Strange Circumstances <Earth Kingdom>

[xuan]

After receiving the letter from Tsuki Xuan had rushed upstairs to her room at the inn, woke Nanny Ti, left a few coins for Kinue and prepared to leave. The two older woman packed their bags as queitly as possible before slinking down stairs and out the door where Bo was holding his sisters hand, waiting like their mother had told them to.

They packed all but one ostrich-horse and filled the cart, leaving the small village until they had to stop. There were several miles down the road by then and they pulled off to the side so they could all catch some shut eye.

Xuan herself was beat and Bo seemed sleepy as well, but Jiang was all to awake. The four of them piled into the cart on the side of the road, Ti holding Bo and Xuan trying to keep Jiang still.

"Go to sleep love, we have a long day ahead and mama is very tired," The little girl stopped squirming, but her bright green eyes were still open wide. 'That will have to do,' Xuan thought as she made herself comfortable on bags and settled in to sleep as the morning sun was still well below the mountains.

[than]

Only the rhythmic echo of Burcu’s clawed feet pounding the dirt road, carrying her and her rider along at a steady gallop, broke the silence of the night. The man seated upon the Ostrich Horse seemed to remain ever alert, though dark circles were present under his shifty, dark brown eyes; he seemed wired and wide awake, scanning his surroundings, peering into the night.

Than turned about in the saddle to check behind him, far off in the distance he could still see the lights of the small town through which he and his beloved Burcu had stormed like a maddened tornado. When he’d first spotted the town, he’d urged his Ostrich Horse into a frenzied charge. Populated areas, especially small towns, always gave Than the shivers. In the Rebel’s mind, the chances that the town would be crawling with spies or the like was simply too great.

He’d ridden through the town at a terrible speed, nearly plowing into a drunkard stumbling into the street from a nearby bar. The man had just barely managed to move from Burcu’s path and had turned; spewing obscenities as the skinny man upon the Ostrich Horse charged by and faded off down the street into the night leaving only a small cloud of dust in his wake.

Now clear of the town, Than’s hands steadied, though the near constant tremors never seemed to abate completely, and he gave a slight tug of the reigns. He didn’t want to tire out poor Burcu too much, she wasn’t too old, but they’d been traveling for the better part of the previous day and he knew not to push her.

Night… night was good, thought Than, taking a moment to peer up at the sky speckled with thousands of stars, stars that one could never see in Ba Sing Se. The Rebel had to admit he enjoyed being out on the road traveling along, he was quite free, though he did have a destination – Tachi Dai.

As he rode on he idly he wondered if he’d run into his old friend Shu-zu at the Rebel meet up, it was always possible, wasn’t it? It had been some time since he’d last seen his shop-keeping pal. Than’s attention was instantly shifted back to the present when his sharp ears caught a familiar noise. It was the snort of an Ostrich Horse, from up ahead!

Jerking back on the reigns in surprise, Burcu came to an abrupt halt. The Rebel’s hands were quivering once again and his eyes tried to pierce the darkness up ahead. Could it be some sort of posse out after me? Blocking the road? Than’s mind began to fabricate a plausible explanation for the presence of what surely was an Ostrich Horse. Sitting silently in the middle of the road, he waited, listening.

After a time, no sound came to him and he carefully began to urge Burcu forward toward the direction from which the sound had come. His left hand remained upon the reigns, the right slowly creeping down to take hold of his Dha sword’s hilt which stuck up from its sheath that was bound to Burcu’s saddle. Slowly riding forward, Than could just make out the dark shape of a small cart parked off the side of the road, a single Ostrich Horse standing beside it.

He once again slowed Burcu to a halt and remained still, inspecting the cart and the animal from a distance. Who would just leave that out here? In the middle of the night and all.. Than wondered to himself. He figured it could be a trap, or perhaps the owner had been attacked by bandits or the like, it just didn’t make any sense to abandon what appeared to be a perfectly fine looking cart and an Ostrich Horse.

The thought soon occurred to Than that, perhaps, there would be some abandoned goods in the cart that he might be able to… shifty into Burcu’s saddle bags which held his armor and other possessions. Surely the owners wouldn’t be back anytime soon, but the threat of a trap still seemed like a real possibility and the Rebel was torn between moving on and checking things out.

