Apart From the Group <Earth Kingdom>

[midori]

Midori clutched on to Mesheiko fearfully, dreadfully afraid that she would fall off. Maybe to her death. She was almost crying from fear. They could burn up to a crisp, or Banshee could get injured. The others might be dead by now. Tarak might be dead.... She shivered and choked on a sob. Midori knew she had never been so miserable in her life.

Banshee, however, raced around and through the flames strong and true. He was as obviously eager to get out as they were. Midori loved the emu so. He was saving them.

The flames around them did lick around them and the emu, but they weren't close or fiece enough to cause any signifigant damage to them. Once they had pasted the little clearing, the flames became less and less. The fire must have started near their original position. Soon, they were only encased in smoke, but the crisp and burning sound was still loud and threatening.

They rode for like seemed like a lifetime. Midori didn't speak, and soon the three broke free of the forest. They continued to run from the forest and fire, until they came upon a little town. Midori turned back to see that the forest was only a line on the horizon, smoke still wisping above it.

Midori hugged Mesheiko from behind and salty tears fell from her eyes. They were safe, but what of the others?

"Oh my God."

[atalanta]

Mesheiko hugged Midori in returned, but his lips stayed silent. Mesheiko stroked Banshee across the back, and pulled clumps of grass from the earth from the ground for Banshee to graze on.

The village in which they landed themselves seemed pretty small, run-down, and lowly. All the better, Mesheiko didn't want to be noticed. He wondered why he hadn't Earthbended some protection in the flames, but he was panicked. He wasn't thinking. Mesheiko fretted over all the others, Xia Feng & Tarak, Siyuki, Lin, and like himself, the other Earthbender, Ishi Toku.

"Our best chance is to find some hospitable person in the village. Stay there for a day, and get out when we've gotten cleaned up and fresh supplies, then stick close to the woods, and keep on travelling.", Mesheiko said, saying it all in one breath. That was what they always did in the Army. Surely it could be of help now.

Mesheiko's eyes drifted back to Banshee, seeing as he was still armored. "If you could undo the neck plates on Banshee here, Midori, that would be of help. The less attention we attract, the better.", he said, untying ropes and undoing clasps on the middle portion of plates. He and Banshee would attract a lot of attention, soldier and emu. Well, ex-soldier. Though I'm really starting to wonder if my heart ever really quit., Mesheiko thought.

[midori]

Midori nodded in agreement for the plan and turned back around to the emu. One day was a long time... but still, their safety and well being was important as well. And what good would a rescue be without supplies? Hopefully there would be people to rescue. Midori's stomach flipped uncomfortably. It was hard to even think of them gone. Even though she had known everyone for only a short time, they still struck her as respectable people. They had stopped to help Xia Feng. And risked their lives for it.

Silently, she unlatched Banshee's neck plates. When their weight fell off of the emu, Midori caught them and laid them near her feet in the dry, prickly grass. As Midori felt the burden of the armor's medium weight Midori looked at the emu again in admiration. She ruffed the place where the armor had been. Banshee shook his head slightly, and Midori smiled.

The silence wasn't working for Midori anymore, so she decided to try and strike up conversation. Perhaps they could rid more of this depressing feeling.

"Where did you come to find Banshee, Mesheiko?" Midori asked pleasently. "He's a wonderful emu."

[atalanta]

"He's a trained emu. War emu, no doubt. I'd say probably once a cavalry charger, patrollers and messengers are too skittish.", Mesheiko said, pulling one of the right leg plates off.

"How'd I find him? Just trudging along through the woods late at night, and ran into him. I first thought his owner had gotten killed in a recent battle, so I coaxed him over. Turns out, the owner hadn't died just yet. The man lay behind a bush, and by the time I got there, he was already half-gone.", Mesheiko said, glancing over to Midori and hoped he hadn't disturbed her too deeply. Here she was, trying to strike up something pleasant, and there Mesheiko was with his grave war stories.

He smiled again at some of the joy that his experiences brought him.

