Moo cow and the Fire Nation <Fire Nation>

[The Lion Turtle]

"Alright... fine. Miss Xia." He touched her knee gently, and then removed his hand. "Finish eating and Mother is demanding Tarak for the day, then we can go into Zhy. Alright?"

Xia nodded, and ate her oatmeal less than elegantly, but still maintaining her manners. It was finished in a matter of minutes, her tongue painfully burnt, but her tummy saited. She picked up her supplies and stood up, maintaining a hand under Tarak. She looked around for Juning for a moment, then said to Bai, "D'you want to take Tarak to your mother while I wash up my dishes?"

She had no idea if Bai liked kids or not, but generally her ignored Tarak whenever the babe was with Xia. Easy enough, Tarak was a quiet baby, something Xia thanked the spirits for every night. She set her stuff down and took the sleeping boy out of the sling. Tarak opened his big blue-almost-brown eyes and eyed both Xia and Bai but never made a peep. She smiled at him and offered the babe to Bai.

"He's an easy baby, don't worry."

[whitecrow]

And Bai nearly shat himself. He stared at Xia blankly, not knowing at all what she expected of him. He stared down at the little baby in her arms that she held to him. He arched one eyebrow and looked down at little Tarak, amazing quietly compared to some of the other babies, and then back up to Xia's face. Are you kidding me? Was she really kidding him? She trusted him with the baby. Bai began to lift his arms up in protest only.. to have a baby placed in it. His lips dropped open in protest , a series of just noises coming out of his mouth and he couldn't form the correct words.

But.. he found himself looking down at the baby boy held awkwardly held in his arms. "uh... yeah.." Lets pray I don't trip and fall. He thought, grimacing as he sighed. He turned, still staring at the wide-eye baby who would probably start crying any minute now, he just knew it. "What are you looking at?" He mumbled as he walked, glancing down every few steps to the baby who just stared. She was right.. he was easy, never crying or fussing that he heard.. but he had never held him before, nor did he want to.

Juning heard her son approaching, and as she glanced over her shoulder she let out a squeal and started laughing. "There's my boy, Hello Little Tarak." She set down her frying pan on a nearby log and stepped forward towards the absolutely petrified Bai-Wu. Juning gave him a knowing look, her plump lips curling into a smile as she took the baby from his arms, cooing and making silly baby noises at him. She turned her gaze towards him for a moment, and narrowed her eyes "Make sure Miss Feng has a good time." And that was that. She turned away from him and back towards the other older women who unleashed their squeals of joy at the babe, some holding up new booties and caps for him.

Bai-Wu sighed heavily, a large droplet of water appearing on his right temple.

[gijoespouse]

Zahira and Li were far enough away, Auina couldn't hear their voices carry out her way. She'd managed to loosen her hair from her hair style, the mahogany strands crimped from being plaited into tiny braids. She ducked her head under the water, running a hand through her hair so it fanned out.


Meanwhile, back at the campfire, a tall lanky man was emerging from a wagon. Jaemin's skin had a light, delicate tan to it, his hair a rich shade of auburn. Eyes the shade of old gold scanned the assembled Flame Dancers, seeking one member in particular. He finally spotted her...Pamuy, one of his best friends in the Caravan. A wide grin spread on his features, accenting the dimples on either cheek. He picked his way through the assembled gypsies, popping an occasional piece of dried fruit in his mouth as he walked. He was chomping away at a piece of dried citrus when he reached his friend's side.

Jaemin knelt down beside the waterbender...and certainly noted the sour look on his friends face. A long arm reached out and gently nudged at Pamuy's side.

"What's with the long face, sweetie? Something land in your breakfast?" he asked, pointing to the oatmeal.

[The Lion Turtle]

Xia, meanwhile, dropped her disshes off at her tent, planning to clean up later, and knowing she'd probably regret it when the oatmeal was dried and stuck to the pot like rice glue. She was just too excited to see what Bai had in store for her to bother to draw water all the way from the rivers and wash the dishes thoroughly before rejoining Bai. And anyways, it wouldn't be much to add to her packing up again, it wasn't much with just her tent, bedroll and Tarak's cradle to pack onto a wagon. Only mildly did she wonder where they were going this time, but it was soon out of mind when she caught up with Bai. She drew up beside him and looked up at his fast, her breath fast and cheeks in high color. He was so much taller, about half a foot taller than her, and it strained her neck a little to look him square in the face.

"Ready when you are!" she grinned, feeling just like a little girl again.

[zahira]

"Heya." Li-Wu appeared at her side and gave her a wink. "Need some help?"

Zahira let Li-Wu take the bucket from her happily, and giving the twin a smile. "Be my guest. I've been skinning a rabbit all morning, it would be nice not to use my arms for a moment."