After what seemed like ages sitting, listening, waiting and debating, Than’s curiosity just barely got the better of him, as did the growing tension of simply sitting still for such a long time. If there were people after him they would surely be flanking him by now and staying put seemed like the worst idea possible to the skinny fellow.

Two little Ostrich Horse steps at a time brought Than and his mount steadily closer to the cart, his grip tightening upon his Dha sword, his eyes scanning the surrounding area, paying little attention to the actual cart itself. An attack would come from the nearby brush, or from behind those trees.. not from the cart, Than was quite certain.

The Rebel was quite surprised when, as he circled around behind the cart, he caught sight of movement from within. Suddenly spotting a sign of life out of the corner of his eye, Than panicked and jerked his whole body back, tugging on Burcu’s reigns, hard. The Ostrich Horse’s head was pulled back and to the side and she began to turn for her rider, but the man seated upon her saddle had already lost his balance, his left foot slipping out of the stirrup.

Shouting and clawing at the air like a madman, Than tumbled backwards and to the right, out of the saddle. His right hand managed to keep ahold of his sword, however, and this helped to slow his fall somewhat. Despite this, the Rebel landed hard upon his back, the wind knocked out of his lungs with a great PHHAA! Lying there, in pain, upon the ground with his right foot still caught in the stirrup, he struggled to catch his breath before the “ambushers” in the cart would have time to react.

Fortunately, his Dha sword had come free and he now held it in his right hand.

[xuan]

Three out of the four travelers had fallen sound asleep shortly after stopping, but Jiang had crawled from her mothers arms whe she found she could move without waking her. The little girl, merely four in age, climbed from the back of the cart, the little kitten, Tson, jumped out after her. The two crawled under the cart, Jiang making little dirt mounds and Tson scrapping at the dirt like he was trying to help.

While the other slept Tson and Jiang played until the sound of ostrich-horse feet could be heard, the little girl stopped what she was doing and peaked out from below the cart. A jittery man was sitting atop the animal and though she wasn't sure what happened something startled the animal and that was that.

The screaming that tore through the silent night air made everyone wake with a start, their hearts thumping rapidly against their chests.

Nanny Ti was the first to react; the older woman tossed a scared Bo into his mothers arms, Xuan holding tightly to both her children, then grabbing a frying pan from one of the bags leaped out of the carrage.

"Get up you stinkin' theif! I'll clobber ya one!" Ti had her frying pan held in both hands ready to swing it with everything she had. Xuan was more regretful now more than ever that she had left Ba Sing Se, sorry that she hadn't hired a proper escort to tachi Dai and sorry that she had put her children in such danger.

Xuan, scared stiff, was still unaware that Jiang wasn't curled next to her until Tson ran out from under the cart and climbed back in to hide behind some bags.

"What have you done with my baby?!" she screamed, setting Bo aside and getting out of the cart herself, a bag of clothing in hand to hit the man with. In the heat of the moment, a strange man laying on the ground out side her cart cussing and her little girl gone, her first conclusion is that the man is responsible.

[than]

Gasping for breath, Than could hear the “ambushers” in the cart stirring, his back hurt badly and he felt as if he could barely move. Shaking madly, his left hand reached forward in the darkness, struggling to free his right foot from the stirrup. Fortunately, Burcu hadn’t been spooked too badly. Had she run off, he would have been dragged along the ground by his caught foot.

Opening his eyes, he looked left, then right, reassured slightly that he still had his Dha sword in hand. He was still armed, though lying upon the ground was certainly not an ideal position to be in. He could hear someone approaching now, and Burcu gave a snort at the sight of the unknown person, shuffling her clawed feet slightly. Still unable to catch his breath, Than was certain this would be “it” if he didn’t act fast. At last, his foot slipped free of the stirrup and he carefully began to roll over onto his right side.

Halfway through the roll, Than froze and lay upon his side, his sword lying out in his hand against the ground. A madden woman stood over the Rebel, silhouetted against the starry night sky. Out of the corner of his eye, Than could see that her shouted commands were backed up by force, the frying pan held in her hands was threateningly primed and ready to be swung.

Remaining relatively still on his side, Than raised his left hand to block a potential swing at his face, “I’m no thief.. I’m.. just a traveler!” he shouted back, still not looking directly at the woman with the frying pan. It began to seem less and less likely to Than that these were bandits. “I.. I spotted your cart and thought it was abandoned!”

