The Lion Turtle
Ishvara Spirits
"Your own spirit must be unbendable."
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Post by The Lion Turtle on Apr 30, 2008 0:15:56 GMT -5
Bai had fallen into a stony silence. Xia cringed, feeling like she had somehow offended him... but failed to say anything until the woods had thinned and camp appeared before them. From atop a placid Ratu, Xia could see that a crowd had gathered and Haung and Juning were making an anoucement, probably concering their next destination.
"...So I take it you and Tarak will be staying here in the Earth Kingdom while some of us go to the Fire Nation.."
Fire Nation? Xia Feng bit her lip, her shoulders sagging. Not only had there been a heavy silence between them, but Bai's tone had changed. She was actually more concerned about her present situation with Bai rather than whether or not she was going to the Fire Nation. The back of her mind told her that she was not ready to part with her newfound friends and family, even though she knew plenty would be staying. But her attention was still on Bai.
Her voice was a dry, hoarse whisper when she spoke to him again. "I... I didn't mean to offend you. Of course the Caravan is important. I... I guess the reason is a little more selfish than just having a father for Tarak..."
She drifted off and became silent. Xia Feng had always been sensitive to how people responded to her, and she lapsed back into her old habits of silence and a mortified tears.
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Post by gijoespouse on Apr 30, 2008 13:12:57 GMT -5
Auina was aware of members of the caravan volunteering for the trip, of Juning's crowing over Shang's return. And while a part of her was paying heed to those happenings, most of her attention was focused on her parents. From the looks on their faces, they wouldn't be making the trip to the Fire Nation. This bothered her...deeply...because deep down, Auina wanted to go. The promise of something new, something exciting was so alluring. She simply couldn't pass it up. Which meant leaving her family behind for awhile...a prospect that she wasn't really easy with.
And then, Li was tilting her chin up. The acrobat's gaze left that of her parents, sweeping up to look up at the twin.
"Something the matter...? Such awesome news.. you shouldn't be sad.. we haven't preformed for a noble in years..!"
"I know, I know," she responded softly. "It's just-"
At this point, Akai spoke up, "Haloa and I will stay behind. I just can't take the risk of bringing my wife into the Fire Nation, given the war and all."
The older man made it a point to say 'wife' rather than family. Auina was a grown woman, fully capable of deciding for herself whether to stay or go. The look that Haloa sent her daughter's way though would speak volumes. It was pleading for Auina not to go.
Auina had looked away from Li when her father spoke...and caught the look on Haloa's face. For a moment, there was quiet hesitation...a brief moment in which she second guessed the decision she had made. The earthbender looked up at Li...
"I will go," Auina said quietly...and then repeated it a little louder, so that Juning and Huang could hear. "I will go to the Fire Nation."
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Post by whitecrow on Apr 30, 2008 13:35:29 GMT -5
Bai-Wu stuck a hand out to the side to stop Ratu, his hand gently catching her on the neck as he turned to face her. He looped his fingers into the halter the Zebra cow wore, using his thumbs to rub the sides of her mouth where her lips curved downward. In his one hand, he still held the lead rope. Bai-Wu ignored what Xia had said.. it wasn't an answer to his statement.. which he had really been hoping for. However, he hadn't said it like a question.. maybe she didn't get the picture. Would she being going with them to the Fire Nation or not? So she wanted her husband.. or a husband. He found that... incredibly selfish. Here was a whole group of people who had raised many kids together over the years and they all.. ended up fine. Many of the women were widows or just plain single, some of the men were too. What difference did it make to a baby too? He stared at her for a moment, the laughter and cheerfulnes gone from his eyes and replaced with a deadpan look one might expect more from Li-Wu than Bai-Wu. After the moment, he let go of Ratu's halter and stepped around to the side to help Xia down. He offered her his hand as he stood near. "..C'mon. Tarak's waiting.. I'll take Ratu over to your tent.."
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Post by shanghuang on May 4, 2008 20:25:40 GMT -5
Shang could do little but stand awkwardly and flush with embarrassment as Juning ran up and hugged him. He remembered her, of course, and he really wasn’t surprised too much by the action, given the woman’s nature. He wasn’t too embarrassed, either. Mostly, it was just shame. He didn’t deserve this kind of welcome. Frankly, he didn’t really want it. He wasn’t a returning hero or anything, and he certainly didn’t want to have to explain it to anyone. So he couldn’t help but wince as Juning banged on the pot and announced his arrival to everyone else. Suddenly, a lot of people were staring at him. He smiled, trying to keep a straight face with moderate success, but he couldn’t keep his feet from shuffling a little.
