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Post by yinhe on Oct 11, 2008 5:10:37 GMT -5
Shifting her weight from one foot to another, Yin crossed her arms over her chest and peered down at the seated couple, studying them, the classic bored look upon her face. She watched as the girl on the barrel turned to her companion. It quickly became clear to the Corporal that the girl was blind, the way her eyes did not focus in on anything in particular, though not exceptionally interesting to Yin; it was still something she rarely encountered.
The blind girl poked the man upon the dock rope railing in the arm and indicated that he was the man Yin was looking for, referring to him as a Prince, before expressing her desire to go help the fellow who’d taken a swim in the bay. The slim, dark brown haired woman rose from her seat on the bucket and Yin watched for a moment as she left, strolling over toward the ship.
Turning her half-lidded gaze back to the man upon the rope, she noted he’d risen from his seat, standing before her, taller then her. She found herself forced to tilt her head slightly, for the most part, she’d grown used to looking down at folks and she now felt a slight tinge of disappointment in loosing her height advantage. Looking the man’s face over for a moment, she was honestly pleased, however, to see that he was ethnically Fire Nation; Yin had been informed ahead of time of the Flame Dancer’s multinational makeup and meeting this fellow was somewhat reassuring.
"..Not really.. prince.." he said. The Corporal’s golden-brown eyes opened a bit more and her typical distant look changed slightly, the corners of her mouth curling up at the ends a bit. Not quite a smile, but far more accommodating than her blank expression. “Ahh,” she stated, casually with a slight nod.
As the man introduced himself, Yin couldn’t help but wonder if Shing had noticed the dark mole beneath the “Prince’s” left eye, surely he’d make a jab at it if given the chance, likely something along the lines of pointing and saying “Hey, pal, you’ve got something on your face,”. Anticipating this, Yin made the introductions quick, bowing in traditional Fire Nation fashion. “I’m Corporal Yin He Zhong of the Lun Yang regional Army Group B – Third Platoon, and this in my unit, the Second Squad,” She said turning slightly her left hand held out toward her Squad mates.
Shing was standing about casually, Xiu rocking back on her heels, seeming quite frustrated with the lack of activity. Li stood silent and statue like, as always, and Pang, the poor thing, stood leaning against one of the dock railing posts, staring down into the bay through distant eyes. “This is Private Shing, Private Xiu, Private Li and Private Pang,” said the Corporal, gesturing to each with her hand as she said their names.
“Shing, Xiu,” she continued, addressing the two, “since you two seemed so eager to help on the walk over here, why don’t you go see if you can give the folks a hand in loading their things into the wagon there, eh?” Shing opened his mouth to speak but Xiu jabbed him in the arm, “C’mon funny man, you got us into this,” she said, before striding off, over toward the wagon and the other Flame Dancers. Shing sighed dramatically, a great puff of air expelled from his nostrils, before begrudgingly trudging along after the temperamental Firebender.
Yin smirked to herself and turned back to the Wu fellow as he asked how he might help her. “We were sent to act as your escort to the to the Yubi place,” said Yin with a nod, her tone even and calm. “There are some questions I’ll need to have answered, however, before we can get you and your people moving,” her tone of voice changing to one with a business-like air about it.
“How many people are in your group? Do any of them have medical conditions that may make travel difficult? Are you or any of your members in possession of items or substances that may be illegal in our country? I can assure you, if items or the like are declared here and now they’ll simply be confiscated and you’ll all be allowed to move on,” thinking for a moment, trying to make certain she hadn’t forgotten anything, Yin paused, “Ahh, and if you have any weapons, please declare them now, as well, I just need to know what you’ve got, procedures, you know?”
She shifted her weight once more, blowing a puff of air up out of her mouth to blow a chunk of her bangs out of her face. Yin really wasn’t one for strict regulations, paper work and step by step procedures, when there wasn’t any chance of being caught be a superior she could be down right accommodating. All of this customs stuff was really more of a job for the Coast Guard, she thought, idly peering over to check that her Squad mates were helping and not causing trouble. After a satisfying glance over, she quickly turned her eyes back, giving Mr. Wu her full attention.