If worse came to worst, Than still had his Dha held tightly in his right hand, if the mystery woman tried to swing her pan down he might have enough time to catch the swing and block it with his sword, but only if he saw the strike coming. Slowly he turned his head to get a better look at the woman.

Hearing a shout from the cart, Than watched as another woman joined the one armed with the pan, this one carrying a large bag. “I.. please.. I don’t know where your child is.. I just saw the cart and stopped to investigate. Who are you people?” The Rebel asked, his voice seeming to shake as much as his hands were.

[xuan]

To Xuan's releife and shame, right after the man declared he had done nothing with jiang the little girl crawled out from under the cart, her knees and hands covered in dirt.

"Mama," at the sound of her voice Xuan dropped the bag and scopped up her baby girl. but even with her duaghter safe she was still wary of the man and she kept her eyes on his dark shadow.

"A traveler?" Xuan looked at his ride and with his bulging pack she figured it was possible, but with her childrens safety on the line she wasn't ready to believe just anything, "It's awefully late to be traveling, why haven't you set up a camp?" she could have said the same for herself since they had been traveling at an unusual hour, but they had pulled over and as far as this "traveler" knew they had been camped out all night.

Ti stepped forward with her frying pan, blocking Xuan and the children. Xuan was glade she had brought her along, she always knew best and she was so protective.

"Stand up," Ti said, well more like spat.

"Nanny, no mean," Jiang was pointing a tiny pudge finger at her nanny, a darling look of child seriousness on her face.

"Yeah, what'd he do, Mama?" Bo had moved toward the front of the cart, Tson held in the crook of a folded arm.

Xuan looked down at the man, she didn'e expect her children to understand why she was being so defensive, but she couldn't act this way in front of her children. She kissed Jiangs cheek and set her back in the cart next to her brother and instructed Ti to put down the pan then stepped forward herself.

"Please, stand up and put away your sword, are you hungry?" She felt odd having gone directly from stern to hostess, but she didn't want to fight this man and now that her children were seemingly safe there wasn't much reason to be so hostile, "Prehaps were can explain things over some tea," She waited patiantly, all the while thinking how strange things had been since she had left Ba Sing Se.

[than]

Just when things began to look grim for the shifty Rebel, Than, and it seemed the two mysterious women as well, caught the small sound of a child’s voice from behind them. Watching through eyes the size of dinner plates, Than saw the second woman set her bag aside and disappear behind Burcu for a moment, returning with the child in her arms.

The Rebel’s Ostrich Horse had stood relatively still during the “encounter” and remained where she had been when Than had fallen from her saddle. The woman holding the little girl began to question Than and he remained still upon the ground, his eyes moving from her to her pan wielding companion and back again. He peered over at Burcu and noticed the woman with the child was studying her.

Burcu gave a snort and turned her head to look upon the woman, her ears twitching slightly, aware that the woman was watching her. The Rebel looked back to the woman as she spoke once more, “Yes.. I’m just a traveler,” Than began, still shaky-like, “I… don’t have the… proper supplies to make camp and this area isn’t exactly a safe place to stop… that’s why I investigated your cart there,” he said, pointing to the cart. Though not all of what the Rebel had said was truthful, there was still some fact in what he’d told the women.

It then seemed to Than that his answer had not been satisfactory, noting the woman with the frying pan stepping forward once again. She ordered him to get up and he figured it would likely be best if he did what she asked of him. Carefully, cautiously, Than rolled over and rose to his knees, turning to keep an eye upon the woman with the pan. He kept his Dha sword in his right hand, but pointed the blade’s tip down into the dirt.

The children spoke, and drew Than’s attention for a moment, but the potential threat of being hit forced his gaze back onto the pan woman. For a rather tense moment, Than remained where he was, watching the other woman place her daughter back into the cart with, what was likely a little boy, perhaps the girl’s brother. He felt a bit relieved, however, when the woman asked the other to put the pan away.

She addressed the Rebel directly, next and he slowly rose to his feet, brushing the dirt off of the tip of his Dha before taking a few steps forward, slipping the sword back into its sheath upon Burcu’s saddle. His back still hurt and it was rather difficult to breathe, following the fall from the saddle, but Than felt he’d be alright, he just might be sore for a time.

