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Post by aden on Nov 1, 2008 11:46:28 GMT -5
Aden attempted to pull his hand away, but Desna managed to hold on and step closer, causing him look off to the side to hide his growing annoyance. However, in that act of diverting his eyes, the young warrior caught sight of something far more troubling.
Walking up to the stage with his signature headwrap and pipa, Aden saw none other than Chamir taking charge of the band. "Oh, spirits help me..." Aden muttered almost inaudibly as his former brother-in-arms cast him a wide smile from the stage and got ready to play. All the while, he was still aware of Desna asking him to dance, and he felt like he was trapped between an iceberg and a hard place. Desna's persistance reminded him of a pair of buffalo-yak butting horns, and chances are she would keep it up all day.
"Fine," Aden said quickly, eventually becoming so overwhelmed by her insistance and the discomfort of the entire situation that he just wanted it to be over with and put behind him. He blew out a steadying, but obviously unsettling breath of air from his nostrils and pulled up the hood of his parka. Aden tugged the cowl down low so as to hide most of his face from the crowd except for Desna, who from her vantage point could see his face clearly.
"One dance," he said, heavily emphasizing the one, "But I won't be responsible for any more busted ankles because of this..." Aden tried and failed to smile at his own attempt at humor as he placed his other hand on Desna's waist and listened to Chamir lead the band into a new song.
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Post by desna on Nov 1, 2008 12:13:04 GMT -5
When Desna saw Aden looking past her she turned her head to look in that direction, whatever he saw must have been rather unnerving, She spotted a man with an instrument ascend to the stage to start up the next song, she didn't know what to think of it but she didn't know if that was what Aden was upset about or not. Maybe he saw something she didn't.
Her attention had slipped for a while as she let her hand slack somewhat on Aden. Finally when she snapped to it was Aden's voice that brought her around. She blinked in confusion when he said fine. Was he going to throw in the towel and drag her off the dance floor? A labored breath later he elaborated and a wide grin spread on Desna's face. She could have jumped for joy at finally winning the argument but given his seriousness on that matter let it go and instead smiled at his joke allowing it to pass.
She was somewhat amazed that he put his hand on her without her forcing it from him but she settled her hand on his shoulder, He was a pretty good height in comparison, he was definitely taller than her but it was comfortable. Carefully Desna lead the dance, leaving room for him to pick up should he choose to. The only thing she was adamant about was keeping to the beat, not wanting to be off on the rhythm. She didn't question his hood figuring it was to save his own pride
" My ankles feeling good as new by the way, I think it was your mom's soup that did the trick." She smiled lightly trying to perk his sour disposition up. A grumpy guppy comment floated through her head but she tucked it away for later.
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Post by saghani on Nov 5, 2008 10:14:25 GMT -5
It didn’t take much effort to see the Chieftan get flustered. Such foolishness. All this hubbub over meaningless tradition and spirit worship. If the Northern Water Tribe took just half of the time and effort it put into such things and spent it on fighting the Fire Nation, maybe the world would be a different place. Saghani nodded to the Chieftan as he left, and again to the daughter. She at least seemed sincere in her well wishes. The Chieftan was clearly putting on a show, because it was “proper”. Meaningless, all of it meaningless.
Finding a secluded corner, he watched the festivities, a hard grimace on his face. It was disgusting. The gluttony of it all, the self importance. Couples flirted and danced, men drank, women gossiped, and of course the King of All Fools took to the stage to sing a frivolous little song. Did none of them understand anything? Did they not realize what world they were living in? Just because the Fire Nation was not at their gates, did they think they were no longer a concern? The world was changing outside Shai City. The future of the entire human race was in the balance, and these fools, these ignorant fools, were too wrapped up in their own little trivialities to notice it. He was ashamed to be apart of the same nation as these people, ashamed that he worked so hard to change it for the better when they would rather just wallow in static mediocrity.
