Strange Circumstances <Earth Kingdom>

[than]

The Rebel’s head bobbed slightly with each step Burcu took; at least he wasn’t near to drifting off again, like he’d been earlier. Sure, Miss Yen seemed quite alert, but his were trained eyes, Than knew what to look for, he could spot a potential ambush from a mile away, or so he had always thought. It had never really occurred to him that he might be just a bit paranoid when it came to such things, always taking a “better safe than sorry” sort of approach to most any situation.

“Ahh,” he replied simply, nodding to the noblewoman, “I see.” The Rebel rubbed his eyes again with the back of his right hand, a nice comfy bed in an inn would have been wonderful, he’d likely sleep the whole night and next day away if such an opportunity presented itself. Though, honestly, he would probably find it difficult to sleep in some old inn. In his mind, it was more than likely that Fire Nation soldiers or… anyone else with a malevolent agenda might kick in the door and attack him before he could defend himself or escape. Than rarely slept, that was obvious to most anyone who saw him. If he did not feel safe in a place he wouldn’t sleep there and Than rarely felt safe, especially when out on the road or… in a town, for that matter.

"Has there been any noticeable change in our favor since the Avatar has returned?" asked the noblewoman, refocusing the Rebel’s thoughts on the prior subject. “Well…” Than muttered, turning once again to face his travel companion, “Not really.. they say he destroyed a Fire Nation invasion fleet up at the North Pole with some sort of spirit magic or something. I’ve heard he’s in the Earth Kingdom now, somewhere, but that’s about all I know,” he said, shrugging. Than had heard tales that the Avatar had trained for a time at an Earth Kingdom military base in the northern Earth Kingdom, though all of that information had come through his Rebel comrades and he felt he ought not share it.

A question he’d been considering slowly worked its way back to the forefront of his mind and Than began to ponder bringing it up once again. Peering over at Miss Yen, he found her admiring the scenery. He never saw it as beautiful, though, he had seen what many might consider beautiful sights on his travels about the Earth Kingdom on behalf of the Rebellion, the plants and trees were only hiding places for evil in his mind and he probably missed quite a lot due to this suspicious nature.

Trying to come up with a safe way to word his question, Than eventually decided to wing it, “Miss Yen, if you could, I dunno, aid the war effort in some way or another, would you?” the Rebel cringed a bit but quickly regained his sleepy, relatively calm look. “I’ve spoken with my family on the subject and they’ve been donating cloth to the Army under the table for several months now.” The statement wasn’t entirely true; the Kim-Pyun family was donating cloth to the war effort, but not to the Earth Kingdom regular Army as there was “no war in Ba Sing Se”.

[xuan]

Xuan nodded, though wiping out a navy fleet was extremely impressive the Fire Nation was sure to just push harder now that they had an opponent. She worried that maybe the Avatar would bring more trouble than good, though she quickly shook her head to rid it of that thought, surely the Avatar would be doing all he could to stop the Fire Nation and restore balance in the world as his duties called him to.

She thought about this sole hero for a moment, considering how long it had been since Avatar Roku had died the newest avatar would be one hundred and eleven years old, decrepit. She mused on how spirit magic must work wonders on age of course she still assumed he would be an elderly man and the Fire Lord was young and powerful; she hated to think about weither or not spirit magic would help the Avatar enough to actaully defeat such a monster and to her reliefe Than's question which broke the silence between them helped her escape from these thoughts.

"Miss Yen, if you could, I dunno, aid the war effort in some way or another, would you?” As he noted how his parents had been helping out she truely considered the matter.