"Not all time in being a soldier's that bad. There were stories around the bonfire, emu races, pulling off all nighters in the tent and goofing off.", Mesheiko said, wanting to think that was all that happened. That there were no battles, no training sessions, no hunger, no disease, no wounds, and no death. He slipped off the left leg plates, and put in the pile where Midori put hers.

[midori]

Midori listened closely as Mesheiko spoke and as she finished unbuckling the rest of Banshee's armor. Mesheiko had quite a story, and Midori found it fasinating.

"Wow..." She whispered softly. "Stories, races... it sounds like fun."

Midori looked back at Banshee. She wasn't stupid. She knew there was more to being a soldier than that, but she stayed quiet, not wanting to ruin the bit of joy that finally seemed to be sparking up in Mesheiko. Midori stroked Banshee, before taking her first lasting look at the town. It didn't look like a town for the rich, it was rather small, yet comforting. There were most likely some cheap Inns there, as well as food and supply stands. Midori fished around in her pocket, where coins jingled reassuringly. She turned back around to Mesheiko.

"Should we be heading on then?" She asked, while making a sweeping motion with her hands torward the town.

[atalanta]

"I suppose we should, and better sooner rather than later.", Mesheiko said, scooping an armored plate from the ground. These would have to be concealed until they came back, nowhere to put them now. Maybe a clump of bushes, or something of the like. Mesheiko motioned for Midori to gather up some of the plates, and set them over by the big tree which stood looming in the falling light.

After setting and concealing the heavy chest plates as best he could, Mesheiko trudged over to the much tired out emu. Laying one finger on the emu's feathers, he turned the finger around in a circle, pressing against the skin gently. Banshee nodded his head in agreement to the massage, but Mesheiko stopped.

"Sorry buddy, but we've gotta keep moving. If you want a massage now, we'll be out here all night.", he said, then undoing all the straps and clasps of the saddle. The less formal they looked, the better. The smaller the village, the better. The key was to just find food and shelter for the night, head off in the morning.

"Quite an adventure we've had. I'd say just stick around a hospitable place for the night, and keep going in the morning.", he said, also not feeling to great about leaving Banshee's plates and saddle behind.

[midori]

"Sounds like a plan to me." Midori agreed cheerfully. She glanced over to the plates and saddle. They looked like nothing more than a clump of dirt from a distance, so she kept a positive outlook by thinking no one would stop to observe it. Or steal it.

Midori rubbed Banshee's neck with her knuckle for a few seconds and passed a thoughtful look over to Mesheiko. "We have had quite an adventure. Too bad it couldn't have been more pleasent." She shrugged and smiled, before taking a step torward the village.

The young woman walked at a brisk pace along side Banshee and soon came to what appeared to be the enterance to the town. There didn't seem to be many noticable guards, which was a bit odd for a nation at war. Perhaps this place didn't oppose a threat.

Midori passed the enterance of the town slowly, and stopped once she began to see the finer details of the town and the people. The buildings were simple and rustic, as if it was built a long time ago, or quickly. The streets were of only dirt, and stands were alined a little ways off the street and in little clumps. The people themselves resembled the houses, as they were simple and worn and somewhat unclean. Many stood behind stands with hopeful faces, as if hoping to make a profitable sale. Midori smiled a bit broader and gave a little wave as a mother and a dirty-faced child passed.

"Well this place isn't so bad." Midori said softly to Mesheiko.

[atalanta]

"You're wrong. It's perfect, exactly what we need. These people need money, we need food and supplies. Should be pretty simple.", Mesheiko said, bending down onto his knees, and over his pack(making sure no one else saw the money), and counted out the coins.

"I've got seventeen gold coins on me now, which could get us food for maybe the next two weeks or so, with good rations. Anything to add, Midori?", he said, slipping the coins onto a ragged slot pouch that hung around Banshee's neck. People would talk, and Mesheiko, Midori, and Banshee would need an acceptable story.

Perhaps Mesheiko and Midori could be brother and sister? Banshee could be a family emu, and yes, with luck, this might work. Though of course, if Midori could be coming up with a plan of her own, there could be conflict. He turned all this over repeatedly in his mind while taking forced, slow steps into the village behind a few paces behind Midori and a few ahead of Banshee. Mesheiko's mind was working over time, what always happened when he was put in a situation.