He looked down at the stump that used to be his right hand. Why had he lost this hand for this tribe? Why did he keep going? As though in answer, his braid dangled before his eyes, the bead on the end of it displaying the name so crystal clear. Yes…it was all for him in the end, wasn’t it? All in the name of his little brother. All for Miki.
Letting out a calming breath, Saghani leaned against the icy wall, gazing outwards at nothing.
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Post by hotaru on Nov 5, 2008 10:39:35 GMT -5
People were dancing and having fun, she was allowed a bit of reign here but what did she do with it? Stand off, away from the party and people watch. She saw too many people she knew, many didn't notice her but they didn't need to, she would just use it to fuel her spark of self hatred. It was almost like she wanted to be back in the healing huts sitting in her room quietly creating small flames in the dark, it was her newest hobby. She'd come out of her depression somewhat but she wasn't the person she was before everything crashed down around her.
Her eyes caught a particularly nice couple spinning about. The girl was flushed and smiling, the boys eyes were bright and it seemed like something out of a story, her engagement pendant glittered in the odd lighting of the festive. they were either newly weds or soon to be. It was a sharp pain to see people so happy, why them? With a small sigh she closed her eyes and then looked down at her boots, She could see more of them than usual, perhaps she was getting taller, either that or her dress was getting shorter, which could have been the case. Even for her age she was pretty tiny, a couple extra inches would never hurt, the boys wouldn't pat her on the head and call her squirt anymore. That was painfull... they wouldn't call her that anymore anyway, they didn't want much to do with a firebender.
Honestly who didn't see it coming, with pale skin like hers it should have been glaringly obvious, her blue eyes were deceiving, maybe when she could firebend properly she'd head to the firenation, confuse people there and then ransack their villages like they did to Shai. She wouldn't get very far, after all they'd be masters, she'd know a few tricks but taking away a couple of loved ones may sate the growing pain she had from their kind. Right now her blue eyes were tired, the undersides a little darker from lack of a good nights sleep in a couple weeks. Her dark hair was left in brushed locks around her face, the bangs lazily in the corners of her vision hanging over her forehead.
In short order she was joined near the wall by a man, Saghani, she remembered him from the healing huts after the siege, his hand was severed and he called her spineless, well, he was right. She chose not to address him just watch people. Wasn't this his party? At least she wasn't the only on here less than pleased with the festivities.
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Post by nati on Nov 5, 2008 14:39:16 GMT -5
Nati turned her eyes to the dancing for a moment, and was pleasantly surprised that Chamir was atop the small stage, singing his heart out. Well, she remembered he had an instrument, but little did she realise what a nice voice he had! Nati tapped her foot to the beat, enjoying the bits of music she caught. Alas! There were few men near enough for her to ask for the next dance. Putting that away, Nati felt content just to chat amiably with Hebirei and Miss Ukaleq a while longer.
Kian was busy dancing with the girl he admired, their eyes locked intensely as they danced to the beat, slapping their feet against the floor, their hand clasped tightly. Never one much for jealously, Nati felt herself briefly engulfed by it. Her eyes flitted over the crowd, and she caught sight of the miserable Saghani, who looked sullen, probably lost in his thoughts. Few people seemed to like him, and Nati was often at a mix of pity or annoyance with him. She was going to be seeing a lot more of him, since she would be joining this boat as one of the key healers.
Nati bowed her head to Ukaleq and Hebirei, “Sorry, please just excuse me a moment, I just need to speak to someone..” she flashed a warm smile, and melted away into the crowd. Trying her best to find some strength in her voice to address Saghani –his presence and intense and almost stifling at times- Nati inclined her head politely to him.
“Lieutenant.” She spoke, the word was almost strange. “I am Kian’s sister, I will be joining this expedition as a Healer.” Nati stated, unsure if the extra information was needed or not. These words felt like they sealed her fate now, weighing heavily, her mind was made up at last.
“I was just curious, when do we leave, tonight or tomorrow at dawn?”