He turned to face the woman who’d spoken, barely remembering the last time he had eaten. It had to have been at least a day ago, Than thought, somewhat intrigued by the offer. The Rebel’s paranoid nature quickly took over and he felt he shouldn’t be so trusting, the woman’s shift from defensive to welcoming seemed somewhat suspicious to Than, though, what didn’t seem suspicious to Than?

“No.. I’m not hungry,” said Than, his voice back to it’s normal quiet tone. With the woman’s offer for tea, Than relented, “Alright,” he said simply nodding, “Won’t we need a fire for that?” The Rebel still had yet to get a good look at the two women, it was quite dark after all, but it probably would be best if things were explained. He was somewhat curious as to what they were doing here.

Than gave Burcu a pat and undid her saddle bags, setting them upon the ground so she wouldn’t have to stand around with all of that weight upon her back. She did seem rather tired; a break would likely do her some good, though Than would stay ever alert around these folks even if they didn’t seem threatening. He turned back to the woman, “Shall we find some.. kindling or the like?”

[xuan]

Xuan was still a little stiff, wary of the man, but she couldn't let this interfer with her manners. She was a noble woman, strangers weren't supposed to spoke her, sure she was sleeping in a cart on the side of the road, but she was still a noble- at least for now.

Ti, having set down her pan, went about finding the fire wood they had brought along. It was a small bundle, but they were fairly good sized logs that would make a few decent fires. Of course originally Xuan had figured they wouldn't need to make too many campfires, staying in an Inn as often as possible would have reduced how much Ti would have to cook.

"No need," Xuan held up her hand to stop him just as Ti produced a thick, dry log and a handfull of smaller fire starting twigs, "Bo, darling, get the fire," Bo found the stone and tinder that would spark the fire to life, Xuan knew how much he loved making the sparks so she had no worries about letting him do so.

Ti was squinting at the ground for a suitable fire pit, but the only thing she could find was an extremely shallow dip, "This'll have to do," she sat next to the dip and began arranging the wood in a fashion that would help it catch quick. Bo had jumped from the cart and knelled near her heels, watching intently as the older woman worked.

"Do prefer Green or Juniper?" Xuan was still looking at the man as she picked up Jiang and rested the girl between her hip and her arm, leaving her other hand free. She was still a little stiff, the man was aweful twitchy, but she did her best to seemed relaxed.

[than]

The woman dismissed any need for searching the area for fire wood and Than watched as the little group of travelers went about building the fire. He nodded to the woman, letting her know he understood. Still, he had yet to get a good look at the people; it was a moonless night and, so far, they’d appeared mostly as shadowy silhouettes. Though Than figured, he too, appeared this way to them as well.

Than took Burcu’s reigns and led her around the area that the pan woman had determined was suitable for a fire pit, on the far side of the little depression he allowed the Ostrich Horse to sit down in some matted grass to rest, patting her upon the head. He quickly retrieved the two saddle bags and dragged, more so than carried, the two large packs over next to Burcu, it would be less than ideal if the travelers were to discover his connection to the Rebels, for all he knew, they could be Fire Nation loyalists or the like.

Addressed by the woman who was clearly the mother to the two children, Than turned from Burcu, catching the question. He’d only had Juniper tea a few times, mostly when his parents had entertained noble clients from their clothing design and tailoring shop. Thinking things over for a moment, the shifty Rebel came quickly to the conclusion that these people had to be wealthy in some form or another, Juniper tea wasn’t exactly known to be a staple of the lower classes in the Earth Kingdom.

“Green would be just fine, thank you,” replied Than strolling over toward the fire “pit”. He’d felt slightly compelled to help with the making of the fire and the like, but it seemed like the child and the pan woman had things under control. Carefully taking a seat beside the “pit”, Than watched the child and the older woman build up the wood for a moment.

He was beginning to get a bit nervous again, an offer of tea was certainly accommodating, but if that tea was poisoned or the like… Than bit his lip, trying not to think of such things, what reason would these travelers have to drug or harm him? Unless they really were bandits.. No! Than stopped right there, if he got paranoid around the travelers, things could go poorly. Turning his head to the mother woman once again, he spoke, satisfying both his paranoia and hopefully improving his standing with the group as well.

“Would you.. like me to help with the tea?” he asked, cautiously. If he were allowed to help, that would limit the woman’s chances to fool with the tea or something. Than, as usual, could find potential for deceitful intentions in anyone, though, more often than not, his fears were unfounded. Rarely did he stick around anywhere long enough to learn to trust someone, however. Perhaps this time would be different.