Privates Shing and Xiu rounded the cart and paused before a few of the Flame Dancers. Xiu turned and addressed the nearest, a relatively tall fellow with sandy brown hair who seem content with positing the Caravaners’ crates and other luggage in rows or the like, “Well, we’re here to help you load your things, what needs to be moved? All of this?” the hot-tempered Firebender asked in a snippy tone, drawing a circle in the air over the crates with her finger.
Shing moved up and joined his Squad mate, “Yeah, just point us in the right direction and lemme know if something’s fragile.”
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Post by shanghuang on Oct 14, 2008 18:57:11 GMT -5
For a short while, it seemed that Shang’s chameleon impression was working out fairly well. Li-Wu was dealing with the guards, and they hadn’t even noticed him. At least, that was the case until he heard people walking up behind him. He tensed, but didn’t turn around. Maybe if he didn’t make eye contact…
“Well, we’re here to help you load your things, what needs to be moved? All of this?”
“Yeah, just point us in the right direction and lemme know if something’s fragile.”
Damn.
“Uh, yeah, all of it,” Shang muttered back, though he still didn’t turn around to face the soldiers. “The fragile stuff should say so. I mean, it has, y’know…labels.”
Well, now what? He didn’t want to get stuck loading the cart with these two soldiers. Besides, he wasn’t sure he could if he tried, he was so worn out from just carrying it off the ship. What to do, what to do? For a moment, he fidgeted awkwardly, and then finally something came to him.
“I’ve got to go get our, um,” he blurted, pausing to find the right word. “Leader, I guess.”
Not waiting for a response, Shang turned on his heel and headed back towards the ship, searching for either Juning or Huang. On his way, he carefully walked past Nim, who was apparently trying to help Bai-Wu out of the water, not wanting to knock her in. A few moments later, he was back on the ship, and shortly after that, had found Juning, though not Huang.
“Um, Miss Juning?” he began. “Our escort has arrived…”
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Post by blackcrow on Oct 14, 2008 19:11:31 GMT -5
Li-Wu returned the woman's traditional bow with one of his own, having been taught from an early age the traditions of his homeland. Fist against palm of an open hand.. held at chest level and bow forward. The depth was dependent on the other person's rank and your respect for them. He made sure that his bow was lower than the corporal's. It would not be wise to make a cultural slip up. Even though the Flame dancers was a Fire Nation organization, they were so multi-cultural that anything that was seen as a slight against the Fire Nation or the Fire Lord could be taken badly. He waited an extra moment before rising after she had. "Really.. an escort?" Li-Wu questioned, giving the corporal a slightly conspicuous look, lifting one eyebrow. He had noticed one of the other guards staring at his face, but aside from a side-ways glance, the young man did not look away.
It was only then that he remembered... Oh yes, the Yubi Family was going to provide an escort. A very smart move.. for the safety of their Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe members... He nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. "Yes, Now I remember my Father mentioning that. Let me thank you on behalf of the Flame Dancers.." Another bow. He then crossed his arms across his chest, listening as the woman listed off a series of questions. He was amused to see two of the guards scamper off to 'aid' the rest of the Flame Dancers. Really a lot of the stuff had already been unloaded and was being placed on wagons pulled by Dragon Moose.
Oh Spirits.. why was she asking him? Internally, he cringed. They had brought.. many many things that were probably contraband. Various herbs and fungus that were used during performances and also.. recreationally. He wanted to groan and slap a hand to his forehead. "Some members have medical conditions.. but they're all treated with us. For example.. Nimuta's blind.. but she get along just fine. Er.. we brought about.. twenty members.. not our full group. Half of us stayed behind to continue servicing the troops and colonies." Good recovery, Li.. talk about how you appreciate the troops. Now, the harder questions. What do I say..? Do I tell them or not..? "Um.. we did bring some.. dried herbs and what not. Some of members seek higher enlightenment before a performance and in their daily life.." And weapons.. Oh god. "As for weapons.. all the weapons we brought are show quality and used simply for performances.." Show Quality.. and real. Hilang's swords were sharp enough to slide through a medium size branch with a good swing... He avoided specifics. If Hilang or Nimuta's weapons were taken away.. they had no show.