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Post by aden on Nov 7, 2008 13:15:52 GMT -5
To say that Aden was a completely inadequate dancer would be a half-truth. As a student of the bending arts as well as melee combat, he was well adapted to watching people's movements in order to duplicate them. With some concentration and a few seconds of memorization as he followed Desna's steps, the young warrior was able to mimic her movements. However, whether one could actually call it 'dancing' is up for debate.
Aden's face was painted with an expression of effort, and his movements seemed somehow offset from the beat of the music. It were as though he were deaf and moving on his own while trying to count the hexagons on a turtle-seal's back, all the while resisting the urge to simply stop what he was doing and go sit down with his parents.
"That's good to hear," he replied automatically, not even breaking his gaze from their footwork to regard Desna after her compliment. The sheer awkwardness of his situation had forced Aden to retreat entirely into himself, focusing only on following the steps so he didn't have to think about anything else around him.
To Aden, dancing was perhaps the antithesis of his very essence. Dancing was a pure form of self-expression; unbridled and free to be whatever you wanted it to be. He, on the otherhand, made it a habit not to express himself without clear boundaries of conduct. In fact, the last time Aden could ever recall simply letting go of his inhibitions and letting his emotions guide him, he was scrubbing blood from his clothes for hours....
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Post by desna on Nov 7, 2008 14:45:50 GMT -5
He was having such trouble it was starting to bother her. It didn't help the fact that he was staring straight down, and not even in a good way, not that down with her gave him too much to look at. He seemed all too focus on something that should be relaxing and enjoyable and she found herself half smirking. When he wanted to be Aden was a lighthearted fun person, he needed a nudge in the right direction.
Her face moved up closer to his, she was holding back some laughed and her smile was as bright as her eyes. Desna's hands squeezed his lightly and she continued following his movements despite her best effort to pick it up and keep with the tempo. " Hey." She started attempting to catch his attention, it shouldn't be too hard, she was right in front of his face after all. The hood would only limit his vision further.
" There is such a thing as trying too hard you know, " By the end of the statement her expression shifted from amused to quiet understanding, she figured he was embarrassed, it was her fault for dragging him out here but it by no means meant she did it to trap him or laugh at him, he needed to know that. " Loosen up a little, no ones going to laugh."
She tugged herself a touch away from him and shimmied her hips playfully to illustrate to him. Her face was hopeful, her eyebrows quirked and her mouth tugged up at the corners pulling her lips back to reveal off white teeth. " Just be your plain old sarcastic grumpy guppy self and dance like a real man. " She tugged him back into the dance, trying to keep the movements up to tempo and giving him various physical forms of encouragement with her smile and movements.
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Post by ryota on Nov 8, 2008 14:57:05 GMT -5
Did he really get there right on time? Ryota knew he was late to the festivities through every fault of his own, and, Misui by his side, he observed how a sort of dance was in full flight. Scratching his head, he tried to sort a few faces from the crowd and assign them their proper names. Standing atop the small dais of a stage he spotted Chamir strumming away on his pipa, nearby a man he knew as Shona, who tattooed his skin for the sake of the lovely young lady who stood beside him. Aden seemed to be dancing with a small girl approximately his age, while much farther off, that barely tolerable Lieutenant Saghani was being spoken to by another familiar person - only he didn't know her name. He just knew she was in the healing hut with Misui at some point, and he recognized her. Everyone else was merely a face without a name, or at least a name he'd easily forgotten.
Edging closer to the dance floor, he accidentally bumped into a man dressed in fine robes, patterned at the cuffs, neckline and hem, shaded in soft purples and indigos. Beside him was a small, thin woman with her raven black hair partly styled into a few braids, then pulled into a high bun. Either middle-aged person seemed to look down the bridge of their nose at him, as though an apology was expected. The man had the sternest eyes Ryota had ever seen. The woman seemed to take the initiative. "Ah, pardon us." The man said nothing.
Smiling sheepishly, Ryota backed up a step or two and turned to look at the dancers again. There was no reason why he couldn't join in, right? He already had a dance partner who'd definitely go along with him.