“You really don’t have to…” he muttered, though it likely wasn’t loud enough for anyone to hear.
His gaze shifted around, from his feet, to the faces in the crowd, and then to various other things he hoped would distract him from this. He had always been somewhat reserved, so such a reaction wasn’t unnatural, and even his parents failed to notice anything odd. Fortunately, someone else soon spoke up. He didn’t recognize the first speakers at first, but when Auina spoke, he realized that the people speaking before had been her parents. He blinked. She was leaving them behind? Would she be alright?
While he was thinking, however, Shang didn’t fail to realize that some of the eyes were starting to leave him and turn to Auina. Slowly, Shang took this opportunity to start to inch back into the background inconspicuously…
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Post by blackcrow on May 9, 2008 23:48:35 GMT -5
"Alright, Auina! We'll be able to do our fight for the noble..!" Li-Wu nudged her with his elbow as she stepped forward and declared that she would be among the small troupe to go to the Fire Nation. The young man chuckled as he then wrapped a bare arm around her, his caramine colored vest still hanging open, the golden loops of stiff ribbons that acted as fasteners hanging loosely. He laughed, looking down at her oval face with his bright eyes for a moment until he looked up and witnessed the solemn expression on her parent's face. And his own expression fell as his laughed slowly ebbed off. Li-Wu looked away from them, gritting his teeth as his laughed turned into a sigh.
"Um.. yeah.." He lifted his arm away from her shoulders, putting his rough hand behind the back of his head, running his fingers through his dark hair, up under the folded up goldenrod bandana that encircled his head. "Hey look..!" Li-wu perked up and pointed, gleefully glad for a distraction. "There's Bai and Miss Feng.. I'm gonna go help!" And with that, the young man with the long flowing black hair skittered off from Auina... lest he face the wrath of her father for breaking his daughter's heart.
Juning meanwhile had been surrounded by people concerned about the trip to the Fire Nation. A few of the Flame Dancers who passed by Shang would say words of congratulations to him, and wish him well on his return, but the attention was short lived. It seemed that the mixed company simply.. wanted to move on and forget the war.
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Post by gijoespouse on May 10, 2008 9:03:48 GMT -5
Li's nudge jostled Auina a bit, even more so when he wrapped his arm around her. A half hearted smile came to her face, coupled with an equally half hearted chuckle at the firebender's enthusiasm. For now, it seemed that her excitement was pretty much dampened down by the unease she was feeling over leaving her parents behind for the trip. As Li left to go join his twin and Miss Feng, her warm brown eyes watched his retreating form...before she turned to look to her parents. Dread settled in...because she knew there would be an argument brewing, at least from her mother. While Akai had long since acknowledged Auina's adulthood, letting her be free to make her own decisions for better or for worse...Haloa was still overprotective, and she made nagging a sport practically.
It was better to get the argument over with now, while the others would be too excited to take notice of the exchange. So, she made her way to her parents, weaving through the crowds as they moved to surround Juning. The Kym family then proceeded on to their wagon to discuss things in private.
...the argument was rather short...especially considering Auina just kept her mouth shut and let Haloa talk. It quickly made the argument very one-sided: essentially, it was like Haloa was just arguing with herself. When her mother finally calmed down...the acrobat simply ended the conversation by restating that she would be going to the Fire Nation. After, she left the wagon, leaving her mother to deal with things as she would. Akai had stayed back with the woman, and likely would be spending the next bit soothing Haloa's ruffled feathers.
As Auina made her way back to the group, she rubbed her hands over her face in a bit of an exasperated motion. Spirits...she'd had enough drama for the day. She prayed that the rest of the day would pass on uneventfully. Perhaps she would ride with Zahira or Pamuy until they set up camp? Riding along with her mother just wasn't exactly a thrilling notion at this point.
Auina's eyes fell on Shang, who had made his way into the background. She managed a smile, for now putting aside her own troubles, and greeted him.
"Shang? It's been a long time. It's good to see you home," the earthbender said warmly.
Her cappucino shaded eyes drifted to the crowd of excited, and worried, Flame Dancers...and added, "Seems you came back just in time for a great deal of excitement."
