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Post by zuko on Feb 3, 2007 14:04:20 GMT -5
By now, the young prince had been talking to the cook, wondering when the food could be prepared, but the answer he received was not what the teenager wanted to hear. From he report, the cook and rest of the crew had said that the galley and most of the food was still unable to be served yet. Supplies that were needed had not arrived or had not been fetched.
"Well, then get the supplies!" Zuko demanded irritably. The cook and two other men nodded quickly and began to work on the damage.
The cook, being too lazy or possibly too busy on the repairs in the kitchen, approached one young crew member, being in need of assistance. In this case, this crew member was Sho.
"Hey!" the cook called to the servant, recognizing him from before as the man approached the boy. "Go back to town and get more water and spices. And hurry. That prince is gettin' angry again." With that, the cook shoved a small piece of paper with a list of spices and amount of fresh water they would need. "From the looks of it, the ship ain't leaving yet." The cook then turned away from Sho and headed back to the kitchen, grumbling to himself.
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Post by sho on Feb 3, 2007 15:21:47 GMT -5
Sho straightened as he was abruptly confronted by the cook, his golden eyes wide in surprise, but his gaze and ears attentive to the ramble. Inwardly, he groaned. He had just fought through the hectic crowds and made it back on the ship! Now he was to go into the chaotic throng of bodies once more to fetch something he was unsure he would even be able to find. But, alas, it was an order, and Sho was unwilling to displease his coworkers (or the prince, especially); he hadn’t even been assigned a task before anyway. It was only fair, he supposed, for him to be the one to go fetch the supplies.
After giving a quick nod (more to himself than the cook who had stormed off), Sho turned and quickly strode down the steps onto the docks, worriedly looking around for a place to suit his orders. He was dismayed to discover that all his line of vision would allow him to see was the ruffling colors of clothing and the various shades of peach from ever-moving limbs. A sigh escaped his lips. It would take so long to steer himself through all the islanders! Let alone search for something in a place he was unfamiliar with! Would the ship really wait for him…?
The young servant’s face contorted as his expression firmed into one of fierce determination and courageously pushed himself into the crowd. However, this confidence was short-lived.
How much time had passed since he had thrown himself back into the pandemonium that was marketplace? Had it been merely minutes, or had it been hours since he had stepped off the deck and began him fruitless search for the needed items?
Well, perhaps not completely fruitless. The water had been easy enough to find, but the tiny victory was quickly carrying him down. The vastness and weight that was the jug was a burden to his arms and swiftness, and was steadily increasing his frustration. Sweat droplets formed on his brow as he was pressed into condenser areas of the throng, and, frequently the young man was rammed into, throwing him off balance, and causing a very domino effect as he would then slam into another. It seemed as if no one cared to help him either; his pleading voice was drowned out in the chatter, and those who heard him were too rushed themselves to care. It embarrassed and frustrated Sho almost to the point of tears, but he held his inner screams in, forcing himself to focus, to find a way out of the chaos.
After what seemed days of cruel torture, Sho finally found the spice shop and gathered what was needed. His heart rate began to decrease as he gripped the bag in his hand and took a few deep breaths, but all of his optimism was thrashed as he stepped out of the store and looked around.
He was completely lost.
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Post by zuko on Mar 7, 2007 21:37:43 GMT -5
Zuko had been monitoring the progress of the crew somewhat, but he was becoming very bored and rather tired. However, his crew was working at a much faster pace now; supplies were finally being carried in as the sky was an almost complete dark shade of purple.
Folding his arms, he stood tall and counted some crates that came in through the deck and toward the galley. Parts of the walls were now being cleaned and repaired as the captain shouted to random and inactive soldiers who were carelessly watching nearby. The prince remained standing in his firm place beside the railing of the ship, and when he began to see no more sailors board the gate, he impulsively decided it was time to go.
'That's everyone...'
Zuko entered through the now "somewhat" charred galley, immediately spotting the captain nearby.
"Everything looks ready. Move the ship," Zuko ordered rather hastily. In his mind, precious time was being wasted. He got off the ship, had his time to look around, everything seemed fine, so why not go now? "Prince Zuko!" A low grumbled voice called from behind the young man and he turned to see the cook address him. The old man seemed to be in a hurry for something, but Zuko just stood, his eyebrow pulling closer to his scar in wonder.