Nodding back to the older man and woman in a slight show of apology, he took Misui by the hand, then gestured toward the dancing masses with his free palm outspread. He winked at his betrothed. "Shall we?"
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Post by taartoq on Nov 8, 2008 15:20:55 GMT -5
It was a miracle Taartoq had been open-minded enough to learn a thing or two from his self-imposed journey. He was basically back to his old 'chipper' self before the horrible news was dropped and the siege uprooted their lives again. He had returned home earlier that morning, but he was duly surprised Padma wasn't hanging all over him as she often did in public. Instead she was off gadding about with her family, simply watching the dancers instead of actually joining in herself. She knew Taartoq was capable of dancing, but that it wasn't his most favored activity. The two had acheived a healthy degree of mutual understanding in most regards.
So why was Taartoq even there? Parties were met with his searing indifference, and this one was no different. The music could have been better, and was sung by that overwhelming buffoon he saw flapping his arms about like a bird in public back during that annoying debacle involving that southern warrior fellow who kept tripping over his tongue. As Taartoq stood like a statue, watching the dancers from the sideline with nothing better to do. His wife wasn't far off laughing it up with her sister-in-law, Taartoq's sister Nisha, and her two boys, Kang and Mituk, nearby.
As soon as he cared to notice, he saw his father and mother fairly far off to his right. Beside them was that exasperating southerner, who had apparently picked up a girl for himself and seemed to be gesturing toward the dance floor. His parents, like always, were standing still and watching. An air of formality surrounded them and their ornate clothing, reflecting an attitude the noble class surely must show. They hadn't changed one bit since his childhood. Moving through the crowd, careful not to brush too hard against a single soul and miraculously keeping his hands behind his back and his posture poised, Taartoq approached his parents from the side. "Mother," he dipped to a shallow bow once, then again to his other parent. "Father."
Mansi looped around Attu's side, bowing her head back to her son. "Taartoq, my son! I am happy to see you've arrived. And where is our expectant mother?" His father merely looked down the tall bridge of his nose at Taartoq.
Taartoq would keep his face as rigid and his tone as deadpan as normal, even around the man and woman who raised him. "She and Nisha are cavorting. I didn't care to interrupt."
"Ah, yes," his mother cooed in reply, idly readjusting her small hands inside the large, fur-lined cuffs of her parka's sleeves. "Well, I do hope you enjoy yourself today. Please try to have fun."
Taartoq, like his father, kept to stoic silence. Nodding in reply to his mother, a master healer of the tribe, he stepped away and turned his back, heading in the opposite direction. He was grateful at least one the ice statues he called parents would acknowledge his existence in words, rather than impersonal ranks and priveleges bestowed upon him when he least expected. His father had clout in the tribe, but showed it in such strange ways sometimes. Taartoq had no clue where he would go next, until...
Ah! Yes, there was someone he hadn't seen in ages, not at all since the siege had started. Padma had mentioned her often, alluding to her fling with a southerner that seemed to have become a significant news item around the healing huts. It was no one other than Nati. She was a very tolerable person to be around.
He made his way to her quickly, but slowed considerably as he neared her side.
"Good day to you," he said above the soft clamor of the crowds and the cacophany of music in the background, loud enough for Miss Nati to hear. Though she may not even have seen, he offered a stiff and jaunty bow of his head.
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Post by misui on Nov 8, 2008 21:02:14 GMT -5
Misui impassively watched people come and go, she honestly didn't care too much about them, they were in the world outside her happy bubble so they made little difference. Recently the only things she'd found comfort in was being with Ryota and if she couldn't do that daydreaming about Ryota and fiddling her her pendant. For that reason the parka she wore today showed a touch of neck, just enough to dip and show off the choker around her tender mocha skin. This was a great occasion though, she did know that, many of her fellow healers were abuzz about who would be headed with the brave Saghani, honestly Misui had no taste for the stuck up man, brave or not. She'd rather it have been one of the valiant minds behind the defense of the siege and yet Saghani seemed to be the man with the plans so he would leave the North Pole, hopefully he would prove her wrong and keep their men safe.