Would pleading work if necessary? He knew his mother and father could throw their weight around, literally, and get things changed.. but him? eh heh.. not a good thing. Li-Wu turned and extended a hand, pointing towards the ship. And.. there was Bai-Wu, shaking himself dry like a dog. Sometimes, Li-Wu hated having a twin.. especially when said twin embarrassed himself. "We're about finished actually.. we'll be ready to move on within the hour."
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Post by yinhe on Oct 16, 2008 2:26:41 GMT -5
Shing and Xiu stood before the crates and bags, watching the fellow they’d addressed. He spoke but didn’t turn to face them, drawing a few odd looks from the two soldiers. “Alright,” muttered Xiu, her eyes boring into the man’s back. He certainly was a nervous fellow. There was a short period of awkward silence between the three, then Shing moved forward and reached for the nearest crate.
Xiu hadn’t made any moves yet, standing still, she inspected the fidgeting man, somewhat wary of his peculiar behavior. “I’ve got to go get our, um,” the man paused for a moment, “Leader, I guess.” Shing looked up from the crate, opening his mouth to speak, but the Flame Dancer fellow had strode off, back toward the ship.
Lifting the crate up, Shing turned toward the wagon, “What was up with that guy?” he asked Xiu, though he did not turn to face her. He turned back to the collection of luggage once the first crate was loaded and watched as the female soldier shrugged, “Not a clue,” Xiu replied, before joining her comrade in the task of loading the wagon.
Back over with Mr. Wu, Yin was a bit surprised to hear they’d not been expecting an escort, but the man quickly explained the situation and she understood. The decision to send the Second Squad along to escort the Gypsies had been a joint one, both on the request of the nobles and based on recommendations from officials at the Lun Yang Regional Command Headquarters. There were even rumors afoot that the Squad might be assigned to provide security for the Flame Dancers during the duration of their stay in the Fire Nation, though that was up to the Yubi family and Yin’s Captain.
Listening carefully as the man spoke, Yin remained relatively quiet. "Some members have medical conditions.. but they're all treated with us. For example.. Nimuta's blind.. but she get along just fine. Er.. we brought about.. twenty members.. not our full group. Half of us stayed behind to continue servicing the troops and colonies." With a slight nod, she though over what he had said. Twenty was a manageable number, far better than the estimate she’d received during the briefing; the Sergeant had told her to expect the full lot of forty.
Yin was also pleased to hear there wouldn’t be any trouble with folks that might need special help or the like. She’d felt slightly compelled to ask, having spotted the blind girl earlier. That would have been Nimuta, she assumed. From what Yin had witnessed, she likely wouldn’t have any trouble getting around.
When Mr. Wu mentioned the “dried herbs”, the Corporal raised an eyebrow, “Ahh,” she said simply, but held her peace until he finished. She certainly hoped they weren’t carrying anything like that cursed Igni hallucinogenic substance that had somehow found its way onto the streets of Lun Yang. Only a few weeks before, Yin and Private Li had forcefully restrained a man who’d gone into a frenzied fit in a crowded marketplace after consuming the drug.
As the fellow finished up with the weapons, Yin felt that most of the questions had been answered to her satisfaction, though she desired a bit more information on the latter two subjects. “The herbs and the like,” she began, making a gesture in the air in front of her with her hand, “they’re not hallucinogenic in nature, are they? And in what quantities do you possess these substances? There is a.. legal maximum for personal use, you know.” How Yin hoped the Gypsies had only brought a little of their “herbs”. Poking around in folks’ bags and the like wasn’t exactly high in the Corporal’s list of things she enjoyed about her job.
“Also,” she continued, “may I inspect one or two of these weapons? Really though, it’s the numbers more so than the specifics… we don’t want people smuggling arsenals into the country, after all,” Yin said, with a chuckle, giving the Wu fellow a rare smile, though half forced. It was easier to deal with folks with a lighter air about a situation; they were generally more willing to cooperate when not stressed or nervous, though this man seemed to remain calm and collected.