"I would be more than happy to help," she considered how best to continue, she didn't want to let out that she wasn't on good terms with her husbands family since she had left Ba Sing Se, but she had been raised as a noble and inheritated a lot, she didn't truely need his family except for reputation, "I'm not a fighter and it would be difficult for me to outright protest the war, I have my family to think of, but I believe I could assist mcu in the same way your own family has done. Of course, I don't have clothes to donate, but I'm not a poor woman, I'm sure I could donate a fair sum to assist though I would have to get your word that such a donation would be kept secret," Xuan peeked back into the cart, Ti fast asleep and her children playing queitly around her, "If it was known that I had such dealings it could greatly endanger my family, I don't know if you have children, Mr. Kim-Pyun, but I think you could understand not wanting them to be in any danger," If anything happened to either Bo or Jiang becuase of her efforts she would regret it forever, her children were her life, they meant everything to her.

[than]

Leaning back in Burcu’s saddle, Than tired to relax some. He placed his arms back, behind himself, to prop his body up, and turned slightly to one side, looking to the noblewoman with an interested look as she spoke. The Rebel felt a certain degree of relief wash over him as it seemed Miss Yen was taking to the idea quite well. He knew relatively little about her family, where their wealth had been derived from, how high up on the totem pole they really were, but nobility was still nobility and, honestly, the Rebellion would take whatever aid it could get, at least, the Earth Kingdom Resistance component would, anyhow. Than had not yet been informed that the group reached beyond the Earth Kingdom’s borders, though, that decision had probably been for the best when he’d first been accepted into the group.

Than nodded, acknowledging Xuan Yen’s words, she brought up valid points, some of them, he had, himself, considered earlier when he’d been debating asking such a question involving the war effort. Things had turned out well, thus far, but the Rebel began to feel he would be forced to reveal more to the noblewoman than he probably should. The veil of secrecy that surrounded the Rebellion was drawn tight and he was uncertain how the group’s leadership would react if they learned he had brought Miss Yen into the fold without their direct permission.

She had her family to worry about and Than did not wish to see them endangered on his or the Rebellion’s behalf, that was out of the question. He had no children, no wife or girlfriend, but back home, in Ba Sing Se, he had his sisters, the ones who had treated him well, at least, and the arrangement with his own family had been kept between him, his mother and father only, leaving his four sisters with plausible deniability in the event that the cloth donations were discovered or the like.

“I do understand,” he said nodding slowly, “Neither I, nor… any of my compatriots would ever wish to see any harm come to you or your family. See…” the Rebel took a moment to look around, checking over his shoulder, to the left, to the right and, satisfied there wasn’t a soul around to hear him besides the noblewoman, continued, “there happens to be..” he leaned over, closer to Miss Yen so he could speak in lower tones, “a… group of dedicated citizens, sort of… fighting back against the Fire Nation’s occupation forces. I…” he paused again, shifty brown eyes peering around quickly, just to be certain they were clear, before picking up again, “am a part of this group and… we need all of the help we can get. I’m sure we can work something out with my superiors, in the future, but for now, I’ll explain more when we make camp or something.. alright?” Slowly sitting back in the saddle, he quickly spoke up again in an unnecessarily loud manner, “Well! That is one fine secret stew recipe you have there, Miss Yen, thank you for sharing!” shouted the Rebel enthusiastically. If anyone was watching them, trying to eavesdrop, that would throw them off, nothing but a secret recipe, yep, Than nodded slyly, smooth.

He gave the noblewoman a nervous grin, hoping she would catch on and play along with his ploy to confuse the imaginary spies and the like who might be hiding amongst the bushes and trees along their path.

The small group soon made a turn and the sight that lay before them was not a promising one. The large river that was clearly marked upon Than’s map was right where it ought to be, but the wooden bridge that spanned the swiftly flowing waters no longer stood. Though they were still some ways away, the Rebel could already see the blackened, fractured timbers lying in a heap, partially submerged in the river. The bridge had been set ablaze and collapsed into the water, taking with it any hopes of a quick crossing. “Uh… oh,” Than muttered as they drew nearer, this was not a good sign.

[xuan]

As Than lowered his voice Xuan leaned closere to hear him and the nature of his speech was wisely kept quiet. A resistance? How was that possible? She leaned away when he was finished and gave a weak smile as he spoke louder than necessary about a secret soup recipe; he was a very strange fellow.