They didn't look too decent either, so hopefully these people would accept them. Mesheiko's once(once inclining months ago) tidy black boots were covered with more dust than ever, a good hole resided in the right knee of his pants, and his shirt was getting more ragged looking by the day. Banshee would surely raise some suspicion, for not many had enough money for an emu. Nobility did, and if soldiers had enough skill, they got them free of charge. Otherwise, it was rare.

[midori]

Midori dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out a handful of coins.

"Well..." she mumbled as she counted. "I have a little less. Eleven gold coins and five copper pieces." She paused in thought for a quick moment. "So that makes a total of twenty-seven gold coins and five copper pieces. Not bad at all." She concluded with a grin.

Midori turned her head to observe some of the buildings more closely. One stood out a bit more than the others, with a small staircase. It seemed to had been built at the center of the others, so Midori guessed it to be a kind of meeting house. Another structure down along the street seemed dimmer than the others, with darkened windows and a sturdier frame. As a man stumbled out, Midori instantly took it to be a bar of some kind. Her eyes kept wondering until she saw a rather nice-looking building, larger than the others, with a sign that clearly read "Inn."

"Well once we're done shopping, I've found the inn." Midori announced.

[atalanta]

"Great.", Mesheiko said, his mind traveling off to the grocer's stand, and his stomach gave a great rumble. How long had it been since he had last eaten? Sometime last night he remembered eating a flat piece of bread, but those were never too filling.

The young woman running the grocer's stand eyed Mesheiko, making him just taking the slightest footfalls in the opposite direction. He didn't take much fancy to being stared at on a normal basis, but in this dirty, rugged state, he took no fancy to it. Unless of course, the reason he was stared at happened to be good. He didn't mind girls eyeing him over, nor did he mind getting in the limelight sometimes.

Mesheiko decided to let Midori handle the food. After all, she could probably figure out what she herself, a teenage boy, and an emu could want to eat.

"Look around all you want, just be sure to get food. I'm going to go see if I can book a room for the night.", Mesheiko said, taking Banshee by the reins and giving them a quick jerk, to let the emu know to follow. The pair earned villager's gazes as they walked by, and Mesheiko stuck as close to Banshee as he could.

His knuckles rapped on the door three times before it was opened. Mesheiko saw standing before him an elderly woman, lines creased across her face in various directions, and heavy bags under her eyes.

"What do you need, young man?!", the woman said in a hoarse voice, a frown pasted on her lips. She obviously wasn't too happy to have a visitor.

"My sister and I just need a place to stay for the night. Our emu here doesn't.", Mesheiko said, gesturing to Midori and Banshee in turn, and hoping the woman wouldn't suspect his story too much.

"Put your emu out back in the stable behind here. There's a few rooms open, down in the basement.", the old woman said, not locking the door just yet. Mesheiko led Banshee to a worn down stable, barely finding anything living in it. Banshee seemed to, however, have no complaints and settled his body on old straw.

[midori]

Midori glided up to the food stand, a casual smile worn on her face. The young woman at the stand eyed her with interest. "Are you looking for anything perticular?" she asked in a sweet tone.

"Oh. Just looking around." Midori replied still smiling. The woman returned the grin, and Midori ajusted her head to look over the what the stand had to offer carefully. This certain stand seemed to specialize in fruits of all kinds. Midori picked up a basket laid out and began filling it with different fruits. They could use some variety.

"So." The young woman started. "What exactly brings you here?"

Midori picked up a moon peach and observed it closely for awhile before answering. "Well, me and my brother are travelling on our way to our grandparents." Simple. Believable. She hoped.

The young woman nodded and said nothing more, but paid careful attention when Midori handed over a few gold coins out of her collection. Midori smiled and walked away, but couldn't help noticing the merchant eyeing her as she left.

Each stand was the same. People politely asked her of her travels, companions, and each eyed her carefully when she paid. During one trip to a pastry stand, the baker asked a ridiculous amount, ten gold coins, for a simple pastry. Midori declined hasily and the baker quickly lowered the price to only a few copper pieces. Overall it was a strange trip, and Midori was very much relieved to have finished her shopping with a basket full of fruits, two loaves of bread, a hefty slab of meat, and a few sweet pastries. Midori also spotted a clothing store, which seemed to have nice traveling clothes. She decided Mesheiko and her could come back later.