“We appreciate your cooperation in these matters,” she said, bowing quickly. As she rose, the fellow gestured over to the ship and spoke, Yin followed his hand with her eyes, spying the man who’d fallen into the bay earlier. Though he was soaked, the Corporal noticed the similarities between the two and smirked, “Your brother?” she asked, curiously. If these two were twins or something, Shing would surely have a field day with his jokes and Yin made up her mind to keep him on a tighter than normal leash. These Gypsies certainly were a unique and rather interesting group.
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Post by nim on Oct 16, 2008 7:26:36 GMT -5
Nim only faintly heard Bai-Wu's voice, but it wasn't enough to determine where he was in relation to the edge of the dock and Nim was alittle hesitant to get much closer to the edge than she was sure she already was. Bai seemed okay, nobody seemed worried about him drowning so when Nim heard Shang talking to someone she headed toward his voice.
"Shang?" She came to a stop when she bumped into a crate softly, her walking cane was somewhere among her belongings, she hadn't needed it on the ship, but now that she was on solid ground again and there was a mild throbing of pain where she had hit her leg, she wished she had it with her.
She tilted her head to one side listening for Shang's voice, but he didn't respond and she was worried that the footsteps she had heard only a little earlier had been his. Nim sat down on the crate, rubbing her leg absentmindedly, she heard strangers talking close to hear, but they weren't addressing her so she ignored them and after a minute or two got up and slowly moved along the caravan's belongings, running her hads over this and that to try and find the familiar smooth wood of her walking staff.
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Post by whitecrow on Oct 16, 2008 19:33:57 GMT -5
Juning was standing near one of the wagons, directing the loading of all their crates and bags with her frying pan in hand. She beamed with pride at her workforce which mainly consisted of sailors from the ship that could not escape her frying pan nor her commanding voice. She was eagerly urging them on, whipping out a hand with jingling bangles and dangling bracelets full of charms that shaked and danced as she directed them to move and rearrange the boxes. "No No. that will never do. You can squeeze that one in there!" She commanded.
Nearby, Huang sat on a bench, his hands resting on his walking cane as he hunched forward. His arthritis was acting up due to the trip and he was watching his wife with a bemused smile under his white beard. Pleased to be back in his home country, it made his chest swell with pride to see the gates of Sozin and the banners of Fire Lord Ozai. Yet, he felt somehow cheated.. because for all his nationalistic pride.. he still held many of the non-fire nation flame dancers close to heart and dearly loved the Earth Kingdom's diverse terrain.
Both turned at Shang's footsteps and voice but it was Juning who reached him first. "What do you need, Shang?" She asked in her loud, boisterous, but motherly voice. She lifted a thinly plucked eyebrow as she glanced over his shoulders at the two soldiers. Her full lips curved into a smile.. "Oooh.. I love a man in Uniform." She purred, winking at Shing. "Alright.. well you two.." She gestured at them with her blackened frying pan. "You can help tie down the other wagon."
Meanwhile, Bai-Wu was coming over to see what the fuss was. Still dripping wet, he was squeezing the water out from his mid-thigh length vest. He paused, seeing Nim sit down, looking somewhat lost as she began to rub her shin. "Oy, Nim." He said, greeting her as he passed. He glanced to the soldiers, coming up beside them.. a mirror image of his brother, except now wet. It would take an observant eye to catch the differences upon first glance.. especially when they weren't standing together. "What's up, Mum?"
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Post by blackcrow on Oct 18, 2008 2:28:30 GMT -5
"Numbers eh? Just like.. I think Hilang only brought a few smaller blades and one large broadsword.. He's a sword swallow, you know." Li-Wu offered that bit of information as he gestured for the Corporal to follow him. He started heading towards where the ship was tied to the dock, the last few things coming off the ship. "..I'm sure he won't mind us going through his things.." Mindlessly, he lifted his hands up behind his head, interlocking his fingers with each other and with his hair. He walked slowly, going over a plan in his head.
Hilang had no dull swords.. it would be unprofessional of him to. Hopefully the low numbers would deter her from confiscating them. Hilang would NOT be pleased if he lost his performance. He kept an eye out for the sword swallower, Ah.. easy to find. He was waiting to unload a crate. "Oy! Hilang!" He shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth despite getting nearer to them. "Corporal needs to check your swords!"