"You are most welcome, Mr. Kim-pyun," she said at a similar decible, she was sure no one was following us, but she would do what she could to help ease the mans suspicious mind. She wished he hadn't told her about this 'rebellion' it was something she didn't need to know. Her husband had often said the less she knew the better in case anyone tried to get information form her she could honestly say she didn't know, but she knew now and it was a secret that if she was linked to it could put her children in danger.

But as they came insight of what was asuredly their crossing point it looked as though the group had bigger problems then what Than was involved in. The remnents of a bridge were burnt and unpassable, pieces of it having clearly washed away. As they drew closer Xuan dismounted and lead her ostrich horse forward to inspect what was left of the bridge. She had hoped that a majority of the burnt timber would only be submerged, then they might still use it to cross while only getting their feet wet, but they weren't so lucky. a major section out of the middle had been completely washed away, there would be no easy crossing.

"I think it is best that we rest for the remainder of the night and come up with a crossing plan," she turned to Than hoping he would agree, it would be bad enough to cross this in clear daylight she deffinatly didn't want to try it in the last fading light of the sun. She tied her ostrich horse to the nearest tree and went to the back of the cart to wake Ti and the children, the old lady would not be pleased at the news.

[than]

As they approached the bridge in silence, Than was more interested in their surroundings than the charred span itself. He quickly surveyed the area, thick looking trees to the right, on their side of the river; while the opposite bank appeared clear of plant life, at least, in the general area around the bridge. There didn’t seem to be any sign of those responsible for the destroyed bridge, though, that didn’t mean they weren’t lying in wait or the like. Honestly, if Than were a bandit, the area around the destroyed bridge would have made an ideal location for an ambush in his opinion. Weary travelers stop when they find the bridge out and consult maps or the like in hopes of finding an alternate route. They wouldn’t be paying attention to their surroundings and… whoosh; bandits swoop in from their hiding places in the woods or the like and take them by surprise.

Though Miss Yen had dismounted, Than remained poised upon Burcu, keeping alert for the slightest sign of trouble. He kept along beside the noblewoman and her mount as they drew nearer to the bridge, slowly turning his gaze from their surroundings and onto the bridge, though he was far from satisfied with his initial scan. The two scrutinized the burnt and collapsed structure for a time. It would likely have to be completely replaced; it was too far gone for any repairs or the like. It appeared that major sections had been washed away in by the swift and steady current and what was left of the span seemed to be badly burned to the point where much of the wood had lost a great deal of its strength.

"I think it is best that we rest for the remainder of the night and come up with a crossing plan," said the noblewoman, turning to face the mounted Rebel. This was turning into exactly the situation Than had feared, they would be forced to camp near the bridge, of all places. He had half a mind to suggest they attempt the crossing immediately and continue traveling through the night to put as much distance between the group and the bridge as possible, but Than knew he was not alone on the journey and Xuan Yen had a valid point. The Rebel really had no plans in mind to get across the river, as of yet and it was getting late. He was tired as well, but until he was out cold, he’d remain shifty and suspicious.

“I think you’re right,” he began, turning to face her, nodding, “we do need a plan and.. a rest wouldn’t be bad as well,” Than said, peering down to her at ground level, then over his shoulder, back at the cart, curious if Ti and the children were still resting. He slowly turned back to face Miss Yen, “We should probably set up camp a ways into the woods there,” he said, gesturing towards the trees, “It’s not… really safe to camp right by a bridge like this. Especially one that’s been burned down recently.”

Carefully, the Rebel slid down, out of the saddle. The stiffness caused by riding for most of the day immediately made itself known and Than made an effort to stretch his legs some before taking Burcu’s reigns in his hand, leading her over beside Miss Yen’s Ostrich Horse, though there was no need to tie her up. That was one thing the Rebel could put faith in, his mount. She might wander about some, graze a bit, take a drink from the river, but she wouldn’t go far and could quickly be summoned with a whistle or other, more subtle, audio cues.