Midori rushed up to the inn and knocked on the door, hoping she could quickly find Mesheiko.

[atalanta]

Mesheiko then spotted a door after making sure Banshee was settled for the night. A worn, wooden door creaked as Mesheiko put his hand on the knob and turned the door in. The old, irate woman stood there, holding a burning lantern. "Follow me. Your room will be down here.", said the woman, her feet stepping on stairs with more creak to them than the door.

Four doors, two on each side, lay at the bottom of the stairway. Mesheiko didn't think too highly of where the woman placed him, but the less it cost, the better they were off.

"You'll be staying here. If you need anything, you either pay extra for it, or do it yourself.", the woman said bluntly. "7 gold pieces per night normally, but since you decided to take one of the older rooms, I'll charge 5.", the woman said again.

Mesheiko personally found it funny that she said 'you decided'. Hardly. Mesheiko pulled out the gold coins out of a pocket, and deposited them into the woman's outstretched hand.

Upstairs, persistent knocking on the door sent the cranky inn-keeper up the stairs. Mesheiko followed, hoping it was Midori with food.

"Yes?", said the inn-keeper, opening the door.

[midori]

Midori looked at the inn-keeper with a nervous smile on her face. The woman didn't seem keen on her being here. Frankly, she looked rather annoyed. Midori tried to relax her posture and soften her facial features, but she found it hard to be polite when the woman was glaring at her.

"I... I'm looking for someone who had just come in here recently; we're sharing a room. A young man with an emu and..."

The woman nodded at her, not bothering to let her finish. She turned around and began walking, and Midori hesitated in following her. The inn-keeper turned around and motioned hastily for Midori to follow.

"Well come on!" She said with an impatient click of her tounge. Midori instantly picked up her pace, and began to follow the woman, who was leading her down a musty stairway.

Midori looked around, a bit confused. This place didn't seem like the nice inn she expected. The stairs creaked horribly under her weight and the weight of her purchases as she took small steps. Afraid that the stairs would crack underneath her, Midori picked up the pace, making sure not to drop anything in her speed.

The two finally reached the bottom of the stairs, where four doors alined the walls.

"Well here you are." The woman said with a bit of relief.

[atalanta]

Mesheiko glanced over. Yes, Midori was here. And she seemed to be carrying food. Ah yes, the sweet smell wafted up Mesheiko's nostrils, enticing him. Such lovely scents.

"Midori. Good to see you've made it back alive.", Mesheiko said jokingly. He turned the knob to the door on the left, and then had to give a little kick for the door to open.

After it opened, slightly creaky, Mesheiko glanced into the tiny room. He expected it a bit bigger, but it would do. An older, smaller sofa lay at the corner of the room, two stiff wooden chairs and a scratched wooden table took up the middle of the room, and one bed lay with its headboard against a wall. One bed; that presented a problem.

"I guess I'll sleep on the sofa over there.", Mesheiko said, trying to be polite by offering Midori the bed. Though looking at it, he wouldn't be surprised if she rejected it. Mesheiko took the pack off of his shoulders, and dropped it on the ground, taking more steps in.

[midori]

Midori glided into the room and layed the 'groceries' down on the rickity table. She stretched her arms, glad they were finally free from the previous weight. Slumping very unladylike on one of the chairs, she took her first full look at the room. It wasn't what she would call "homey" but it was good enough for the night.

Midori observed the bed with carefully, staring at it like it might suddenly duplicate into two beds. However, it was only one and not a very lovely bed for the only one in the room. The sheets were old and looked like they had probably been eatten by a bug or two, which made Midori think that if she should accept the offer of sleeping there, she might not be alone anyway.

"Oh you can have the bed." she said casually as she dusted dirt off her shirt. "I'm a pampered little girl with a bed to go home to every night. You on the other hand, have been traveling with an emu and most likely do not get a wonderful night's sleep most of the time." Midori paused before adding. "And I mean that with no offense to Banshee."