The Road to Kei Lan <Kei Lan, Earth Kingdom>

[sunil]

Sunil considered what Shu-zu said for a few seconds, his explanation toward his business, and concluded it was completely unimportant to know any more petty details. Shu-zu said everything to satisfaction, and that would be that. Now Sunil's mind could move to more imporant things, like food! As they followed the waitress, he had to wonder what he would order. Probably something with peppers, something he'd actually been craving all week long. He remembered how his father loved peppers, sweet, spicy, sour...however they came. Sunil often conjectured good ol' dad could eat nothing but peppers for an entire month without suffering any ill effects. That made him a bit homesick, remembering his family's quirks...

Still not enough to bring him down!

Sunil was first to sit at the table crafted from inferior wood, rough surface, splinters everywhere. It was passable, serving its purpose, and most likely wouldn't bring much trouble. It was just a table, after all. Tali and Shu-zu would follow soon, no doubt, but for now Sunil could place his order. "I'll have your best dish with peppers...whatever that is. Maybe...peppered pork with sweet peppers?" Sunil paused to rub his chin, in case they didn't make such dishes. "Whatever's closest to that."

[tali]

Tali was a little amused now, last room at the inn last table at the resteraunt, it seemed this was just their lucky day. Her legs moved somewhat gracefully in her baggy brown pants as the trio moved to the table, in all honesty she wasn't much listening to Shu-zu all the same she flashed him a smile. Tali pulled the chair out and.sat down looking over the menu, carefully she smoothed out her clothes and checked her hair out of habit, her sister had instilled a small amount of anxiety over her appearance in the younger girl. Always chiding her for her unkempt appearance, saying she'd never find a husband and wind up a bulky muscular man of a woman with all of her martial arts.

A small frown formed on her face, she wasn't a man... Her eyes went back to the menu only at the appetizers, maybe they could order some of those to split, orange zest shrimp sounded good, still it was surprising to hear Sunil just order randomly, would she be expected to do the same thing? Her hazel eyes fluttered back and forth between the two men but the woman was starring at her, that meant it was her turn. After a couple seconds of silence the woman smiled kindly. " And for you miss?"

Pressing her lips together she looked down at the menu before folding it up and pushing it her way. " Uh, vegetable stir fry is fine... thank you- oh! and orange blossom tea as well please" The woman just nodded and offered her a kind smile, she took the menu and moved on to quiz Shu-zu. Honestly it was comforting to get the pressure off herself, well, not that it was that much pressure, she just felt rushed. The shrimp still tempted her, but she shouldn't be eating meat if she was going to the nomads temples... But they sounded so good.

[shuzu]

Shu-zu trodded his feet behind the waitress until they arrived at their table, and seated himself, only to find that the chairs weren't as bad as they looked. He allowed himself to relax and look over the small menu, eyes drifting more toward the price instead of the contents. It wasn't that he was worried that it would cost a lot, he was just always interested in the value of things.

His attention was drawn by the grilled fish and orange zest shrimp, he was in a seafood mood, it seemed. He was also hungry enough to eat the whole entree along with the appetizer alone, so he held no qualms about wasting food. Placing the menu on the table, he noted the other two's order. It didn't seem that their food would cost him much, which was fine by him, but Tali seemed hesitant and uncomfortable with her order. Maybe it was just Shu-zu's imagination.

Once the waitress had shifted her gaze to him, he merely listed off, "I would like the orange zest shrimp, along with the grilled fish, and water will be fine." As the waitress reached down to gather his menu, she lightly said, "Your food will be ready shortly." And with that, she was off, through a back door into the kitchen, no doubt.

Shu-zu sat up in his chair and rested his head in his palm, while his elbow rested on the table, giving him a bit of a bored look. "So, Tali, you mentioned that you were on a training mission. Are you headed anywhere in particular?" Shu-zu wasn't particualarly interested, but he figured he should get the conversation rolling. If they just ate and he paid without any sort of conversation whatsoever, it would become very awkward. Any idiot could tell that.

[tali]

The girl blinked a bit watching Shu-zu, he ordered what she wanted, already she knew that this would bother her all through the meal. Her taste buds were craving the blend of citrus and shrimp, her two biggest weaknesses as far as food was concerned. Now she almost wanted the waitress to come back but she watched pathetically as the woman walked away, she'd be miserable now, unless perhaps the fellow sea food officianado would be willing to share with her.