Burcu seemed content with standing beside the other Ostrich Horse and Than gave her a pat upon the head before turning toward the forest. “Going to take a quick look around, alright?” he said strolling off between the dense looking trees. Last he’d seen, Miss Yen was headed back to the cart, likely to check on the others and he hoped he could find a suitable place to camp within the woods before they began to set something up out in plain view of the bridge.

After a few minutes spent walking through the forest, which, was slowly becoming darker as the sun set into the west, Than began to feel a bit nervous. Of course, he carried one of his very small knives strapped to his left forearm, hidden by his sleeve, but that would do little against a sword or spear or the like and he began to feel increasingly nervous. Before he became to unsettled and raced back to the little group, fate smiled upon him and he came upon a sizeable clearing nestled into the woods, surrounded by tall pine trees. It would be tough worming the wagon through the trees, but he figured they could manage, the spot was too good to pass up.

Quickly trotting back through the woods to the bridge area, Than emerged from the foliage beside the cart, “I think I’ve found us a save spot to camp for the night,” he said proudly, spotting the noblewoman nearby.

[xuan]

Xuan was glad to hear that Than agreed they couldn't cross tonight, but he seemed incredibley nervous about staying near the bridge and she easily understood why, it was almost completely surrounded by thick forest where any common theif could be hidding. She wasn't very comfortable with the idea either, but she was even more uncomfortable with the idea of trying to cross a swift river in the dark. The small groups twitchy companion stated he would scout out a safer place to camp and as he left Xuan went to the back of the cart to inform Ti of the situation.

"Ti, the bridge was burnt so will be camping nearby until morning," Ti nodded, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and climbing out of the wagon, she took a good look at the woods, it was going to take some work to get the wagon through the dense forest, but looking around she agreed it would be better to be hidden then out in the open.

Bo was fast asleep in the back of the cart, Tson curled into a tight ball against his chest while Jiang silently entertained herself with a small clump of dirty she had taken from their last stop. Xuan was still in a little shock over her duaghters new found ability and her apparent natural talent, but she set such thoughts aside for now, her sole concern had to be to get her family safely to Tachi Dai and to plan a course of action after that.

"I think I’ve found us a safe spot to camp for the night," Than emerged from the woods and Xuan sent Ti to get the second ostrich horse, Xuan would lead the one tied to the carriage. The area Than had found wasn't far from the road, but it was very secluded, someone would have to know they were there in order to find them which made it a good place for the night.

It was a struggle to get the wagon to the spot, the wheels snagging on roots and rocks alike, but they made it and in a good hours time a small camp was set up.

"I suggest we forgo a fire tonight," Ti said as she divided some jerky and bread between three plates like she had for lunch. Bo was awake now, sitting near his mother, the kitten still in his lap, while Jiang had taken up following Than around once again; if he sat she sat beside him, when he walked she followed at his heels. Xuan found it strange that she had attached herself so firmly to the stranger, but also endearing at the same time.

[than]

Maneuvering the wagon through the dense trees had been a bit difficult and it had taken a few whacks here and there with the Dha sword to remove some roots and branches that seemed to claw at the axel and wheels like gnarled hands, reaching out to slow their progress. Not to mention several large rocks that blocked their path as well. Than was more than willing to take the time to clear them away, however, as reaching the safety of the spot he’d discovered was imperative. He even felt he might be able to sleep semi-comfortably, knowing that their spot was virtually undetectable from the road and the like.

Once the group had reached the secluded clearing, Than had gone back up the path they’d taken and swept away their footprints and the wagon tracks with a stray branch then went about concealing the way they’d cleared with a few more branches he hacked off from the nearby trees. When he was finished, he felt fairly confident that the path was well enough obscured. To discover the group’s presence, one would have to walk directly into the woods a fair ways and literally stumble upon the small camp.