"We're not ready to leave yet," the cook said, almost out of breath as if he had just gotten back from running. "We're still missin' someone. Augh, what's his name..." he pondered, but his eyes widened in realization, "Sho! That servant. I sent him out to get more supplies and I've looked everywhere. He still hasn't gotten back yet..."
Zuko's face pulled down slightly at he sound of this. He couldn't believe, of all people, that it was Sho slowing him down again. 'That servant is like an itch. A bad one.'
The prince shook away this thought and stared at the cook, irritably. "How long has it been since you sent him?"
"An hour and a half; maybe two," the cook said, swiftly gesturing to the town outside. "He should've been back by now." Zuko glanced outside to the now completely lit town and a look of frustration, but slight curiosity, moved across his face as to why Sho had not returned yet. Had something bad happened? Or was he just lost?
The teen turned back to the captain. "Don't move this ship yet." Zuko couldn't believe that he was being delayed by this, but at the same time he strangely could not leave the servant behind. He did not feel like waiting for the boy to return, so Zuko decided he would rather look for him instead.
Prince Zuko turned to six nearby soldiers and motioned them forward. He gave orders to look for Sho around the town, but to return in an hour if they still did not find him. Zuko would perhaps stay to look longer, but he was never sure of this.
He walked out of the galley and hurriedly marched off the ship and toward the large town, his soldiers following close behind and then splitting up. 'I bet ten gold pieces he's just lost...' Zuko half rolled his eyes at this thought.
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Post by sho on Mar 8, 2007 19:23:34 GMT -5
He had to get back to the ship. He just had too.
The prince and he hadn’t exactly been the best of friends – in fact Sho was probably considered more of an annoyance than anything – so he still wasn’t quite sure if Zuko would really take the time to wait for him if he was too late. Maybe the prince hadn’t even been informed of his absence! What would he do if the ship sailed away, and he was left stranded?
No, no. Can’t think about that. I just got to be back; what’s more simple than that?
A lot of things were apparently. Sho fought for space for several more minutes, continually running into others and slamming into stands; however, the young servant soon managed to struggle through the thick areas of the throng and noisy chaos into a strangely quiet place.
It was a wide alley between too of the taller buildings where no one other than himself seemed to enter. It was empty of everything, excuse a few cans of trash, boxes, and dirt, so, Sho, exhausted, plopped down on one of the crates, set down the water and bag of spices, and heaved a sigh while plopping his head in his hands. He sat there for several moments in this position, trying desperately to come up with a decent plan. It was obvious he was getting no where with his current strategy; the crowd was too thick. Even if he knew his way around, it would take much too long to even stumble within respectable distance of the ship. Hopeless, Sho lifted up his head and looked around for inspiration.
Aha! The other opening to the alley was clear – not a person on the other side it looked like. Perhaps if he went that way, he could find his way to the ship much more quickly. Well that had only been too obvious, hadn’t it? He needed to stop getting so nervous.
Shaking his head at himself slightly, Sho stood and gathered his supplies, and began his speedy stride to the opposite end of the alley.
Suddenly, everything went black.
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Post by zuko on Mar 10, 2007 16:07:45 GMT -5
"Move! Get out of my way!" Zuko shouted to the thick crowd of people as he shoved his way through. It was unbelievable at how many people were conjugated into one place! Then again, the streets were too narrow and offered many places to go and look at shops, which were beginning to open for the night shifts. Nonetheless, it irritated Prince Zuko to no end. How in the world was he going to find Sho at this rate?
For what seemed like an hour, which could only have been a few minutes, Zuko began to become more frustrated as his eyes were beginning to become rather tired at observing every shop that passed by, hoping that he would catch a glimpse of some scrawny kid around Sho's age. However, it was becoming quite difficult to look over the heads of people. He would only be lucky if he caught a glimpse of the servant in this crowd. He himself, still wasn't sure why he was here now. Why had he gone off to look for the servant? He could have sent anyone, but perhaps Zuko believed that no one else would be able to find him. Staying on a boring ship did not sound pleasing either, but then again, neither was shoving through this crowd of citizens.
The teen continued down the streets for a long while (at a very slow rate) and received many angry and surprised glances as he continued to storm his way through the people. Zuko did not care of this; he just wanted to find Sho and get out of here. But where could he be?!