At least she sincerly hoped that he would, her stir fry seemed less appetizing with the appeal of seafood floating about her mind. It was too late for that though, free food was free food. No sense in being ungrateful for such a blessing from the spirits. Besides the tables occupants seemed willing enough to skip onto another topic other than what was ordered.

" Well I'm headed to the Northern Air Temple, someone said there were air benders there and I'd like to meet them and learn from them." She was less embarrassed about this than she was when her adventures first began, it was a very mixed response from people. Some thought she was crazy which perhaps she was. Others wished her luck and hoped she'd travel back their way to tell any tales she may collect from such an experience.

Fondly Tali took the worn wooden pendant in her hand and looked down at the symbols engraved deep in the smoothed worn surface. She hardly ever took it off, After all it was a link to the balance and to her own fantasy world in which air benders still existed and she would be able to learn from the masters the arts instead of from scrolls. It was very different without the bending but any true martial artist knew only understanding can be found in learning more than their own discipline.

[sunil]

Sunil wasn't much to interrupt, but when he heard Tali state her next destination, it was too much for him to keep his mouth shut. The pot of fresh-brewed oolong that was already left on the table, a tradition in most restaurants, had already caught Sunil's attention and his lips were wrapped firmly to the mug as they spoke. Although, when she mentioned the Northern Air Temple, he almost snorted the tea straight up his sinuses. Considering the boiling temperature it attained, that would hurt. A lot. Before his brief jaunt in Ba Sing Sei, he had just been at the Northern Air Temple no more than a month before that.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but...I was just at the Northern Air Temple," he said as he lowered his mug to the table. He didn't dare to wear a guise of unease, but he was still uncertain to the girl's reaction. He still tried to keep eye contact, though. "There were no airbenders. There were people who flew on weird glider things, and a guy with a hot-air balloon, but no one who could bend air. If there were, I'm sure they'd show off to a stranger like me..."

[shuzu]

Shu-zu looked between the two, noting their expressions. Tali was still acting a bit strange, something he couldn't pinpoint, but he could tell she was somewhat troubled. His jade eyes drifted over to the other man who was reaching over to grab some oolong. It seemed as though he was making himself comfortable, which was good.

His brow quirked a bit at Tali's destination, however. The Northern Air Temple? Airbenders? For a moment, he thought this girl might not be the brightest, but he didn't much care anyway... Suddenly though, his attention was grabbed by Sunil choking up some of his drink, causing his brow to raise once again. These two sure were a strange pair...

He nodded whilst Sunil spoke, he had heard similar stories, people flying and a crazy inventor person. He heard a lot of things through his customers, but it was hard to tell fact from fiction most of the time. He shifted uneasily in his chair, for Tali had seemed enthusiastic about the prospect of airbenders, and even wore what looked like an airbender necklace. Shu-zu couldn't help but eye the piece and attempt to guage it's value, but with old pieces, you could never be sure if it was extremely valuable, or just junk.

Snapping back to reality out of his world of money and values, he looked somewhat away from Tali to avoid her noticing his gaze, but still shifted his eyes in his sockets to look her way. He was interested in how she would take this news. Why? He had no clue.

[tali]

Tali blinked curiously as the taller member of the trio seemed to find some amusement in her destination. Now she was used to this but she'd since strengthened her resolve against the petty thoughts seemed to have against such a fruitless journey, if nothing else she'd get to see the temple, take in the architecture of the ruins, hopefully there would be plenty of reminiscent of the air benders past and she'd get something out of the journey. Still as Sunil started to explain her face dropped. Her eyes found him and she openly starred even though it might have been considered rude.

Quickly she collected herself and looked away becoming quiet and gaining a some what secluded personality. Numbly Tali nodded to him, honestly it was silly of her to think there would still be air benders but the chance was enough for her to get excited about. Not like they got all the juicy gossip of the north down in Gaoling. She'd never truly left Gaoling before how was she to know about something like that. Her hands moved the wooden pendant under her clothes, tucked against her body out of view unless one were to look down her shirt.

It was fairly obvious she was a little crest fallen now, not one to hide her emotions under her sleeves which she usually didn't wear. " Oh..."