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Post by hilang on Oct 19, 2008 22:12:13 GMT -5
Hilang had done more than his fair share of work, being one of the younger male members of the caravan. Crate after crate, box after box, it had become more monotonous than strenuous for him. His feet were getting sore, and the spot where the crate had landed on his foot was still throbbing, but he kept his work up. He may not be the nicest guy in the world, but he took pride in his work, and any work that was designated for him, really. He laced his fingers together, and pushed his arms first out infront of him, cracking many of his fingers, and then bringing them over his head, and leaning his torso forward in a very long stretch as he waited for another crate to be brought out.
Just as he was bringing his arms down from his stretch, Hilang's ears perked up at a familliar voice. Ah, it was the more sickly half. He looked it as well. Even from far away, he was considerably thinner, but Hilang wasn't going to mention it. After his episode during the voyage, and his vendetta on Pamuy, he was behaving himself. Wait a moment... did he say, "Corporal"? Golden eyes looked past the twin onto a woman wearing a Fire Nation Military uniform of some sort. He wasn't quite acquainted with what they all meant, but he knew, obviously, by Li-Wu's shout of 'Corporal', that she was in a postition of power.
She needs to check my swords... I suppose that makes sense. Shouldn't be a problem, they're rather dull... Hilang wasn't worried about it, but after a second thought, he became somewhat panicked. Afterall, he figured that Li would've explained to this Corporal that he only had a few, and it shouldn't have been a problem... Also, the thought crossed his mind that his act did not happen if the swords were confiscated. With a third thought, however, he had no idea if Li even knew that the swords were dull, so he calmed himself as much as possible before greeting them. "Hey, Li! My swords? I think they were already unloaded..."
After this small greeting, he gestured for the two to follow him, and began meandering his way inbetween the already unloaded crates and other things.
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Post by pamuy on Oct 20, 2008 15:30:28 GMT -5
It seemed to serve her well, standing off in the background and not making herself known. Honestly, the thought of that tall and stately Fire Nation home guard woman looking them over with a discriminating gaze was mildly intimidating, as Pamuy may or may not admit. As long as no one had to search her, she was fine. Really, though; what reason was there to search her? She hadn't a blade or weapon on her, merely a fan tucked in the side of her sash made from paper and wood, and a folded parasol in her hand made from similar materials. Neither could effectively harm a soul, nor would she employ either to do such a thing. Pamuy was, for lack of better terms, harmless as far as the Fire Nation troops were to be concerned. She could waterbend her way through a fight well enough, but why would she be fighting in the first place? Unless they were jumped by bandits, she wouldn't, and even then would she limit it to defending herself and anyone less capable than she. It was simply the way of the gentle, peaceful woman to do so - unless you were a rowdy, inconsiderate teenager or lecherous adult who should know better, you weren't likely to face harm by her hand.
But now, her welcome in the background had lived out its life. It was time she stopped being quiet and entered the scene, making known she wasn't a threat, perhaps even assisting with anything that needed to be done.
Ah! There was mention made of Hilang's swords. Yes, the man was impatient, crude, and thoughtless, but the least she could do was help. Make the fact that they were being searched as comfortable as possible, not stressful. Through a slat in a crate beside her, the corner of her cornflower blue eye caught the glint of steel, perhaps what they had searched for all this time. One of his swords. Motioning toward the wooden box, she smiled. "Hilang, perhaps you should look in here?"
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Post by shanghuang on Oct 21, 2008 1:01:44 GMT -5
Juning wasn’t quite as far away as Shang had hoped, and she had somewhat misunderstood him, but even so she had provided enough excuse to allow him to get away from the soldiers, and now he could probably slip away unnoticed entirely. Nodding to Juning he turned and walked past her towards the wagons, slipping around the side of one so that it was between him and the main group. Sighing with relief, he leaned back on the wagon and closed his eyes. Maybe this had been a bad decision…but it was the only decision he could have possibly made.