Suddenly, Zuko's eyes caught a glimpse of an empty area and quickly turned to it. It was an alley, but there seemed to be enough space to take a break and look clearly around at his surroundings. After managing to avoid a numerous amount of people, he stepped into the alley and sighed. This was going to take forever. What if Sho had already made it back to the ship and Zuko was searching for nothing? Something inside of Zuko told him that it was unlikely; if he could barely get through this annoying crowd, he doubted that the servant could, especially with the supplies he was supposed to get.
He hopelessly pressed his back against the cold wall of the alley and tried to relax for a second. As Zuko gazed at his feet, wondering to himself on what he should do, but something else pulled him away from his thoughts. For the slightest second from the corner of his eye, Zuko saw some movement from the end of the alley. He turned and squinted his eyes, trying his best to see through the darkness. There was an empty street on the other end of the alley, but there were few lights and it seemed a bit...eeire. However, that did not stop Zuko from walking a bit closer to the empty street, keeping his eyes open for that flicker of movement he saw before. There was no movement, but instead, there were voices. Zuko paused and strained to hear what the voices were saying.
"Heh, that kid didn't know what hit em'!" One low voice said in a laughing manner. Zuko walked cautiously closer, trying to see past the darkness. As he did, he could hear more voices, only quieter.
"He's got some worthless stuff...you know, except for his money. I'll enjoy spending it."
Laughter.
"Look at what's he's wearing. Looks like something from the Fire Nation."
"Ack, who cares. Just drop the stupid kid before somebody comes."
A small thud.
Zuko walked quietly closer at the sound of this and peered around the corner that lead into the opposite, narrow street. There were four tall and bulky men hovering around something on the ground, but before Zuko could see their faces, they quickly dispersed and ran off with objects in their hands. The prince's face tightened as they hurriedly ran off, but his expression became even more angry as he saw who was on the ground.
Sho. And he wasn't moving.
Zuko exited the shadows of the alley and hurriedly walked over to Sho who was currently lying in the middle of the street. He knelt down next to him and growled quietly in anger. Sho wasn't dead from the looks of it - he was breathing, but one side of his face was a bit swollen. It frustrated Zuko to no end to find the servant like this. What in the world was Sho thinking wandering down this street? There was no way he could have been snatched in the large crowd at the opposite end of the alley; people would have noticed. So why?
Apparently, it didn't matter now. He just wanted to get Sho and himself out of here in case more thieves decided to show up from the dark street.
"Sho..." Zuko nudged the servant's shoulder lightly, wondering if he would wake. "Sho!" He called a bit louder and shook his shoulder more.
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Post by sho on Mar 10, 2007 21:36:12 GMT -5
Sho groaned as he groggily returned to his senses, his expression immediately screwing up as he registered the pain. He tried to open his eyes, but he found even the idea painful, for a sore, throbbing ache slowly and tediously coursed through his entire body, and a terribly vibrant, stinging pain pinched in his cheek and temple. The dull, throbbing pound that was sure to be bruises in the near future made even laying completely still most uncomfortable, and to make the agony worse, some idiot was pushing him, applying pressure to his shoulder and back, and was talking loudly to him, adding onto the already unbearable headache he was forming. Sho moaned again, only not only with pain this time but with annoyance.
“Stop…” Sho groaned, his voice weak and crackly. The young servant attempted to blindly push the intruder aside, but his arms only shot straight in front of him, weak as noodles and catching nothing but air. After only a few seconds, they fell back to the ground, and Sho, still moaning quietly at the pain he was experiencing, then attempted to open his eyes.
Everything was blurry; reds mixed with peach, and black mixed with yellow, causing Sho to shut his eyes again. Why was he so disoriented, so tired and sore? Hadn’t he just been walking a few moments ago?
“Wa-Wahappened?” Sho asked the stranger weakly.
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Post by zuko on Mar 11, 2007 15:34:12 GMT -5
Zuko immediately stopped nudging Sho as soon as a muttered "stop" came from his mouth. Well, at least he wasn't dead, but he sure looked like it. His voice was groggily and the servant seemed to refuse to open his eyes, giving Zuko the impression that he probably wasn't going to get up in a hurry. The prince even had to flinch back as the boy's arm came up and nearly hit him in the face, but looked he back down at him and shook his head in disbelief. Sho was quite a mess at this point.
Even by the question that Sho managed to ask, it seemed like the thieves were right: he had no idea what hit him.
"From the looks of it..." Zuko began, looking at Sho's beaten state, "...you were robbed by a bunch of thugs and now you've paid for it, because you were being stupid." Zuko still couldn't believe it, or believe himself rather. If he had not come to search for the servant, Sho would have been left here, lying on the ground, and completely penniless: what luck.