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Post by zahira on May 10, 2008 16:55:53 GMT -5
Zahira allowed a wry smile to grace her lips as Iikagen flamboyantly introducted himself to her mother. "He's a traveller who, um, stumbled unto our camp." She turned to her guest and gave him a wink. "This is my mother, Kali."
Kali let out a tinkling laugh. "Aren't you exotic?" she told the man, followed by another flirty laugh and a toss of her greying hair. Like her daughter, Kali knew how to flirt -- it was what got her Zahira in the first place, and she had passed it down to her. It never bothered Kali that Zahira lived her life partying as hard as she did, only that her daughter was safe and had fun. And she knew that, like herself, flirting was her nature, whether intended or not. Kali suspected that Zahira might have a little fun with this stranger before she settled down, and she was intending to give her daughter any tool necessery to have her fun before she became a spinster. Her one dissapointment was that she had no grandchildren... but if it wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. Besides, she had plenty of other women to work on for babies to take care of, and there was always little Tarak, an infant whose mother Kali had taken under her wing.
"Be good to our guest, Zahira. Show him a good time, and... let me know if you need anything." She bowed to Iikagen and gave her the same wry smile and wink her daughter had ealier. "And go easy on her, Iikagen. Please meeting you." Kali drifted away, heading towards her recent apprentance-of-sorts, Xia Feng, to aid her in settling her new zebra-cow into the camp.
"By the way, Zahira, if you're planning to go with everyone, and I suspect you will... I will be coming, and I'm hoping to convince Miss Xia to come as well."
Zahira nodded to her mother, yelling a quick, "Alright!" to the older woman's retreating back, and then turned back to Iikagen. "My, my... how charming can you be, Iikagen?" She gave him a grin, her eyes half-lidded with delight. "Looks like you swallowed down your meal quickly... want anymore? Or is there anything else I can provide you with?" She glanced over to the crowd, now dispersing a little, and back to her guest. "I don't think there's much to offer, but if you wish to stay the night..."
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The Lion Turtle
Ishvara Spirits
"Your own spirit must be unbendable."
Posts: 0
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Post by The Lion Turtle on May 10, 2008 17:13:07 GMT -5
The mention of Tarak made Xia Feng anxious once more. She knew he was in capable hands, but she wanted to see him. She hadn't been gone long... but she felt guity for leaving him. She took Bai's offer to help her down, squeezing it in thanks. She looked around to see who had him, but it was Kali coming over to her that she noticed first.
"Well, well, back are you? I would have thought Bai would take a little longer with you, Miss Xia," she said in a rather bawdy jest. It took Xia a moment to realize what the older woman was saying before a blush hit her cheeks. "Miss Kali..."
Kali laughed and waved Xia's words away, inspecting Ratu. "Good choice. She looks sturdy enough, and she's still milking." Xia patted Ratu's neck fondly, her jade eyes running over the stripped, smooth fur. She was glowing with pride that this animal was her's; she had had never really owned anything in her life. Everything had either belonged to her father or her husband, with the exception of a few trinkets and keepsakes, and of course her clothing.
"Thank you, Miss Kali," she said, and made a bow to her mentor. She turned to Bai, not sure how to approch him now. She hesitated, and look up at him with her wide, almond-shaped eyes. She decided to answer his previous question with one of her own.
"D'you think Ratu will be able to come with us to the Fire Nation, Bai?"
Her heart thudded. She couldn't take it back now, but she something made her want to go -- whether it was to see this terrible fear of her's in person, to have an adventure, or to simply follow Bai, she didn't know what. She didn't know what really made up her mind for her, either. A second ago, she was unsure, thinking she would go if Kali was going, but it came out, and she was sticking to it.
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Post by iikagen on May 10, 2008 23:39:44 GMT -5
Iikagen straightened up after the elder woman seemed to take kindly to his greeting. With a grin still plastered on his face, the Igni took a step back and swiveled his hand around to return the bowl back in front of him. To be honest, he was a little surprised to hear Zahira's mother respond like she did. Though it was almost the perfect reaction he was hoping for, it seemed out of place coming from a woman raised presumably by the mainland Fire Nation. Perhaps this particular band of people had learned how to loosen up a bit?