The belly-dancer turned from Li, swaying her hips in the unconcious way she did after years of dancing and flirting. Now, all she cared about was earning the money for her and her mother, not wanting to part much anymore. True, she liked a good festivity still, but no longer did she go out to drink or find male compainionship.

"So. I saw the way you were going on with Auina last night..." she said causally. It wasn't any of her business about their relationship, she was just merely stating a fact. Of course, Li was always flirty with everyone, even when he didn't mean it.

[pamuy]

At least a friendly voice next caught her attention, as she peeked Jaemin out the corner of her eye. Turning toward him, she forced a small smile on her features. She knew she could trust the man, one of few around whom she felt comfortable, but she knew the emotional strength in which she prided herself was at risk if she broke down and cried. Pamuy had no reason to cry, but she still felt uncomfortable with Xia and Bai's interactions. That much she could say. Leaning toward her good friend, she whispered; "They give me bad vibes."

She knew Jaemin would know what she meant, or at least she hoped. The fabulous and fashionable man often knew Pamuy's thoughts, sometimes proving himself more intuitive than the waterbender herself. Picking at her oatmeal, stirring around unenthusiastically, she took a bite and wiped her mouth daintily. Once more in an undertone, she said; "Well, Bai does anyway. But I still don't think they're right for each other."

[gijoespouse]

Jaemin leaned toward Pamuy...and then his golden eyes shifted to take a look at Bai and Xia. Honestly, the negative opinion of Bai was nothing new to him, though he didn't quite agree with his friend. The only thing he really held against either of the Wu twins was the fact that they were both very much straight. He glanced back at the waterbender, watching as she barely ate her breakfast, then back to the couple across the way. Juning had rescued the 'prince' from having to hold Miss Feng's little babe, and the mother had come back from her tent, a huge grin on her face.

"Well, Bai does anyway. But I still don't think they're right for each other."

Jaemin thought on Pamuy's words a moment, popping another piece of dried fruit into his mouth. He didn't see what it was Pamuy was talking about...the two looked great together, and there seemed to be some sort of spark. Then again, his assumptions were based only on the interactions he'd seen between the 'prince' and the Earth Kingdom woman...and then, those were observed from a distance, so he wouldn't have been able to hear anything they spoke about.

He finished chewing the citrus piece, then quirked an eyebrow up as he replied softly, "I think it's more of a matter you don't think Bai is right for anybody period. Given he and Li's...how shall I put this? Appetite for women? I can see where you get your opinion from."

Jaemin was getting tired of kneeling by this point. He used his hands to help ease him to the ground, then sprawled back, resting his shoulders on a log behind him. Not horribly comfortable, but more comfortable than squating before the fire.

"Maybe it's the hopeless romantic in me...but did you ever think that maybe eventually Bai and Li might find some girl to settle down with?"

[whitecrow]

Bai glanced upward as he walked back towards Miss Feng, hands folded across his stomach. He looked up, lifting one eyebrow as he saw her approaching and the corner of his lip curled upward. His bandanna still hung around his neck, strands of his hair fluttering about his face. He paused halfway to meet her, chuckling softly at how excited she seemed. His hands went and lifted up the bandanna, squishing his face as he did so, settling the textured old gold patterned fabric on his forehead in it's usual place. Both his hands went to his hips as he curved his spine backwards with a nod. "Alright.. Tarak's with Juning.. so we can go into town and pick up your surprise. C'mon."

Within a matter of minutes they were on the road walking back to Zhy. Trees lined the dirt path, the wagon ruts deep and dry. Old growth forests were on either side of the road, twisted roots popping out of the high sides of the road, weeds twisting over the edge. The sounds of the Caravan were left behind in the clearing and aside from the chirping of birds they were all alone.
Bai-wu walked with large strides, kicking as a stone consistently as they walked. He wrapped his hands behind the back of his head, interlacing the fingers together in his thin, dark black hair. He closed his eyes as they walked, listening to the coins jingle from the bag at his side.

"So... We're getting you a Zebra-cow."

[blackcrow]

Li hugged the water bucket to his chest as they walked, taking a place beside Zahira as they moved down the gentle hill away from the camp. He listened to the belly dancer, keeping his head tilted in her general direction as they walked. His eyes were half closed, the lids drooping with fresh morning sleepiness. Ah she was talking about the performance last night, all the little flirting that he was throwing in Auina's direction all through out the fight. A smile came to his lips as he closed his eyes and offered up a shrug to Zahira.

"What can I say, Zahira? To be in her presence is humbling. " He cooed, not willing to admit that he found her curves even more attractive since their years apart. She had indeed filled out from what he once took as stubborn baby fat to a muscular woman who was still feminine enough to keep her curves. However, their relationship had been over for a few years now, it was time to move on. Yet there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't find his thoughts drifting to Auina he hated to admit. And so he kept quiet.