Opening his eyes, he looked around. The Fire Nation. He was really in the heart of such a dreadful place. How many of the people here would kill him if they knew where he’d been for the last few years of his life? How many would have cheered at the news of the attack on his outpost? At the deaths of his friends? He shuddered. He was a true coward to have come here to…perform. He truly was pathetic. A worm.
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Post by yinhe on Oct 21, 2008 3:21:18 GMT -5
While helping Shing to load an exceptionally heavy trunk into the back of the wagon, Xiu caught sight of the blind girl searching through the crates and whatnot the two soldiers had been tasked with loading. She immediately dropped her end of the trunk leaving Shing to hold the full weight of it himself. “And just what do you think you’re doing?” she snapped, her golden eyes boring into the Earth Kingdom girl’s unseeing ones.
“Xiu… I… need… help,” muttered Shing, as he tried to push the trunk up just enough to get one end into the bed of the wagon, but it seemed his strength was fading. Xiu was near to questioning the Nimuta girl further, but Shing’s sputtering and pained grunts drew her attention and wrath away. “You’re pathetic, Shing,” she spat, before catching the end of the trunk and giving it a good push into the wagon.
With the crate back into position, Shing leaned against the side of the wagon to catch his breath, “Thanks for the help there, Xiu,” he replied, a tinge of subtle sarcasm in his tone. The female Firebender simply shook her head letting a “pfft” of air escape from her lips. Giving his comrade little attention, Shing surveyed the dock, looking over the other wagons being loaded. He made eye contact with a heavy set woman commanding the loading of the wagons with a frying pan held in her hand. The nonbending Private caught her words and wink and responded with a wink of his own, a cocky grin upon his face, “Hey there,” he said in a playful tone, the woman was far too old for Shing, but there wasn’t anything amongst his loose morals against playing along.
Xiu jabbed Shing hard with her elbow, catching his attention, “She wants us to work, smart guy,” she said coldly, pointing to the wagon the woman had indicated. “Yeah, yeah,” muttered Shing, but before either could start toward it they observed a man walking toward them who appeared to be the fellow who’d fallen into the bay. For a moment the two soldiers stared, he was like a soaking wet copy of the fellow who their Squad Leader had been talking to, albeit, this man seemed healthier.
They both realized he was moving toward the blind girl, and Shing seemed ready to comment, but Xiu shook her head, “C’mon..” she said and started off to help tie down the wagon, the nonbender following closely behind her.
Across the dock, Yin was still engaged in conversation with the dry Wu twin. She found it amusing that he hadn’t really acknowledged her question regarding the fellow who seemed to be a well fed mirror imagine of himself. Perhaps he was embarrassed seeing his brother fall into the bay and then tromp about soaking and smelling of briny low-tide for all to see.
She wouldn’t press the issue; however, if the two were brothers, that was alright, it made no difference to her when it came to escort and customs duty. “A sword swallower, eh?” said the Corporal, the question posed as more of a statement then an actual inquiry. Yin had never seen such an act before, though there had been various shows and the like at the summer solstice festivals held back home in Chu Lin, such a spectacle had never been attempted by any of those performers.
The Wu fellow gestured for Yin to follow and she acknowledged with a nod but quickly turned to her two Squad mates who had remained by her side. “Li, could you come along with me?” she asked, addressing the tall and reserved Firebender. With a nod from Li, Yin turned her attention to young Pang, “Pang, you can stay here and have a seat if you like,” she said, in a more understanding tone. The Corporal was genuinely concerned about the health of her youngest Squad mate.
“Yeah I’ll..” Pang muttered, giving Yin a weak ‘thumbs-up,’ “stay here for a bit,” the young soldier quickly slumping down into a seated position, her back resting against a dock railing post. Yin nodded to the girl and slowly turned to follow after Li-Wu, the towering Firebending Private following along behind his commander.
The Corporal soon looked ahead, past Mister Wu as he called out and addressed a rather short looking man who seemed to be in the middle of a good stretch. The twin seemed to have caught his attention, the man, whose name was revealed to be Hilang, replied as they approached and gestured for them to follow. Following along behind this fellow, whom Yin assumed was the sword swallower himself, the Corporal managed to get a few good looks at him and was a bit relieved to see that he appeared to be ethnically Fire Nation like the Wu fellow.