[sunil]

As far as Sunil could tell, he thought he'd broken something, whether it was her resolve, her dreams, or something even more important. As he took another sip, he had to wonder if it really was the best choice to interrupt and stomp her hopes into the dust. Really, saying what was essentially 'Oh hi, there! Yes, your lifelong dreams really are utter crap! 'Kay, thanks. Bye!' really didn't make things any better. Still, he couldn't stand to see her go off in ignorance, likely to be hurt if something went awry. That trek to the top of that mountain wore Sunil out, and Tali, being a nonbender, would probably have a much worse time. Before he considered telling her that, he thought it was better for Tali to ask for herself.

Although, he did notice a trinket that was a bit out of the ordinary. Around her neck, now conscientiously hidden, Tali wore what seemed to be an airbender's necklace. It was odd to see something like that, and, from what brief glimpses he noticed, the thing looked pretty darn old. Was it really authentic? Putting down his cup of tea again, he tilted his head at a very slight angle. "That necklace...where did you get it?"

[tali]

"mmn" Tali managed to make out as she quietly acknowledged the question poised towards her. She wondered where to start with that, what did she have to loose anyway? She already looked the part of a fool chasing stories and legends far away from home. How much more idiotic could she possibly look in front of a pair of near strangers? Her lips pursed together but her eyes stayed down, her bangs laying gently over her eyes, defiantly in need of another trim. Her shoulders rolled back to give her a bit of comfort and an arm shifted across her middle, a dull smile came to her face as she attempted to cheer up despite the fears of her journey becoming realized.

" Well, when I was little some travelers came through Gaoling, I traded a sweet bun for the necklace" She fondly remembered her mothers cooking, when she went to school she'd always packed one her lunch knowing how much she loved them. As per her own tastes it was glazed with orange sugary sweet icing. Still when she saw the necklace the draw it had to Tali was worth giving up her treat. " My father explained that it had the symbol of the air nomads on it..."

" but it's probably a fake..." She added bitterly as an after thought, the rest of her day had been going pretty well, karma had a weird way of coming around to get you.

[shuzu]

Shu-zu could only watch the interaction between Sunil and Tali, it was like watching a Ba-Seng-Sei trainwreck. She seriously seemed sad, which was understandable, considering he pretty much said that her whole journey was for nothing... Luckily, it seemed that Sunil had some sense to change the topic, at least, he thought he was. Of course, though, he was just changing the subject to an air bender necklace as opposed to an air bender temple. Really, it probably didn't help the girl's spirits any.

He allowed himself to actually turn his head back to her, trying to seem nonchalant, which wasn't too hard, just required a bit of effort. If what she said was true, then of course, the little artifact wouldn't have much value at all. Now... if what she said was false, and it was a real air nomad necklace... well, it would be worth quite a penny. He figured that he shouldn't think such things, for the necklace wasn't his to sell, and he didn't want to buy it from the girl, because any price she offerred, thinking it was fake, would be an absurd rip-off.

Shu-zu finally let his curiosity get the best of him. He was a decent appraiser, or at least, he could tell if it was as old as it should've been, so he pitched a question, "Well... if you'd like, I could take a look at it and see just how authentic it is..." He let himself off with a clean conscience, by telling himself that if it was real, that it would lift her spirits, and although this may have been an ulterior motive, it was by no means his main reason.

[tali]

Tali allowed her dull drums to last a while, she fidgeted with her hair trying to look inconspicuous even though it seemed all the attention of the table was geared in her direction. Her eyes fluttered to the side avoiding contact least she burst into tears. She'd be the first one to admit that it was a hopeless quest in the first place but the reality from someone who'd been there, it was a little too much for her. Her head was drooped somewhat and her back was slouched as if she subconsciously hoped to vanish into herself.

The air benders were slaughtered almost 100 years ago, surely she imagined a couple would be able to escape it, to hide away or something. But that was just wishful thinking, there was no way there would be anything left behind except for relics and forgotten temples still scorched and stained with the blood of those who died with in. It was dark and sad. The same thing could happen to the earth kingdom, from what she'd been hearing on her travels it was happening. A modern day genocide.