[xuan]

'green'

At the decision Xuan turned to the cart, feeling a bit worried, setting her back to the man, but she didn't want to give him cuase for suspicion where there was none especially since he seemed like a rather jumpy fellow.

"Green it is then," she rumaged through a few bags before she found the tea, all the while Ti had piled the wood correctly and was watching over Bo as he struck the rocks together to get the fire started, holding Jinag on her lap to keep her out of harms way.

The fire was started airly quickly and with light in the area Xuan felt a little more comfortable, but not for long.

'Would you.. like me to help with the tea?' the man asked and when she turned to reply, always prefering to speak to people face to face she was almost scared at hwat she saw in the newlyu aquired light. The man looked terrible emaciated, like a skeleton with skin, but she kept her cool, not letting him see her fear but instead nodded to help hide some of her shock.

"that would be wonderful," she pointed to a thick bag on the edge of the cart, "If you would grab the pot and the tea ball we can get started. Are sure you're ot hungry? It would be no problem for Ti to whip you up something," after the initial shock of the mans appearence she felt terrible sorry for his malnurished state and wanted dearly to help him in some way, but if he refused again she wouldn't push it, she knew that would seem suspicious and, seeing the way his hands shook in the light, made it seem like he didn't need one more thing to be worried about.

[than]

Seated cross legged before the fire pit, Than turned his head from the motherly woman and watched the little boy strike his flint producing a small shower of sparks over the unlit wood pile. Soon, the fire was lit and steadily grew, illuminating the area. Than could now see his hosts relatively clearly, an older woman, the little boy and girl and their mother, whom had her back turned to the Rebel.

When she turned to acknowledge his offer, Than caught a slight look of shock before her features returned to what he figured was normal, though, in all honesty, he could have been wrong, having truly seen her face clearly for the first time right then. Studying the woman for a moment, still seated, Than made up his mind that she likely was of the Earth Kingdom Upper Class, as he had assumed. That was rather reassuring, at least he could rule out bandits or the like.

Though the woman’s outfit didn’t stand out immediately to Than, her skin, face and hair suggested a pampered life, no noticeable sunburn or evidence of a great deal of time spent out on the road. Normally, he would have ID’d her by her clothing, growing up in a family of tailors and designers who custom made outfits for the nobility, he had a fair eye for such things.

The noblewoman pointed to a bag sticking up at the edge of the cart and accepted Than’s offer, before offering food once again. He rose to his feet and moved over to the cart’s side. A shaky hand taking the bag, he carefully opened it up and retrieved a rather ornate looking teapot and a small metal stand upon which to set it, “I suppose I could do with some food if you insist, it’s been.. at least a day since I last ate…” Than trailed off, moving back toward fire, setting down before it once again.

He took a long piece of kindling and pushed some of the smoldering coals away from the main logs of the fire, out far enough to place the metal stand over the hot coals to heat the tea once the pot was placed. Poking at the coals a bit more, he looked up, over at the noblewoman, “What brings you folks out here, anyway?”

[xuan]

'A least a day?!' Xuan thought, she couldn't imagine going so long without food, of course she was very accustomed to having three good square meals a day, to think of not having a single one of them was a bit horrifying.

Xuan motioned for Ti to join her by the cart as the shaky man set the tea pot up.

"Dear, would you kindly set up some eggs and some suasage to cook for the man," Ti nodded silently, something about the look in her eyes said she wasn't nearly as trusting of the man as Xuan was trying to be, but she went about getting the food and her frying pan anyway.

"What brings you folks out here, anyway?" Xuan had taken up a seat, kneeling between Bo and Jiang, she looked across the fire at the man.

"We're on our way to Tachi Dai, we have a vacationing home near the coast and we are meeting my husband in the village before we continue on," The vacationing home was true, but she wasn't sure when or if she would ever see Tsuki again, but she figured the prospect of someone waiting for them would make the man rethink any tricks he might have up his sleeves.

"But how rude of me, I've forgotten introductions," She started from the lowest rank of the small group, just like her grandfather had tuaght her, "This is Ti Lan, our nanny," Ti had just rejoined them, the full frying pan ready to be stuck on the fire when there was space, "This is my youngest duaghter, Jiang," the little girl waved her small and very dirty hands at the man, "My son, Bo," the little boy flashed a gaint grin at the man, Xuan was glad to see that her children weren't afraid of the man, "and I am Xuan Yen,"

Her side of introductions done she held out her hand as a cue for the man to offer up his own name, but she wasn't sure if he would know the motion since he didn't look like he had much dealings with introductions.