The islander bowed once more to Kali, saying "I do my best." After she left, he mentioned quietly to Zahira, "Quite de mom joo got..." Iikagen had to keep himself from laughing at the fact that it sounded like the old lady had just encouraged what he was hoping for. He tilted his head slightly to the side as Zahira spoke, casually acknowledging her claim before shaking his head slightly.
"No more food for now," he said. Iikagen paused for a moment, mulling over his hostess's exact words before adding, "As for staying de night, it depends... Will I have to share a bed?" His lips curled up in a grin and one eyebrow twitched up suggestively, the motion made all the more exaggerated by the row of dots above that eye.
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Post by shanghuang on May 11, 2008 21:14:37 GMT -5
To someone else, it may have hurt to be so quickly forgotten, but Shang was glad. He had even less wish to remember the war than the members of the caravan. Unfortunately, he couldn’t help but think about it with everyone he met talking about it somehow. So, he quickly excused himself with a quick explanation to his family that he was full and needed to rest. So, he scooted out to edge of the crowd and sat down on a stump with a sigh. He looked up at the sky, trying to lose himself in the clouds. That didn’t last long, as he was soon startled by Auina, almost jumping as she spoke.
"Shang? It's been a long time. It's good to see you home. "Seems you came back just in time for a great deal of excitement."
“Uh, yeah, I guess so. It’s kind of hard to believe that the caravan is going to the Fire Nation. It’s almost more a part of the Earth Kingdom by now,” he said a little hesitantly before giving a small start as he remembered his manners. “Oh! And, it’s good to see you again, too, Auina.”
He gave a small, weary smile at Auina as he faced her. She’d grown since he’d last seen her. A woman now, not a girl. She was older than he was by a little bit, though, so he’d never really thought of her as a little girl, per say. He had always respected her, both as a person but also because of her earthbending and acrobatic ability. She’d had talent, but had never seemed to flaunt it like the Wu twins. It made Shang feel a little more comfortable around her when he was younger. So, despite his mental and physical weariness, he tried to be friendly.
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Post by gijoespouse on May 12, 2008 15:51:19 GMT -5
Auina kept her facial expression friendly...but she could see how wore out he was. Shang had always been a rather quiet child, nowhere near as outgoing as some of the others in the caravan. While Li and Bai and many of the others were at the center of attention...Shang always seemed to blend into the background. More than likely, he was still feeling rather uncomfortable from Juning parading him around in front of everybody, forcing a possibly unwanted spotlight on him.
“Uh, yeah, I guess so. It’s kind of hard to believe that the caravan is going to the Fire Nation. It’s almost more a part of the Earth Kingdom by now. Oh! And, it’s good to see you again, too, Auina.”
She nodded in response to his belated greeting. She hadn't been offended in the slightest at the lack of manners. Honestly? Auina was just glad he was back. She remembered the day Shang had left. There had been so much pomp behind it, as well as a fair share of tears. She remembered it mostly because she hated to see any member leave the Flame Dancers. It felt like...like a part of the family whole was missing. That and with Shang leaving for the military, there was that uncertainty as to whether or not he would be seen again at all.
It was strange, yet welcome, seeing Shang again. Auina could see the shy little boy, curled up with a book and keeping to himself, just as clear as she could see the grown man before her now.
"It will be exciting, seeing the Fire Nation," she finally said. "Though I agree with you. It's hard to imagine the roots of the Flame Dancers as being planted in the Fire Nation. We've been in the Earth Kingdom so long..."
Auina shook her head, before crossing her arms over her chest. The motion caused a still damp tendril of her hair to fall free of the messy bun she'd thrown together. She quickly sought to change the subject, as thinking about the impending trip meant thinking about the argument she'd just walked off from. It was something she wasn't in a hurry to dwell on.
"Are you settling in just fine?"
Her cappucino eyes looked Shang over...and suddenly, a bit of a frown formed on her lips.
"Those clothes are so loose. You should have someone take them in a bit, or else you might get a sleeve caught in something."
The words weren't said in any sort of accusatory tone, but there was a subtle chiding edge to it. Good old Auina...she only nagged those she genuinely considered a friend, and always in concern for their well-being.
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Post by nim on May 17, 2008 14:00:50 GMT -5
Nim had slept the morning away. After the festivities of the night before she had started feeling a bit under the weather. She had slept in her parents wagon that night and her father had packed up her tent so it wouldn't have to be done the next day. The caravan had gotten up and moving for the day bright and early as always, but her parents let her sleep, hoping the extra rest would get her feeling better soon.