After ensuring that they would remain undisturbed, Than returned to the clearing and helped with setting up camp. He found Burcu a comfortable spot next to a fallen tree and removed her heavy saddlebags as well as the saddle itself, though; the thought of a quick escape was always present at the back of his mind. If something came up, he could always ride bareback if need be. Next, he unpacked and unrolled his sleeping mat and bedding, clearing away an area with his foot so that the mat wouldn’t get covered in pine needles or the like. As he went about setting up and the like, the Rebel had noticed his little shadow had returned, following him about and observing as he took care of things. He didn’t mind the little girl following him about any, she didn’t get in the way and it was rather flattering that she found him so interesting, for whatever reason.

With everything in place, Than retrieved a small oil lit lantern he often kept hung in a small leather pouch from Burcu’s saddle and a box of matches, sitting down upon his bedroll amongst the rest of the group. As expected, the little Earthbender took a seat as well and watched as Than went about lighting up the lantern. "I suggest we forgo a fire tonight," the older woman said, divvying up dinner amongst the small group. Than nodded in response and spoke without looking up from his oil lantern, “That’s very wise, yeah. Someone could smell the smoke or see it rising from the woods and come poking around to investigate.”

The Rebel carefully lit the lantern’s wick and blew out the match before flicking it aside. “This little lantern here will give us just enough light to see what we’re doing and no smoke,” he said, holding it up proudly. “Then, when we add this…” Than set the lantern down and pulled a small metal cowl out from the pouch and placed it over the top of the lantern, causing the light to reflect downward toward the ground only, “we get a better view of the ground and less chance of somebody catching a glimpse of light through the trees by chance or the like.”

With the lantern placed at the center of the clearing, Than sat back on his bedroll to enjoy dinner, gnawing on a piece of jerky. Once the others had had a chance to start eating, the Rebel brought up the important question, “So, anyone have any ideas on how we can get across the river out there?” he had a few, himself, but both were fairly impractical and he was curious to hear if the others had anything better.

[xuan]

Xuan sat, Bo at her side, and slowly began to pick at her food though Than chewed at his jerky she prefered to pull it apart into small managable pieces. "Jiang," at the sound of her name Xuan's duaghter reluctantly left the strangers side and sat beside her mother. The little girl attempted to gnaw at a strip of meat like she had seen Than do Ti gave her hand a light tap and instructed her to follow her mothers example.

Xuan said nothing about the lantern and though she was grateful for it's light in the growing darkness of the wood her mind was a little preoccupied with what to do tomorrow. While they had waited for Than to return from his scouting she had taken a closer look at what was left of the bridge, but she had yet to come up with a sufficient crossing plan.

"So, anyone have any ideas on how we can get across the river out there?" by the way Than asked it sound as if he didn't have any great idea either.

"I think I might have one," Ti said, though she spoke slowly, her distant gaze saying she was trying to clearly think over her plan, "Granted it's not a wonderful idea, but it might get us across in one piece," She took a slow bit of her bread, her jaw moving slowly as she chewed, "How well do you swim, Mr. Kim-Pyun?"

[than]

Perhaps the noblewoman had the right idea here. Than carefully inspected his jerky for a moment then took to picking it apart in a similar manner, pulling off smaller pieces. It was a bit better than gnawing upon the meat like a lemur dog gnawing upon the stereotypical boot or the like; probably better for his teeth as well. The Rebel had had quite the history of dental problems starting when he was just a boy; that butcher of a dentist his mother had often taken him to hadn’t made things much better.

"I think I might have one." Than looked up from his meal, giving Ti his attention, “Mmm?” he muttered, peering over at her dimly lit figure. He listened curiously as she spoke, what did the older woman have in mind? “Ahh,” he began, nodding, “Well enough, I suppose. That river’s a good thirty five, maybe forty feet across, but that’s not too far, it’s the current that I’d be curious about,” he said, changing from a seated position on his bedroll to lying upon his side with his dinner plate before him. “What’ve you got in mind?” he asked, tilting his head to one side slightly, idly picking at his jerky without taking his eyes off of Miss Ti. He was tired and the bedroll was beginning to feel really comfortable, but he wanted to get some form of a crossing plan sorted out before he hit the hay. It would be one less thing to worry about, though; he’d probably worry about it anyway.

