snapped to attention and bowed, noticing the Sergeant had identified the General as well. Zhi listened carefully as the General addressed the Sergeant, pleased to hear they had taken the news seriously and were planning to move the Warrior girls.

He also considered the General's announcement that they were to break camp soon. Where would they send us? he thought. This couldn't be it? The big push? The charge to Ba Sing se? No, Zhi decided, they would have told everyone if it was truly the moment.

Still, the question burned in his mind, where were they being sent next? Possibly closer to Ba Sing Se? That could be risky, it could tip off the defenders of the city. The Earth Kingdom's army could launch a surprise attack on the new camp, it was possible, wasn't it?

Zhi had let his mind wander once again and was somewhat startled when the Sergeant bumped into and addressed him.

The young soldier nodded to the Sergeant, gave a final bow to the General, took a last look at the prisoners in their makeshift prison and then followed after the older man, back toward the center of the camp. He decided he would write his family and friends once more before the force was to move out.

[Okay, looks like this is Zhi's exit from this thread. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next one concerning the FN forces.]

[mab]

"Come on Ty Lee," Mai motioned to the girl to follow her with a short wave of her hand. "You can help me with my target practice." It would be something to do to wait out the rest of the day. Their tent was not too far from Azula's, though the pair did have to do some maneuvering around the obnoxious men. Ty Lee danced around them while Mai just pushed through after her. Soon enough Mai was pushing through the heavy fabric that served as a door, embroidered with flame-like designs.

The top of the tent was open, with a small cone shaped piece of cloth suspended above it on wood, to allow air and a little light in. A few lamps also cast a warm glow but Mai preferred it to be dimmer. Along one side a sort of wall had been erected for her to practice throwing, not that she needed it. This was for fun. "Pose however." Mai instructed the acrobat, who happily complied. Gathering a few stilettos in her hand and seating herself on the short bed on the far side, Mai began throwing. Everyone hit just far enough from Ty Lee to be considered safe and every so often she changed her pose. In the background Ty Lee's bubbly chatter broke the silence of the tent, but Mai was lost in he rown thoughts and didn't pay much attention.

[Mai's out.]

[xiaofan]

Xiaofan barely disguised an amused and somewhat menacing smirk at her commanding officer's startled disgust, instead showing a hint of a smirk. Most people reacted this way, as if the dirt on her body was some kind of hideous contageon ready to spread and kill them all. She enjoyed the reaction; it kept people off guard and allowed her easier access to whatever information they had on their minds - fear made people babble.

She lost all pretenses of her dirt-coated menace when he told her the plan, however. Whooping loudly, she leapt from the log and pumped a single fist in the air. "We're goin' to the big show, baby! And here I thought I'd be forced to have Meilin over there round me up another rabbitpig for dinner tomorrow," she jutted a thumb back over her shoulder at a stray tank repairman who was covered in bandage wraps around both hands and his forehead. She chuckled and leaned closer to Vu , whispering conspiratorily. "Truth be told, Ganesa, I can't stand rabbitpig stew, but the whiny little girl is hillarious to watch trap them." She broke out laughing at her own joke and slapped Vu on the back.

"Guess I better roll then, we have work to do on some of these beasts before they'll run like they should! No worries, commander - those things'll go like they did first day off the base!" She waved over her shoulder, jogging back to the engineer's section of the camp. If one were watching her, they'd see her rousing various men from sleep with a sharp booting...

[Xiaofan Out]