"Consider yourself lucky," he said again, taking Sho's arm and slowly pulling him upright and then holding him so he did not fall backward again. "Can you stand?" Zuko asked, hoping Sho could, for he did not feel like carrying him back to the ship. Going through the crowd would be ten times worse if it came to that. Zuko could only imagine what the crew would be asking about when they would arrive back as well.
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Post by sho on Mar 11, 2007 16:36:59 GMT -5
Eyes suddenly wide open, Sho gasped. The abrupt, jerking moment he experienced pulled the breath right out of him for just one moment, and when his feet planted on the ground, he let out a short, agonized cry; shockingly intense pain rushed through his entire body and made home in his head, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut again with another moan. He stumbled and gripped the man’s arm with adrenaline-induced force, panting as he tried to bear the terrible sensation.
For a moment, all he could think about was the intolerable pain - the throbbing ache in his body, the knife impaling his temple - but finally the man’s words broke through the distraction. Thugs, robbed… Another groan escaped his lips. Late, empty-handed… Zuko was going to kill him.
“.. Sort of.” Sho mumbled after a moment of testing his strength. He could stand, but it was laborious and extremely painful. But… he had to get back to the ship! It was going to leave him!
The young man tiredly opened his eyes once more, and, after a few moments, he was finally able to focus and make sense of his surroundings. Sho turned his head and opened his mouth to thank the stranger that had assisted him, but when he caught sight of who it was, he gasped again. It was the prince.
Suddenly, the insult he had been given didn’t seem so misplaced.
“Zu-zuko!”
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Post by zuko on Mar 11, 2007 18:25:28 GMT -5
Zuko stumbled slightly to hold the young servant up, trying his best to ignore the firm grip he had on his arm. He hadn't realized that Sho was in this much pain, because judging from the way he could barely stand, it was obvious that he was not ready to even walk.
Zuko's face tensed as he tried to keep Sho from falling and he had the greatest desire to let him go, but then that would probably cause the young man to pass out again; Zuko did not have the time or patience for that.
He was currently busy balancing Sho on his feet when he suddenly heard his name. Zuko looked up and blinked at the seemingly surprised servant. The prince's face turned into a slightly frustrated, but mainly confused and startled expression. Had Sho not known it was him this whole time?
"What?" Zuko asked, but seemed to skim the question off as he stepped back a little and composed his princely posture, while trying to let Sho's grip on his arm loosen somewhat.
Farther down the narrow street, some crashing could be heard and it seemed darker than ever now. Only few lanterns were lit on this street, but the voices from the crowded citizens across the alley echoed throughout the town. It was an empty place to be and the ship was still waiting...
"C'mon," Zuko said, glancing around and not wanting to wait here any longer. He took hold of Sho's arm again and slowly pulled him along to make sure he would not fall, but gained some wanted speed after a while. Prince Zuko still had some questions for Sho, but for the moment, he concentrated on walking down the empty street to spread some distance between any possible thieves that might be lurking around - he was frustrated enough as it was, and fighting robbers did not sound tempting at all.
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Post by sho on Mar 12, 2007 20:37:45 GMT -5
Sho was completely humiliated.
Cheeks ever-increasing in cherry, Sho examined the dusty ground for just a few moments as the degrading voice of his self conscious beat down his ego once more. Why did misfortune follow him wherever he went? Why was it always him who managed to make a complete fool of himself? In front of his superiors no less? It had only been too easy to go and grab a few supplies and rush back aboard, but not for Sho. Nope. Zuko was right. He had to go and make a stupid decision and get mugged because of it. He was a mess. A disgrace.
Sho was still silently moping when he was jerked forward, sending another rush of dizziness and pain rushing to his head. He found he was severely disoriented for a few seconds – colors blurred together once more before it melted into double vision. He stumbled forward for a few steps, his grip firming on the prince’s arm as he tried to keep his balance and regain his bearings. He was able to focus quickly after the episode, but his left cheek and temple still burned; it seemed to be somewhat numb now, but the sensation was still rather disturbing.
However, Sho pushed forward, new determination gripping him. He would not fall or show any more signs of weakness. He would not embarrass himself. Again.
After a few minutes, even, Sho did not whine and complain asking if they were making any progress, even though the side of his face and exhaustion were slowly taking him over. His eyelids drooped, but he refused to give in, though, he was too tired to speak and it took all of his concentration and strength to walk.