The small group moved along, weaving between crates, sailors and the wagons, and soon another person was motioning for them to come over. Yin realized quite quickly that the woman who’d addressed the Hilang fellow was definitely not of Fire Nation descent. Studying the Water Tribe citizen warily, Yin did not slow as the group approached her, and she gave no outward show of apprehension until the woman turned slightly, presenting a better view of her figure.
The Corporal gritted her teeth in mild shock at the sight of the woman’s noticeably large posterior, were all women from the Water Tribes built that way? She thought to herself, groaning inwardly when she realized that Shing would likely find the woman to be an even more tempting target for his jokes that the Li fellow’s mole. How do I get stuck with these people? Yin though for a moment, but knew from experience that, though some of her Squad mates could be troublesome, they still followed orders (in most cases) and preformed reliably when push came to shove.
At least the Water Tribe woman seemed to be accommodating and willing to help, Yin would make every effort to keep Shing in line and prevent him making any jabs at her during the duration of the Flame Dancer’s stay.
Back now, behind the group their Squad Leader was with, Xiu and Shing had trotted over to the third wagon in the line up. They had passed one by on their way, but Shing was too busy trying to come up with explanations for the twins’ appearances, besides the obvious, and Xiu was too busy ignoring her comrade, that neither noticed the poor Earth Kingdom fellow from earlier, trying to calm himself behind the wagon.
The two were soon helping a few sailors, from the ship, to tie down the crates and bags in this third wagon, as per the frying pan wielding woman’s instructions.
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Post by nim on Oct 23, 2008 7:37:40 GMT -5
Nim scrambled of the crate when spoken to and tried to think of something to say, but the strange woman who had adressed her didn't seem to really be interested and she heard them walk away after a litttle more heavy lifting. She didn't realize it, but she had stood stock still while they were there and once they were gone she noticed she had been holding her breath. For someone reason, though she was general very acception of anyone, she felt her nerves were knotted into a mess around the Fire Nation.
Alone among the last of the crates she was worried that her walking staff had already been packed into a wagon and that she would have to take slow baby steps all the way to their destination.
Hands out before her she stumbled to find the first wagona and once she felt the wood of it's side against her fingerst she pressed her whole hand against it and slowly moved to the next wagon, feeling her way along the side, hopefully one of the drivers would know which wagon had the caravans personal belongings in it and hopefully hers hadn't been packed yet.
She stopped when she head someone breathing, she had moved away from the majority of the hustle and bustle and the breaths had made her jump a bit since she hadn't noticed them before.
"Hello? Who's there?" She couldn't determine who the breathing belonged to just by listening, but a voice would clue her in, thuogh she had a feeling it was one of the caravan memebers and the only caravan memeber she could imagine was hiding out behind the wagons would be Shang.
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Post by blackcrow on Oct 28, 2008 21:37:31 GMT -5
Juning glanced up to see her eldest son approaching the small gathering of wagons, the three of them clustered together as they began to tie down the crates and trunks and various bags and of course some of the rowdier children that had accompanied them. Bai-Wu, still dripping wet had come to her side. He placed his hands on his hips and lifted his chin as he watched the two home guard soldiers help tie things down, glancing to the approaching pair of Li-Wu and Corporal Yin He. The younger twin inhaled deeply in a moment of uneasiness, bringing his chin down to his chest as he puffed it out.
Looking towards him with a scolding frown, Juning raised a hand in a threatening backhanding motion, silently warning her son to be on his best behavior. Juning was a plump woman with at least one extra chin, but her face was warm, round and welcoming. She put on a pleasant smile towards the home guard woman, inclining her head. around her neck hung multiple strands of bead-work, polished coins of shell, gold and copper. She wore a simple peasants dress in dark sangria red with a rounded neckline uncommon in the somewhat conservative and traditionalist Fire Nation. Her billowy sleeves were rolled up, decorative ribbon stitching in around her neck. She wore two sashes as well as an apron around her waist, tassels and other decorative elements decorating the colorful bits of cloth in soft golden rods and mangos. Her dark, mahogany hair that was warmed by the Sun was pulled up into a thick bun, but today she allowed half of it to hang down over her shoulders.