[than]

The fire was nice, Than had to admit. It really was rather pleasant to stop a take a rest, sitting up on Burcu’s saddle all day, and for the better part of the evening, had left the Rebel sore and somewhat weary, though he’d remained alert by sheer will alone. Feeling tempted to let his guard down a bit, Than nearly relaxed, sitting there, warming his hands by the fire.

When the mother spoke to the older woman, Than snapped back to his usual suspicious, cautious nature, listening carefully and watching as ‘pan woman’ retrieved her trademark weapon. The Rebel cringed at the sight of the cooking implement, remembering how it had been poised above his head, ready to strike only a few minutes before. Eggs and Sausage? thought Than, finally feeling pangs of hunger as he imagined the delicious food. He could almost smell it.

The Rebel thought back, trying to remember the last time he’d had some tasty Pig Chicken eggs and Cow Pig sausages cooked over an open fire. Back when he’d been with a Rebel cell in the southwest, down near Kei Lan, that was nearly a year ago, he figured. Quickly returning to the present, the shifty Rebel turned around for a moment to check on his Ostrich Horse.

It seemed Burcu had been more worn out then Than had first thought, the Ostrich Horse had already tucked her head against her side, partially covering it with her wing, fast asleep. That would likely be it, Than thought, he knew he couldn’t bring himself to wake his beloved mount from her slumber, unless of course, it was some sort of emergency.

It looked like he’d be staying for the evening if the noblefolks would allow him to, a good night’s sleep, well, as good a night’s sleep as Than could get, jumping at every strange noise, would probably do him some good. The mother woman took a seat on the opposite side of the fire from Than and he turned his attention to her. The Rebel nodded slowly, listening, he was a bit surprised to hear they had the same destination and figured, it would be wise to conceal that fact.

Than was pondering his response when the woman introduced her companion and children, the ‘pan woman’ whose name was revealed to be Ti Lan, joining those seated around the fire. As the mother introduced her children, Than waved weakly back at the little girl with the dirty hands and her grinning brother. Idly, he wondered if the girl was an Earthbender, though, she seemed a bit young. No one in Than’s family had possessed the ability and the man’s knowledge was limited on the subject.

When the woman finally introduced herself, Than recognized the name, connecting her to the Wei Lin family of nobles from Ba Sing Se. He’d never met any of them personally, but felt fairly certain that his parents had done work for them in the past. With Miss Yen’s gesture Than bowed his head slightly, “Than Kim-Pyun of Ba Sing Se. I’m headed to..” he paused for a moment, thinking, “Lochan, on business.” he said finally, choosing the small sea-side town that really wasn’t too far off of the road to Tachi Dai.

“And that,” he said, pointing back over his shoulder at the sleeping Ostrich Horse, a rare smile upon his face, “is my traveling companion, Burcu.” The Rebel took a small water skin off of a strap around his waist sash and poured its contents into the teapot, before setting the pot itself upon the metal stand to heat. “She’s a fine friend,” he said with a nod, looking back across the fire at the noblewoman.

[xuan]

Ti seemed a bit sceptical of Than's notion of friendship with the ostrich-horse, but she had never been much of a animal person. Xuan however was still thinking on his name, she was sure it sounded familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint where she had heard it.

"This is Tson, she's just a little kitten, but she bites like a tiger," Bo held up the tiny white cat he had been holding, sounding a little miffed that his mother had forgotten the kitten.

Xuan didn't notice she was busy stuffing tea leaves into the tea ball, something she was not used to doing and she seemed to be having a little difficulty with it, but most of that might have been becuase she was trying to remember where she knew Kim-Pyun from. Closing the little metal ball with a snape she carefully clipped to the side of the tea pot to let it steep while the water boiled.

"Tailors," Xuan snapped her fingers, she was sure she had figured out where the name had come from, of course it was a long shot that he was related and by the look of his own clothing she wouldn't have guessed he was, but she figured it couldn't hurt to mention it, "Back in Ba Sing Se, much of my families clothing was tailored by a family by the name of Kim-Pyun, have you heard of them?"