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Post by zuko on Mar 21, 2007 21:01:56 GMT -5
He could not help but glare at the young servant as he continued to pull him along. Sho's face seemed to be even more red for some reason, making the injured side of his face look worse. He was also strangely quiet - not groaning or asking stupid questions at all.
Zuko averted his stare and soon noticed that the street in front of them was now been split into two directions. The prince stopped for a second, looked to the left, then looked to the right, and quickly decided which way would be best to take. He did not put much thought into this, but he would have no choice but to guess. The ship had to be close by; at least that is what he thought.
Stepping forward once again, Zuko anxiously pulled Sho into a walk once more and headed down the rather dark street on the right. All the windows of the houses and apartments above and next to them were dark - strangely silent. The dull murmer of the crowd that was in the street over to them had also silenced.
The teen half-wondered if he would happen to run into one of his soldiers so this would not be such a chore for himself. Then again...how long had it been since Zuko left? Perhaps his soldiers had already gotten back to the ship by now. This thought only pushed Zuko into a faster pace despite the fact that Sho was seeming to become even heavier to pull along.
Silent moments had passed and they seemed to be getting no where closer to the ship. Zuko glanced back at Sho once again; he could not help but wonder any longer as to how this happened to him in the first place. It was aggravating to have to pull him along like this and it was also aggravating that Sho got attacked in the first place - Sho, of all people in the crowd of Nadai. Any yet, Zuko could not help but feel a small twinge of sympathy toward Sho for what had happened to him...
"How did you end up in a dark alley in the first place? Why didn't you scream for help or something?" Zuko asked seriously, but as softly as possible. He did not want to disturb the quiet street, but he did not want to startle Sho either; he seemed to be beaten down enough as it was.
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Post by sho on Mar 22, 2007 19:06:57 GMT -5
Sho looked up at Zuko silently for a moment, his expression rather dazed and expressionless, save for a frown that seemed to now be permanently etched into his features. He hardly noticed his eerie surroundings; the dark was easy on his eyes and, more importantly, the silence allowed his head to clear of distracting thoughts and even a little pain. Perhaps this was why he was able to recall his past events and manage a sensible reply.
“Well. I guess I kind of went there for some air after suffocating in the crowd.” Sho said, his voice weary and low. “I didn’t know what I was going to do; I thought the ship would leave me and I wasn’t getting out of the crowd fast enough.”
With this, Sho drifted off, trying to remember exactly what had happened next, for the rest was rather unclear. He had turned to take the alleyway to find another way to the ship, hadn’t he? But everything from that point was black.
“I… guess I went to go down the other side of the alley to get to the ship quicker. But after that... I can’t remember anything. I get that’s when they hit me over the head.” Sho muttered, his voice quickly lowering in audibility. A new sting of pain and bubbling numbness surged through the side of his face once more, causing Sho to let out an uncontainable moan. It was then he looked around to observe his setting; he really wanted to get to the ship soon. Ice would be nice, as well as a bed. However, it didn’t look like they were making much progress. Sho looked up at the prince once more, his tone quickly worried and hesitant.
“Do you know where you’re going?”
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Post by zuko on Apr 3, 2007 18:26:54 GMT -5
"Of course I know where I'm going," Zuko retorted, taking quick glances around nearby alleyways and streets. Zuko had currently ignored Sho's explanation as to why this was all happening in the first place; from what Zuko could hear, his guess had been correct as to how it happened. Now, however, the prince was too distracted on finding his ship than listening to the servant right now. He knew he had to be close to the vessel; he had to be. It had not been that long since he left the ship, had it? Or...maybe it has.
"It's...this way," Zuko said uncertainly as he took his best guess as to where the ship would be. He could see distant sails of fisherman boats and other Earth Kingdom ships, but no sign of his metal ship at all. Nonetheless, Zuko obstinately headed forward with Sho, thinking to himself that he would find it in no time.
However, it was completely black at the corner he turned to. Excluding some very few lit windows which illuminated the sides of some buildings, it was very difficult to see the street. Most of the lanterns now were turned off, their flickering flames providing no more light. Zuko stopped, his eyebrow pulling forward in confusion. Perhaps his eyes would adjust to the light...
He moved forward a little more and could see a freshly lit street ahead. This provided some comfort, although it was still a ways off. As he strode through the darkness, his eyes set forward to the lightened street ahead, he began to notice something. Over the top of one low apartment, he could see a small dark figure on the waters. It looked very different from the rest of the boats, and knowing this, Zuko's tense face softened. It was the ship!