His own ideas, the best of which was to find some way to patch up the wagon so that it could be floated across, would be saved for later, after he’d heard Ti’s. Hopefully hers would be better. Patching up the wagon could be tough, but he figured they could use candle wax to do it. He had candles with him, a box of them. The wide assortment of things he carried with him in those two large saddlebags would surprise one. Most of Than’s odds and ends would likely seems unnecessary, though, from the Rebel’s point of view, all of his things had a potential use and not having them along could prove detrimental in some situation that might arise.

If the wagon could be made to float, he knew they could probably ford the river. Burcu was a fine swimmer, the other Ostrich Horse, Xuan Yen’s, he wasn’t so sure about, but he figured it could swim too, most could. But again, the current would be a major factor in any crossing attempt as would the river’s depth. It was wide, yes, but if it was shallow, they might just be able to charge right across without much trouble.

[xuan]

Xuan, like Than, was listening intently to whatever idea Ti had formed and she sat patiently as the older woman thought out her plan. The silence that hung arou nd the campire seemed ripe with potential and Xuan hoped any plan of Ti's would be a workable one, which they often were no matter how strange they seemed.

"We have brought a good deal of rope with us," Ti started, she set down her near empty plate and picked up a small stick to start mapping things out, "I am far to old to cross the river without help and Xuan was never a terribley strong swimmer, but maybe yoy can help," while she spoke she made a diagram of the river in the hard dirt.

"If you can take one end of the rope and swim it to the other side, loop it around one of the standling bridge posts, the one on the left seemed fairly sturdy, and swim it back across we could make something of a pully," she had depicted the process, the finished product looking like a circle over her dirt river.

"That might work, Ti," Xuan had always been quick to pick up what others were trying to articulate especially with Ti since she had known the woman for so long, "We could use the pully to get our belongings across, if Than would swim to the oppisite bank, and that would make the wagon light enough to be pulled," Xuan had noticed that the river wasn't horribly deep, but it was deep enough that swimming would be necessary, "When everything is across we'll tie out end to the wagon then, after using the rope to cross, we can all pull it to our side," Xuan had a small smile on her face, the plan sounded very reasonable, but she wanted it thought through by everyone incase anyone say a flaw that prehaps she had missed, "Mr. Kim-pyun, what do you think?"

So concentrated on her plan Xuan hadn't noticed Jiang take a few bits of jerky and a hunk of bread from her mothers plate and rejoin Than on the other side of the fire. Normally she would have called her duaghter out on this and insisted she return to her side, but at the moment she let it slide, somewhat intrigued by the Jiangs baby bird attitude toward the stranger. Bo however had finished his bit of the meal and was playing quietly with Tson near the edge of the fire lamp light, barely a sillouette in the woods darkness.

[than]

Than set his plate aside and propped himself up upon his arms, peering over at the older woman, just what did she have in mind? At Ti’s mention of the rope, the Rebel was quickly intrigued and began to run things over in his mind. He usually carried rope with him, certainly, but not a great deal, and definitely not enough to span the wide river, but if the noblewoman and her little group had much more in their possession… He was getting ahead of himself and quieted his mind, giving Ti his full attention. As she spoke he nodded slowly, considering things. The plan was good, it was more than good, it was ideal, he felt.

Peering over at the diagram Ti had drawn out in the dirt, Than nodded once more as Miss Yen spoke up, acknowledging that he understood where the idea was going and such. A swim across the river could be a bit tough; he’d want to have the rope tied about his waist so they could reel him back in if it proved too difficult to cross. He knew that would be unacceptable, however, they needed to cross quickly. The Rebel was expected by his comrades in Tachi Dai within two and a half weeks or so, if he was late, it was very possible that he could miss them completely. That brought up another question, if Miss Yen and her little family were bound for Tachi Dai; perhaps he ought to simply stay with them for the duration of the trip there? He had told the noblewoman of the group, albeit vaguely, perhaps he ought to reveal the location of the meeting? That way, she could probably meet with someone higher up the chain of command and better establish a donation system.