Jiang had decided to sit next to the man, she was an extremely curious four year old and she found Than's twitching and shaking oddly fasinating, though most people would have been spooked by it.

"Why you shake like that, mister?" She held out her hand, steady in front of her, "See you gotta keep it still or else Nanny will slap your hand for fidgeting,"

[than]

Than watched the boy hold up the little white kitten, introducing her. The Rebel made an effort to smile and waved across the fire at the kitten, “Nice to meet you, Tson.” As a child, Than had never had pets, his family had simply never considered getting any. It wasn’t until the shifty Rebel was out on the road, that he encountered Burcu and, though she had startled him at first, having followed him after he’d discarded a half eaten apple, he warmed up to the Ostrich Horse and she’d been with him ever since.

The Rebel changed his seated position; his back was starting to hurt a bit and he felt like a good stretch would help a bit. Extending his arms up and back he tiled his head back and looked up at the sky, with several satisfying pops and crackles from his arms and upper back, Than took a deep breath and let it out slowly. That was much better, he thought, settling back into a comfortable position.

“Tailors,” said Miss Yen, snapping her fingers. Than looked up from the fire immediately, so she did know his family, at least by name, anyhow. The Rebel’s suspicions were confirmed when Xuan posed her question. Grinning, Than nodded, “I’m the Kim-Pyun’s third child and only son. I don’t happen to know of any other Kim-Pyun families known for their tailoring, so I imagine my folks are the ones who made your family’s clothing.”

He didn’t exactly expect the woman to believe him, one certainly wouldn’t assume Than was from a fairly well known upper-middle class family by his appearance or by the fact that he was traveling around in the middle of the night. Starting to feel a bit nervous again, he hoped that his story seemed legitimate enough to the noblefolks. They’d yet to ask about his “business” and if he was careful, he could likely avoid the subject altogether, what reason had they not to believe him on that count?

Turning his head slowly to one side, he was a bit surprised to find that the little girl, Jiang, had moved over to sit beside him. She asked him about his twitchiness, up front. That was rather rare, Than thought, very few people had ever actually asked him outright about his hand tremors and the like. Turning at the waist slightly, he held out his hands, palms up, to compare them to the little girl’s own outstretched hand.

Where as, he little hand remained steady, Than’s shook noticeably, each finger seeming to quiver slightly. “I’m.. not really certain why,” he began, speaking rather slowly, trying to think of a way to best describe his hand tremors and nature in general, “I’ve always been a bit shaky I suppose, stress maybe. It gets better at times, but never really goes away completely.”

Nerves, stress or some sort of disorder, Than had never really known exactly what caused it. He knew that it got worse when he was stressed or nervous and better when he focused intently upon some task or on the, albeit rare, occasions when he relaxed slightly. He hoped that his answer had satisfied the girl’s curiosity, feeling somewhat sorry that he couldn’t give her a better or more definite answer.

The teapot squealed for attention, the water within having heated to the proper temperature for tea making. Than seemed a bit startled by the unexpected sound and turned quickly to look upon the pot. Carefully, he reached a hand out and removed the top, silencing the squeal. Looking to Miss Yen he nodded, “Looks like the water’s ready.” A hot cup of Green Tea was beginning to sound very pleasant to the road weary Rebel.

[xuan]

Xuan considered Than's proclomation to being related to the Kim-Pyun tailor's as she set up three cups for the tea. Bo and Jiang didn't drink much tea, but upon instruction Ti left the frying pan to Xuan and went to the cart to get some milk and water for the childen.

"How do you like your eggs?" Xuan placed the the pan over the fire, but the tight squizing sickness that had bothered her at the beginning of their trip as settling again in her stomach and she pulled the pa away from the fire and set it on the ground and after muttering a hurried 'excuse me' she rushed away from the fire to throw up in some near by bushes, "Ti," Xuan called back to her nanny as the stumbled back to the fire.

"I hear you, hold on," Ti handed the tea cups of milk and water to Jiang and Bo before rushing to get the bottle of herb water that they had used earlier. Xuan took a sip and as she sat down at the fire again, then handed the bottle back to Ti.

"I'm sorry about that," Xuan was embarresed about how she'd run off, but she was knew she was going to be even more embarressed about how tired she was going to get soon.

"Mama is sick with a baby, like me," Jiang said to Than, still looking at him as she took a sip from her cup.