The girl looked up at the merchant, she reflexively put her hand over her chest where the necklace rested between the cloth and her skin snuggly tucked away. Did she really want her fears to be confirmed? Her body straightened up in the seat and she untucked it from her shirt pulling it over her head with a little effort because of her long hair. But within seconds it was held out for Shu-zu, a small bit of warmth lingering on the wood from her own body heat. " I suppose it couldn't hurt..."

[shuzu]

Shu-zu looked down at the small wooden trinket in the palm of her hand, it really did look quite old... With a quick grin he said, "Sure!" He really did want to help her, she looked like she was going to cry. He didn't want her to be sad, he wanted to cheer her up, so he hoped to the Spirits that the necklace was real. He quickly snatched up the piece and examined it closely, holding it close to, and then farther away from his eye.

He looked up and down the grain, examining the weathering, trying to decide if it was a duplicate or not. It was very convincing, if it was. Sure enough, though, after a minute or so of silent examination, he handed it back to her with satisfaction. He threw her a smile and pronounced, "Yup, it's real alright." Now that he had, hopefully, cheered her up, his mind wandered back to the value of the item, and he started to zone out a small bit.

Then, coming from behind him, the waitress arrived at the table with a small plate in her hands, before setting it down on the table. "Here you go, sir, your shrimp." Shu-zu snapped back into reality to realize that he was the only person who had ordered an appetizer, causing him to feel very self-concious about himself eating in front of the other two. It passed, however, once he remembered that he was paying for their meals, and reached for one of the about ten or twelve shrimp that were on the plate, and popped it into his mouth.

[sunil]

Sunil simply had nothing else to say, especially because he didn't want to aggravate the poor girl even further. He had broken her heart once that day, but spirits damn him if he did it again. He sat in wait, watching as either Shu-zu and Tali spoke about the artifact. When he heard the necklace was, in fact, real, he felt a certain sense of relief. Maybe, just maybe, her mood would brighten now and all the little puffy dark clouds above her head would be scattered by blazing sunlight. As he downed the last of his oolong tea, Sunil could only hope for the best. It wasn't like the day was one where everything went wrong, so he had no reason to expect such things.

As the waitress handed Shu-zu his food - but, remarkably, to no one else at the table - Sunil turned to Tali again. Perhaps she didn't harbor any ill will, since she'd be wise not to. It wasn't his fault that he only pointed out an obvious fact to her. It was entirely up to her how she'd react. Smiling to her, he said; "So, that's a relief, eh?"

[tali]

" Thank you..." Tali murmured as he seemed to give it something of an appraisal even though he could be lying she was thankful. She took the necklace back slipping it over her head and allowing it to rest back in it's previous position, she'd felt odd in the few moments that the familure weight was missing. Tali gave him a small smile and and continued to cradle the large central pendant of the necklace in her palm finding some comfort in the man's evaluation. Once she was sure the necklace was in place she slipped her fingers under her thick chocolate colored hair and pulled it out from under the beads letting her braid fall back against her spine. Her feelings were still rather mellow but it wasn't the end of the world.

Then the shrimp came, reminding her that Shu-zu had ordered something she wanted. Her hazel eyed adverted, looking towards the people in the room Tali mulled over her journey up to this point. She no longer had a destination, what was she going to do? Perhaps it would be best to turn around and head home. After all the training mission was only a pretext to go see the air benders... That was out of the question now. They weren't there. " Oh-hm?" Her attention turned to Sunil her eyes meeting his evenly before she let her eyes trail off, she was in the middle of no where with no destination. " Yeah... I guess...."

[shuzu]

Shu-zu could practically taste the sadness emitting from Tali at the moment, it was thick in the air. Perhaps he had a bad first impression on her, but it seemed she was usually more bubbly and happy than the personality she currently had on. He quickly chewed and swallowed the small shrimp, savoring the flavor for a small amount of time, before casting a quick glance toward Tali. He had hoped that his appraisal would have made her happier, but it seems that wasn't the case. Then again, if that was her destination, it probably wasn't anymore...

He allowed the shrimp to lay for a moment, and rested his hands at his sides. He had no idea what to do, it was quite the awkward situation... The only thing he could hope to do was to ease some of the tension, and the best way to do that would be to start some laughter! He leaned forward, and looked at her with a smile, just before playfully saying, "You know, usually it'd be four gold pieces for an appraisal. You'd better be thankful that I like you enough to do it for free!" He then let out a small chuckle, hoping that he could get her to feel better...