The girl shrugged off the thought and followed Ryota obediently through the mobs of people and looked about, she spied her friend Nati with the arrogant prick she thought so highly of, her smile fell somewhat looking at the girl. It was so odd, to see one of her friends who may or may not be around soon, she'd mentioned going on the iron ship with some of the warriors but it made her nervous. Her thoughts would be with Nati, but at least on such a large ship there was a good possibility she may find the husband she'd pined after for a while, but who, the suave Chamir who, at this time was regaling everyone with a ballad or the cold stoic man who was leading this fool hardy mission. She hoped for the former.
These things were also outside of Misui's comfort bubble tonight though, a warm hand and a soft smile brought her back from her concerns and she felt her heart flutter gently. One day that giddy feeling may wear off, she hoped it never would.
" I'd love to." Together they moved out to the dance floor, Misui content to twirl about with the southern warrior until her feet fell off. He was clumsy and sometimes tripped over his words but she couldn't think of anyone else she'd rather be with.
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Post by saghani on Nov 9, 2008 0:33:53 GMT -5
Though Saghani was technically a (temporary) Captain, he still turned his head at the sound of “Lieutenant,” snapped out of the zoned out state he had slipped into, his anger having given way to that nothing feeling he sometimes found himself in. He never understood why people were so hesitant to call him by his name. He didn’t real care for or about titles. Once the chain of command was established and ingrained into people’s minds, then the words themselves meant little. As such, he felt no need to correct the healer on her error.
“I am Kian’s sister, I will be joining this expedition as a Healer.”
Saghani nodded slightly, though again he found her words strange. He supposed it would be somewhat presumptuous to introduce herself as the healer who had tended to his hand, but it still was ridiculous to assume that he would remember her for being Kian’s sister instead of that. Kian, enthusiastic as he was, was not quite that important. He found himself somewhat relieved to see that she was going, though. There would be at least one competent healer on board, in any case.
“I was just curious, when do we leave, tonight or tomorrow at dawn?”
“Tonight,” Saghani answered simply.
The reason for this was so that the soldiers and crew could get a restful night’s sleep while they were in their own waters, rather than spend their first night crossing into potentially dangerous territory. Saghani felt no need to give anything further than the answer to the question because he was…well, Saghani. He was, however, curious about something. He had never worked with healers before, at least, he hadn’t been in charge of them. The healers always had worked as a totally separate unit, but on a mission like this, he would need to establish a chain of command and a way to issue orders or pass along messages to them. Ships, in general, needed to be organized.
“Who will be the…” he paused, searching for the right word. “Captain of the healers on board?”
Someone approached and offered a greeting to the healer. Saghani’s eyes flicked to the…man? Yes, man that had approached, but went back to the healer. This newcomer was clearly not involved in anything to do with his campaign, and therefore of no immediate consequence.
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Post by ukaleq on Nov 9, 2008 4:49:40 GMT -5
She was quiet, keeping her hands folded neatly across her torso and her hands tucked into her long sleeves. Ukaleq listened as Nati and Hebirei spoke together, obviously they knew each other. Only knowing Nati in passing through her mother's role as a healer, Ukaleq felt rather at odds. She kept her chin up however, looking for her father's face among the crowds or for a familiar face to speak to. Nati turned to leave them, having spotted the same man her Father had spoke to..
From a distance, Ukaleq watched with the younger male healer at her side. She tilted her head to the side, her front braids resting on her shoulders as she took a step forward through the crowd.. just to peek around. So Nati was leaving with one of the two groups? A group going South and a Group going out to fight the Fire Nation. She pressed her lips together tightly, narrowing her large, dark rimmed eyes. A tinge of jealousy sparked in her. She wanted to be recognized for something.. but.. she wasn't. Not blessed with water bending, She would never be a healer. Her embroidery was top notch but nothing fantastic and while her knowledge of history, folk tales and other treasures of cultural significance was great.. she never saw much of a use for it.