No, no.. if he didn’t leave the group, the fictitious eavesdroppers who had been following them would surely realize something was up and move in on the little group, additionally, the less Miss Yen knew, the better. Plausible deniability would help if her family ever wound up in occupied territory. He would feel guilty leaving them, however, but a plan soon formed in his mind that would see the little group safely to Tachi Dai without Than present. For now, though, he turned his thoughts back to Ti’s crossing plan. “Mr. Kim-pyun, what do you think?” the older woman asked as if on cue. The Rebel stroked his small bearded chin thoughtfully with one hand while his other arm remained under him, propping up the front of his body.

“I like it, in fact, I really like,” he said, looking up and nodding up at the woman, “We can rig a two line system for you four to cross, basically run two ropes across to that post, one to hold onto at about chest level and another at foot level and just inch across,” he said, half talking to himself, making certain it sounded right, “Or, we could use the pulley system for that too and have a single foot loop of rope that one could stand on, then be winched across or the like. Actually, you know what?” said Than, remembering one of his many “might need” items, “I’ve got a rather small old pulley block in one of my bags we could use for this.”

Noticing Jiang creeping over to his side of the lantern out of the corner of his eye, Than grinned to himself, though, barely visible in the low light. “Can your Ostrich Horse swim well?” he asked, looking to Miss Yen. “Burcu can swim that distance well enough, I’m certain. Also, how do you figure we ought to get the wagon across?” he asked, addressing Ti once more, the wagon bit had seemed a little hazy and, if they lost it, they would be slowed considerably, “Perhaps tie it to the rope, as you said, then tie that rope to one of the Ostrich Horses and just half pull half float it across? Or just winch it over so it stays dry?” He hoped he wasn’t assailing the women with his barrage of questions, he simply wanted to get the details hammered out before the group went to sleep, that way, in the morning, they could get to crossing first thing after breakfast with little hesitation.

[xuan]

Xuan smiled, "The pulley block sounds like it would be of great use," and Ti nodded her head in agreement before adding, "As the ostirich horses we have yet to see them swim, I wuold assume they would do fine, most of their kind are very good swimmers, but I would be hesitant to have them swim the wagon across. If they were to prove the only bad swimmers of their kind I would hate to burden them,"

Xuan picked up on an idea that might assist them greatly and spoke slowly as Ti had early to make sure she was well understood, "Though if we were to get them across, as I am sure we will be able, we can form a harness for our ostrich horses and they could assist us in pulling across the wagon," thinking it over she was sure the ostrich horses extra strength would be enough to pull the wagon across the river and this way if the wagon proves to difficult to pull they can cut the animals loose and though the loss of the wagon will make things difficult for sure they will still have the beasts.

Xuan thought it over, it seemed like a decent enough plan, she gave Than a brief look of question while Ti voiced it, "Does that seem well enough for you?" it was imparitive that they have his support since if one of them failed the plan would fall apart. Xuan looked over to Bo and patting her leg making a soft sound, enough to get her boys attention she waved her hand to have him come to her side and he obeyed. Before they had even begun dinner Ti had set out their bed things so Xuan layed down, propping her head up with on arm, Bo curling up against her stomach so she could wrap one arm around her son. Bo closed his eyes and seemed to quickly fall asleep with Tson curled into a tight ball near his head, purring quietly. Though Jiang seemed to want to sleep near Than she headed Ti's own silent beckon, laying on the mat with her nanny, scratching the the dirt near her, her tiny eyes half lided as she slowly drifted to sleep.

[than]

Quietly listening as Ti filled him in on the Ostrich Horses and expressed her concerns, Than nodded slowly, pondering her points. She was quite right, if the river turned out deeper or swifter than it appeared, the animals could be carried away by the waterlogged wagon toppling and end up swept away to their doom or the like. As far as Than could tell, the wagon probably wouldn’t float, there were clearly gaps around the axel holes and between the boards along the sides, though, he had yet to see the inside in any great detail so he couldn’t quite judge that surface, but doubted it was in any better shape.