She felt only vaguely better though when a horn was blown announcing a meeting. She was slow moving, her joints aching and her head pounding, as she did her best to get properly dressed in the small space of the packed wagon. The meeting was over by the sound of it when she finally climbed to the ground from the back of the wagon, stretching her hands out around her to find her walking cane. She moved slowly in search for the familiar piece of carved wood, but she had no luck finding it around her wagon. She with careful movements she held her hands loosely out in front of her and shuffled her feet along the ground so as not to trip. She listened to the voices of the caravan and moved gradually closer to them, but it was on the outskirts of the crowd that she heard a very familiar voice. Auina's happy tone reached her ears and a light smile palyed on Nims' lips as she made a slight change in direction to bear more toward her friend.
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Post by whitecrow on May 18, 2008 22:30:14 GMT -5
They still were holding hands. Bai had helped her down, not noticing the gentle squeeze Xia had given his hand when Kali approached. He rolled his eyes at her comment, looking away and and shifting his weight to a back foot as he did so. Strands of his long hair fell from alongside the goldenrod bandanna that was rolled and tied around his forehead, breaking up the Spanish orange of his eyes. Pfft.. Kali's comment was not needed, certainly, and he would have left at that except..
He still had her hand. The realization kicked in and immediately, the young man opened his hand and dropped hers. The man who could woo any woman seated in an Earth Kingdom Pub found himself utterly helpless in front of this woman and her history. He had turned away and trying his best to ignore them, when Xia turned to him and spoke. Don't look.. don't look.. Oh BAD!.
He looked and saw those doe-like eyes. Dark umber tones, sparkling with such hope and happiness. It was something Pamuy would love probably. His eyes went wide as he looked down at her, his mouth stretched into a frown but not one of disapproval. He blinked at her once, twice before wincing and tilting his head. "Eh...... Maybe...... Maybe not? We weren't planning on taking any animals except Ostrich Horses for some of the wagons..." He reached a hand behind his head, scratching at his head even while Ratu let out a guttural moo; unhappy at having to stand here for so long. She wanted to move, her udder was getting heavy.
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Post by shanghuang on May 19, 2008 23:53:44 GMT -5
Shang blinked and looked down at his clothes, “Well, I can’t really complain…”
He trailed off, deciding not to go into any detail about why he couldn’t complain. After all, selling his armor at a pawn shop wasn’t exactly something he wanted to spread around. It raised too many questions, none of which he wanted to answer. Still, he was somewhat glad that Auina was being her motherly self. It made him feel back at home again, so he glanced up at her and offered another small smile.
“Though I guess you’re right. I should probably get them fitted.”
Shang never did fight it when Auina chided him. Politeness and a general lack of a solid spine dictate that he accept her advice with open arms. Besides, Auina was a friend, and she always had others’ best interests at heart when she was like that. To Shang, that side of her had more good than bad.
Shang turned his gaze away from Auina and looked around the camp for a moment. Eye contact for too long made him feel awkward, no matter who it was. He soon found a girl walking with a cane, roughly in their direction. Even without seeing her face, he recognized the walk as that of Nimura Watsu, a blind girl born into the Flame Dancers. Despite her blindness, she had turned out to have plenty of talent, another success from his generation of Flame Dancers. She was nice, though, from what Shang remembered.
He looked away from Nimura and scanned the crowd speaking somewhat quietly, as though to himsel, “It’s kind of strange to see everyone again…after so long, I mean.”
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Post by blackcrow on May 31, 2008 22:57:27 GMT -5
Li-Wu ran up to his brother, grabbing his bare arm as he leaned his head in close next to his twin. They nearly bonked heads together as they turn to look to each other, their long noses touching. "Bai!" Li whispered harshly as he started to pull. "Get over here we need to talk and for Spirit's sake stop oogling.." Bai-wu started to protest, but nothing but a few noises out before he followed his brother, leading a very angry Ruta behind him. Ruta mooed in satisfaction as she started moving along , her hefy udder swaying with each step. Bai fell into step alongside Li, together they walked and moved like reflections of themselves. The only difference between them being the color of their beads. They started to mumble to each other, their exaggerated hand motions throwing their shoulders back and their hair into a twist behind them.
[The Twins are leaving and this thread can close if the others agree.]
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