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Post by aden on Nov 9, 2008 19:32:09 GMT -5
Even with Desna's words of encouragement and decent attempt at reverse psychology, Aden was far too ready to escape to be tricked ito dancing by her challenging words. The song was winding down and already some of the other musicians were beginning to hammer out the beat of a new tune on their massive drums. Desna seemed like she was ready to keep going, but for Aden he was recalling the terms of their initial agreement.
"Sorry," he said, stopping his attempts to dance entirely. The young warrior simply stepped backward toward the edge of the dance floor, keeping himself beyond Desna's reach. But a deal's a deal... One full dance and now it's break time." Aden glanced side to side to take in a quick measure of his surroundings so he didn't accidentally bump into any other dancers.
"I'm going to go get something to drink... you're welcome to join, or just keep dancing." He attemped a smile and offered a curt bow before starting to quickly but carefully pick his way out of the crowd. Once he was clear of this hostile terroitory he figured he could pause and check if Desna was following, but Aden didn't want to linger so close to the dance floor lest she manage to pull him back into the fray.
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Post by desna on Nov 9, 2008 20:42:24 GMT -5
Desna huffed as her would-be dance partner began to leave her on the dance floor. Obviously his parents skipped out on party ettiqute when they were teaching him manners. She rolled her eyes and started after the boy if nothing else she might be able to get something warm to sip, it wasn't the kind of fun she liked to have but she wouldn't be dancing with her dog. It seemed like a fair enough trade off.
Picking her way through the crowd she followed somewhat closely after the boy. Now and then she could see some people glancing their way, it was odd, a lot of the people must have been fellow warriors or something like that, she was a little interested in it. She had a bit of a smirk thinking about what the people must be assuming, in a way it was funny, in another, she didn't even really know what to think. It did bring to mind the reason for this party, she didn't hear anything about Aden leaving but she'd never asked him.
" So, you going back to war or what?" She had her hands settled behind her back as she finally managed to catch up to her companion walking alongside him. Her head tilted over her shoulder a bit looking towards the giant ship, it looked better now, sea worthy perhaps. " cause I might miss you and your sarcastic sense of humor if you go."
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Post by nati on Nov 9, 2008 20:56:57 GMT -5
Taartoq suddenly approached from the corner of her vision, and whilst not rudely interrupting her quick ‘chat’ with Saghani, his company was not unwanted, just a little badly timed. She flashed a welcoming smile at him, and raised her hand to signal she would only be a moment. Nati hated to keep people waiting on her.
This evening? She felt her heart sink a little, she had vainly been hoping for one last night at home, a last night with her family. She could still drop out now if she wanted to, no would blame her, Nati was setting herself up with a lot of work and responsibility. She glanced at her brother dancing for a moment. This decision was final, she’d keep him safe, she couldn’t tolerate the idea of not seeing him for a long time. She nodded in as answer to him; Saghani needed few words with people.
“The Captain of the Healers?” Nati mused at such a title for a moment; women had never been allowed such names in power. “There’s Master Dalla, she has been a close teacher for many years, and I will act as second under her.”
Nati then nodded her head. “Thank-you.” She then turned to smile pleasantly as Taartoq, and then step slightly away from Saghani as not to disturb him further now she had the information she wanted. Nati didn’t mind turning herself away Saghnai, considering how unsocial he was, he would care little for such an action. Nati lowered her eyes and returned his bow with a graceful incline her own head. She kept her hands against her waist, comfortable and snug inside the warm muff.
“Ah! Hello!” She spoke with warmth, and soft fondness, particularly because it was Padma’s husband; Nati had always thought highly of Padma. Their recent growing friendship had stopped somewhat with her preparation for leaving, but Nati did hope to make a quick farewell later. “It’s been a long time Taartoq. Padma told me you have both been well, but how was your journey out into the wilds?” Nati had heard Padma speaking of it in the Huts one day, and briefly wondered why he’d just gone like that. Men were curious creatures.
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