Turning his attention to Miss Yen, Than remained silent as the noblewoman explained her idea. The shifty Rebel took a moment to consider her new points. Her plan seemed exceptional, it left virtually nothing to chance and that is precisely the way Than liked things. The smallest potential for failure was most certainly ideal, but even then, the Rebel’s mind would never be truly at ease and he shifted a bit upon his bedroll, seeking a more comfortable position as he thought things over. Having the Ostrich Horses pull the wagon across the river from the other side seemed like a fine idea and, perhaps, this would be an ideal opportunity to use the wax from the candles he had brought to seal up the wagon and allow it to float, that would make it far easier for the Ostrich Horses to pull across. Though, it also meant the wagon would really go with the current and they’d likely end up not so much pulling the wagon across as across and up the river as well.

"Does that seem well enough for you?" Ti asked, clearing the plan with Than before any more steps were taken. “Well,” the Rebel began, propping himself up better on his arms and carefully kicking off his slipper-like shoes in preparation for sleepin’ time, “I think that sounds quite wise, leaves as little as possible to chance. Figure I’m going to be making quite a few trips across the river then, aren’t I?” he asked, more a statement than a question. “I’ll need to ride each of our Ostrich Horses across, probably could bring the rope tied to the wagon across or the like on the last trip over too, would save time.”

“Hmm…” he muttered giving things a bit more thought, “Suppose we could find some way to seal up the wagon and get it to float. How does that sound? Would make it easier to get across, sure as ever, and we might even be able to leave some stuff in the wagon when we cross, though... on second thought,” imagines of his maps and such lost in the river flashed through the Rebel’s mind, “maybe we ought to just stick to the plan of sending all of our things across on the pulley and such first.. yeah,” he trailed off then quickly remembered the candles. “See, I’ve got a box or two of these thick old wax candles and I bet we could melt them down and use the wax to seal up cracks and such in the wagon so it’ll float, what do you thing of that?” he asked, looking from Ti to Miss Yen and back again.

It was getting rather late and, as soon as the Rebel got a definite response, he would either stay up a bit longer to overcome any concerns or hit the hay for the night. He’d need to be up early the next morning to get right on preparations for the crossing. The less time the group spent by the bridge, the better.

[xuan]

Xuan nodded in final agreement, "That sounds like a magnificent idea. It is settled, we'll all be up early then to prepare for the trip," Xuan gave one finally look to Than and Ti who both seemed to think they had fallen upon a decent enough solution to their predicament. "We should sleep, we''l need our energy," and with that Xuan gave a small smile to her companions before laying her head down and tucking her sleeping son in a little closer to her body.

Ti nodded her own good night and held Jiang close to her just as Xuan did for Bo. Though it seemed that everyone fell asleep fairly quick Ti stayed awake with her eyes closed for a long while, listening to the sounds of the forest around them, it was quiet except for the sound of night animals and the light wind that blew through the branches high above them. When she was confident that they were very much alopne in the area she let herself drift into the nagging sleep that had been tugging at her mind for the past hour or so.

Xuan twitched in her sleep, images of her husband making her sleeping heart ache and making her mumble apologies into the night, a slow stream of tears crept past her closed eyes and stained her cheeks. As the night progressed into early morning and her dreams shifted into her imanent penalty from Tsuki's father and her mumbles began small whimpers as she saw her children taken from her and her sentence of death carried out.

Such images let a scream rip past her real lips just as they did in her mind and she sat bolt up. Her heart was bounding and her breathe was coming in ragged gasps. Her shout had woken Ti and her children; Ti shot up like Xuan had, looking around wildly for what would have cuased her masters distress, but could see nothing. The children sluggishly wiped sleep from their arms, but Bo's waking was made more abrupt when his mother pulled him in tight for a hug, clearly trying to calm here racing heart.