"Ah.. you must be our escort. " She said in a boisterous voice that could be the loving voice of a mother who beat her immature sons into submission on a regular basis. "My name is Juning Wu.. That is my husband over there.. Huang." Juning spoke, gesturing to the older male who sat on a nearby bench. His back was bent with arthritis, his hands holding on his knees with the slightest tremble. For all his frail appearance, he carried the look of a proud Fire Nation man. His greying facial hair had been trimmed in a neatly pointed beard and smooth mustache, the rest of his salt and pepper hair pulled back into a very traditional top knot. He wore the colors of the nation proudly, his long sleeved shirt bearing a mandarin style collar edged in faded, tattered gold. His overcoat was long, coming to his ankles and was pulled shut by a fabric belt tied around his waist a time or two, hiding all but his very plain shoes.
Juning then nudged Bai-Wu, speaking softly to him. "Go help those men. We're about done and ready to go." Bai-Wu threw his head to the side in a display of teenage angst, rolling his eyes at his mother but doing as he was told. Looking back to Li-Wu, she arched an eyebrow at him. "Um.. Corporal Yin He here.. wants to check Hilang's swords.. I'll go help Hilang find them. " Li-Wu offered, getting the stink eye from Juning as soon as she realized he wasn't helping. "Er.. Ma'am.. we'll bring them over in a moment.." He said, before scurrying off to help Hilang.
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Post by hilang on Oct 29, 2008 22:02:05 GMT -5
Hilang wasn't very worried about the inspection of his swords, but the fact that they needed to be inspected kept that small seed of anxiety in his mind. He had looked through about ten different crates, looking for the long case in which he kept the blades, each wrapped in a soft cloth to keep them sanitary. It was unfortunate that the case in which he kept them looked very similar to a lot of the longer crates that had been used for transferring other items, and he saw that this may be a wild goose-rabbit chase. As he opened up the eleventh crate, and saw a very long wind instrument of some sort, he was ready to give up. He turned back to the Coropral, an exasperated look on his face, and was about to tell her that he couldn't find them, when his ears perked at a familliar voice. His eyes drifted over to the Water Tribe witch, who seemed to be gesturing to another of many long crates.
Was she actually attempting to help him? Why in the world would she help him? In his mind, she viewed him as evil as one can view a person, and yet, she seemed to geniunely mean it. He trodded his tired feet over to Pamuy, and the crate in question. He traced his index finger along the lid, before opening it to see six iron swords, three lying to the left, three to the right. "Aha!" Assuming his most thankful voice, which was quite amusing to some people, Hilang turned to Pamuy, "Thank you." It was still strange for him to act this way, but it didn't matter, he would put on a show for her that she would never forget. Just when she thought he had turned over a new leaf, that's when he would deal the most damage. From the inside out.
He bent his hands down to grab one of the six Jians, and lifted it with his index and middle fingers of each hand, feeling the familliar weight. He even went as far as to hold it in a regular stance, before handing it to the Coropral. "This is an example of one of my swords. As you can see, there are five more, but they are all identical. Merely extras in case there is a problem with one, or I feel the need to use two in a particular performance." He anxiously awaited her judgement that would decide if he would even perform or not, and waited.
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Post by shanghuang on Oct 31, 2008 6:31:27 GMT -5
Shang turned his head, tensing as he heard someone approach, tensing slightly. He relaxed when he saw who it was, Nim, who was slowly working her way around the wagon. Apparently, she had misplaced her walking stick, as she seemed to be without it for the moment.
“Hello? Who's there?"
“It’s Shang,” he replied removing his back from the wagon before pre-empting the inevitable question. “I just needed to take a break for a little.”
Normally, Nim was quite calm, but when Shang looked at her, she seemed to be a little worried. His brow furrowed slightly as he studied the girl. He supposed it would be fairly troublesome for her to lose her walking stick. It would certainly make getting around more difficult. Even so, he would let her explain if she wished. It would be quite hypocritical for Shang to force someone else to talk about something they didn’t want to, considering his own situation.
“Are you all right?”
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