They approached the water's edge, stepping out onto a little dirt cliff hung over like an shallow outcropping over a deeper section of the river. He swung the bucket out on one arm, dumping the dirty water. Li glanced back towards Zahira, placing his free hand on his hip as he dumped the water. "What's it to you?"

[pamuy]

As she finished her breakfast, suffering through the repulsive lukewarm temperature to which it had cooled, Pamuy settled the plate beside herself. She had listened to Jaemin's every word, but shifted her position much like her dear friend. Instead of kneeling, she now sat with her legs tucked to the side, her hands folded in her lap and her skirt neatly settled on the ground. Quirking her mulberry-colored lips, she sighed. "As much as I'd like to think the best, I can't believe that would happen any time soon. Some day in the future, yes - But those men still act like young children."

As a sudden gentle breeze touched her hair, sending loose strands flying across her face, the waterbender soon realized why she rarely kept her hair loose. It was somewhat of a hassle to keep it away from her face at all times. Sweeping the sepia locks away from her eyes, nose, and mouth, she sputtered a bit. Looking at Jaemin again, a coy smile was the prelude to a complete subject change. "Jaemin, could I ask you to braid my hair the usual way?"

[gijoespouse]

Jaemin watched as Pamuy settled to the ground beside him. The breeze kicked up, rustling his tresses as well as Pamuy's. Soon, the question came. His best friend wanted him to braid her hair.

"Sure. Let me get my hair brush and the ribbons."

The lanky man stood up and walked off. A few moments later, he was returning with his prized boar bristle brush and a pair of navy blue ribbons. The brush was by far the most precious thing to the man, a gift given to him a couple of years ago. It wasn't that it was unique or special in anyway. An admirer of Jaemin's had given it to him. That man had gone on to leave the caravan soon after, and last Jaemin had heard, he'd gone on to Omashu to become a tailor.

Jaemin took a seat on the log behind Pamuy and began to run the bristled brush through her sepia locks. Any tangles in the hair was worked out, and by the time he was done, Pamuy's hair was silky, shiny...it was a crying shame she wanted him to braid it. He did as he was asked though, using his long fingers to plait the strands of hair.

"So, where's Auina at? Normally she would be up and around by now."


...Auina was currently being spied on by a couple of rambunctious teenage boys. She gone under the water, immersing her mahogany hair so it could be washed. The second she did, the braver of the pair ran up and grabbed her clothes from where the acrobat had set them down. The idea was to simply move the garments farther from the show, so that the boys could uh...catch a glimpse so to speak...

"Hurry up, Taruto!" his friend urged.

...right about the time the chubby Taruto was going to make his getaway, the earthbender broke the surface. She brought a hand up to wipe the excess moisture away from her eyes, while the other smoothed back her hair. For a split second...she thought she saw someone at the shore. She blinked, then squinted...and then she scowled furiously.

...Taruto panicked and, with Auina's clothes still in hand, took off away from the river. His friend soon joined them as they ran as fast as they could away from the river back to the camp.

"Hey! HEY! Get back here, you little IMPS!" Auina shouted after them.

It was too late though, and they weren't about to turn around. So...Auina was stuck there. She was getting cold now that a breeze had kicked up, and her fingers were getting pruny from being in the water so long. She had two options: get out of the river and hike back to the caravan in her birthday suit OR wait to see if another of the Flame Dancers would arrive and could retrieve her clothes.

She opted for the latter, with a bit of a shiver.

[shanghuang]

Since hearing that the Flame Dancers caravan was headed for or in Zhy, Shang Huang’s journey had become much more difficult. Several times a day, he had to take a moment to assure himself that he was doing the only thing he could, and this day more than any one before it. Even now, just a few hundred meters away from the camp, when it was in his sights, he stopped walking and just scared. His heart beat a little faster. What was he going to tell everybody? “Oh, hey guys, I know I was gone for six years, but the army just got really boring.” What was he, some kind of idiot? He should go. He should just turn around right now and go somewhere else. No, no, that was an even worse idea. Where could he go? He was a deserter with no real skills. How would he make a living? He’d never make it. This was all he had. It was all he ever had. It was time to face that. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he resumed his march, gripping the strap of the small travel pack slung over his shoulder a little tightly.

The camp was set up as he remembered it. The wagons circled around the tents, with community fires in the middle. Nothing had changed. It made him feel a little more at ease, and he made his way to the edge of the camp and looked around. He couldn’t see his parents or his sister. Before anything else, he needed to find them. The nearest people were facing away from him, a man working on someone’s hair. At first he thought it a bit peculiar, but passed it off as a father daughter thing or something. He remembered his sister had gone through a phase where she would only let his father put her hair up in its usual ponytail because his mother did it “wong”.