"There it is!" he said to Sho, pointing to the far distance above the buildings. It was quite a distance away, but at least he had found it. Zuko walked a little easier now, despite the darkness that still surrounded them. He felt a little accomplished at himself for finding their destination, although it was mere luck that they did.
Throughout the prince's state of quick obliviousness - being more at ease at knowing where he was - Zuko did not notice the dark and dangerous shadows following behind them...
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Post by sho on Apr 4, 2007 20:48:32 GMT -5
Ever since the prince had resumed walking, Sho had followed obediently; though, he was groggy, nearly in a daze, as if he was floating inside of a dream instead of walking on solid ground. His eyelids were quickly becoming heavy as his body’s exhaustion caught up with him, and the shocking pain that had once cursed the side of his face with a vibrant intensity was now but a dull throb. Only the ever-moving form of his rescuer captured his focus, as Sho needed to follow if he was to receive any bit of rest.
However, in the foggy dream Sho found himself captured in, there was another presence – a dark, forbidding one that had started out as a faint worry but was quickly increasing into an anxious, bubbling fear. The constant darkness and dull glow of the lamps seemed to hint to some danger, and, as Zuko hunted for the ship, Sho’s senses could not help but sharpen. What if they couldn’t find their way back and they were doomed to spend a dark night out with the robbers, the abusers, and perhaps worse? The dark only reminded him of such possibilities, and the longer they traveled, the more restless he became.
As Zuko let out a triumphant cry, Sho found he was too distracted by the forbidding dread that pitted in his stomach to feel any sort of relief, or even comprehend what had been said. Worriedly, Sho’s gaze flickered to every corner in front of him, his restlessness quickly forming into panic as he sensed a stronger presence of darkness.
“Zu-Zuko…”
However, before Sho could stammer another few syllables, a hand gripped his shoulder, and the young servant let out a deafening, horrified scream.
The young woman stammered and stepped back, shocked at the reaction she had received. “Uh-um…” She began uneasily, eying the young man who had shrieked with a horror of her own. “I-I’m sorry, I j-just…” With this the young woman paused, her face now bright red. She observed Sho quietly for a moment, whose face was even rosier, before switching her gaze to the prince. She let out a hardly-suppressed giggle, while another echoed her own. With this, Sho lifted his gaze and was horrified to discover that this young woman was not alone.
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Post by zuko on Apr 7, 2007 19:37:19 GMT -5
Zuko spun around so fast at the broken silence that it almost left him dizzy once he did so. The startling, loud scream that echoed from the servant alarmed the prince most greatly, expecting the worst of the worst once he turned around...but it was nothing like that at all.
Zuko looked to the young woman in front of him now and he was terribly confused as to what she wanted. He listened to her stammer, his heart still beating uneasily from being startled so, but then became rather confused as she seemed to take notice of the prince. Zuko blinked, a little perplexed about her light giggle, and then became tense as he began to hear more of what was coming from the alleyway. Zuko peered blindly to the side of one building (it was still very dark) squinting his eyes, and then noticing four others come out from the shadows.
Two of them were young women and the other two were young men. They seemed to be about the prince's and servant's age; perhaps older. The young woman who had startled Sho and Zuko, looked to the ground in slight embarrassment as the others who appeared chuckled at the sight.
"Jeez, could you scream any louder?" one of the boys commented, glancing at Sho, and then taking notice of his beaten appearance. "So, those thugs got you too, huh? Yeah, they show up every now and then."
Slight giggles came from the strange group as the boy observed Sho's face. Zuko was still tense by all of this as he closely watched these people walk around them and talk in rather casual manners. Each of them wore dark and slightly tattered clothing, and had a curious air about them.
Another girl spoke up boldly: "Forget that guy's face," she said pointing to Sho and then to Zuko, "His face seems to be in worse shape. That's a bad scar you got there."
Zuko felt a twitch of annoyance at this and turned to continue on his way. "We have to go," Zuko said deeply as he took a few steps toward the direction of his ship, but was cut off by the other boy.
"What's the rush, stranger?" he seemed to tease, and was encouraged by the other boy's chuckle. The only one who seemed to not be laughing at this was the girl who first appeared; her head was turned toward the ground, a blush on her cheeks and her gaze shifting to Sho every now and then.
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