“Um…excuse me?” he ventured politely. “Could you please tell me where the Huangs’ tent is?”

[pamuy]

Pamuy said little else while Jaemin braided her hair. It was so pleasant a day that she allowed the sunlight to bathe her, the songs of birds filling her ears with a charming tune. Everything seemed peaceful, especially with the twins occupied elsewhere. Out of sight, out of mind...somewhat. Closing her eyes, Pamuy took in a deep breath.

Her attention was soon caught. A masculine voice from nearby caused her head to jolt toward the source, though not hard enough to pull her sepia locks from Jaemin's expert hands. The young fellow soon asked a question that Pamuy was quick to answer. "Of course, no trouble at all. It's that way..."

Pointing to her right, she kept her eyes on the fellow. She couldn't help but wonder why he needed to know. Unless...he was related. Some years ago, Pamuy remembered the buzz of some family's son leaving the caravan. She didn't know quite what to assume, so she left it at that. Nothing needed to be assumed, and she allowed the man to be on his way. Waving her hand gently, she smiled. "Enjoy your day..."

[The Lion Turtle]

"Alright.. Tarak's with Juning.. so we can go into town and pick up your surprise. C'mon."

Xia followed Bai out of the Caravan Camp and down the road to Zhy. She smiled, though it felt a little strange not to have her baby on her hip. She pushed that anxiety out her mind, however, knowing that Tarak was safe in Juning's good hands. Xia couldn't think of anyone better to take care of her precious son while she was gone -- she absolutely adored the older woman. Besides, she wouldn't be gone too long, and it was a beautiful day! The sun was out, the sky was blue and cloudless, and a breeze flew around and fluttered her braided hair. The birds were chirping, and the woods around the two gave shade to keep them cool. Her muscles were aching from days of walking and caravan work. She knew it would fade into nothing as soon as she built up strength to bear it all, but it still slowed her a bit.

She broke out of her thoughts when Bai spoke up again.

"So... We're getting you a Zebra-cow."

"W-wha-at?" she stuttered, jogging a bit to catch up to Bai. Her first thought was that she had no money to purchase one, but she caught her breath in her lungs. Of course they knew that... did they save up the money to buy one for her?

She stopped in her tracks. Tears welled up in her eyes until she couldn't see the man in front of her. They had been so kind... so kind to her. They had taken in her and her baby without a second thought and gave them what they could. Even when Xia decided to stay with them, they had only asked her to pull her own weight and nothing else. They gave her a new home, away from her in-laws who would have probably married her off to some other family and kept Tarak. After all, she didn't have her own parents to go home to, they passed after she married Jing. And her brother, spirits bless him, she didn't even know where he was, let alone how to contact him. He could have been buried next to Jing in some scar of a battlefield...

And these people accepted her for the spoiled, naive girl she was. The women in the Caravan taught her basic chores, and although she knew them somewhat, she always had her mother or her maid to help her. Juning was extremely patient, and so was Kali, a retired belly-dancer with her own daughter, a few years older than Xia herself. Kali had even promised her to teach her a few trades so Xia could contribute with making money for the caravan. But Xia still could not believe that their curtesy went so far as to provide her with her own beast of burden -- something to carry her belongings, to give milk and food, to bear calves to sell. It was more than her own parents ever gave her when she married Jing.

[whitecrow]

He nodded and continued on walking, a bit obvious to the tears that formed in her eyes as she stopped. His eyes were half-closed, staring off into space ahead of them as he shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "Mother and Father think you needed one.... You can sell the milk.. She can carry your tent and equipment instead of spreading it out across wagons.. she can carry Tar-.." He realized out of the corner of his eye that she wasn't there anymore. He quirked an eyebrow and glanced back over his shoulder, his lips curved downward in a cupid's bow, an expression of .. just being there. Eh..? She was ... crying? He stared at a moment, hands stuffed into his pockets under the crimson colored vest he wore. He paused for a moment, watching her for a moment of silence between them before he sighed heavily and stepped over to her.
"Hey now.." He stood in front of her, looking down at the crown of her head, the sepia colored hair coated with a gradient of light that cascaded through the canopy of leaves. He took his left hand from his pocket, both twins were ambidextrous from what everyone could tell, and tucked the edge of his finger under her chin, lifting her gaze up. His hands were dirt, rough, and his nails edged with dirt and who knows what else. Living in the Caravan was dirt and no one was clean too often. "Everyone wanted to make sure you had all you needed. It's what we do.. we help each other out. Now stop crying, okay?" He spoke softly, as if he was speaking to a wounded bird.. or one of his lady friends. One could never be sure.