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Post by nasrin on Mar 6, 2008 0:23:31 GMT -5
The ocean made its presence known for miles before its glimmering surface was visible. The smell of salt dominated the air, and all around there seemed to be wetlands and estuaries rimmed with farms. And most noticeably, the cries of seagulls were constantly breaking the silence.
These things were all new to Nasrin, though she could relate them to a number of experiences from the desert. There were massive salt deposits in parts of the Si Wong, and she was accustomed to the sound of flocks of buzzard-wasps. Still, there was something far less harsh and unforgiving about this temperate coast.
The sandbender had kept her eyes largely focused on the ground a short distance ahead of her for the last hour or so of walking. She was mostly trying to take her focus away from her strange companion on this journey, but she also wanted to leave a bit of anticipation in the unveiling of the ocean. It was likely going to be a once in a lifetime event for her, so she might as well allow for some suspense.
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Post by manju on Mar 7, 2008 2:06:08 GMT -5
Quick footfalls of a certain Igni made no sound on the packed dirt below, though Manju seemed to compensate with her fair share of opinions and musings. Whatever came to her mind was voiced, though Nasrin never answered. That didn't stop Manju, though she didn't really care if Nasrin was too drunk to answer. She probably was. Or not. Manju also hadn't concerned herself with such things. After an irrelevant and somewhat irreverant question left unanswered, she kicked a few pebbles, though a large snail was soon held between her toes and observed intently by her honey brown eyes as she sat. Licking it out of curiosity, she decided the mollusk wasn't worth her time. In the meantime, she noticed Nasrin had staggered a fair distance ahead of her.
Picking up her pace, she kicked up a cloud of dust as she bounded toward her traveling companion. As jewels, bottles of poison, other supplies, spears, and her new spindle disk clattered around in her backpack, she soon stopped on a dime right at Nasrin's side. Flashing a wide and cheesy grin at the tall sandbender, she reached her arm into her backpack and grabbed her spindle disk. Made from wood and rope by Manju herself in her spare time, it was a strange device. A knotted loop slung around her finger allowed her to drop it and pull it back to her hand, either for combative purposes or for sheer enjoyment. The latter of the two was her intent that time around, though an offender may soon have been smacked in the face by said implement. Looking down at the steadily falling and raising spindle disk, Manju inquired the same as she had at least five times in the past two hours. "So, never been to de beach, huh? I feel sorry for jou..."
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Post by nasrin on Mar 10, 2008 22:54:02 GMT -5
From the corner of her eye, Nasrin could see Manju playing with her new toy. Or, at least what Nasrin considered a toy. The Igni girl still insisted that it was also a weapon used for hunting and combat. The Si Wong native could tell that she wouldn't want to be hit in the face with the 'spindle-disk', but beyond that she'd have to see it in use to believe it.
"So, never been to de beach, huh? I feel sorry for jou..."
"Can't be too much different from the desert," Nasrin replied with a slow, drolling voice. "Except I hear the Ocean is blue and wet instead of beige and dry..." It was a lame attempt at humor, but it was a vast improvement for Nasrin. About a month ago, the entirety of her response would have consisted of some form of grunting noise and a shrugging gesture.
As bothersome as Manju was, having her around was finally forcing Nasrin to become a little more sociable.
That and the Igni's money purse was paying for enough hard liquour to kill a camelephant... But mostly, it was a positive change. As frequently as Nasrin took to drink, she rarely let herself go past more than a light buzz.
The path they were walking on started taking a slightly downward slope, and up ahead there was a ridge of sand that Nasrin suspected was the last highpoint between them and the ocean. She picked up her pace ever so slightly.
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Post by manju on Mar 11, 2008 11:36:46 GMT -5
Swinging her spindle-disk around was hardly safe for her single traveling companion, but it provided plenty of amusement. Manju seemed to always stay half a step behind Nasrin, looming at her right. In Manju's own way, it was a show of consideration, allowing someone she considered something like a friend to have the first view of the ocean. Manju even noted how Nasrin seemed to speed up very slightly, in what was perhaps some completely subtle form of excitement. As the sandbender did this, Manju stopped, crossed her arms, and wore a grin. It was a rather amusing sight to see someone who was normally so apathetic to actually rush toward her goal.
From her place, Manju observed Nasrin climb the slight incline before following her from a distance. The Igni was intimately familiar with the sea, and the telltale sounds of lapping waves told the two travelers they weren't far off. Nasrin would see what she wanted soon enough, and Manju soon told her so. "Jou first! De sea's close, and I've seen it a bazillion times!"
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Post by nasrin on Mar 11, 2008 20:15:40 GMT -5
Manju's gesture of dropping back a few steps seemed a little strange to Nasrin. It almost seemed like the Igni thought that her viewing of the ocean first would somehow steal some magic from the moment, which was a bit much considering the Si Wong native had only thought of this little trip on a whim. Nasrin had wanted to see the ocean at least once in her life, but it certainly wasn't her life-long dream.
Regardless, she continued plodding her way along the path. A few minutes later they were almost to the edge of the sand ridge. A salty breeze was sweeping over crest of the incline, causing Nasrin to squint slightly as the walked up the last few yards and finally looked up ahead.
The Ocean sprawled out for what seemed to be an eternity ahead of them, mergining with the sky at a distant horizon. There clouds were sparse, and the sun made the waves glitter in some places. Waves lapped at the shore, which was the only thing that really looked familiar to the sandbender.
Nasrin stood there for a few breaths, glancing to one side and then sweeping her eyes in the other direction. If there was ever a time to make some kind of deep, reflective statement about life, inspired by the divine beauty of nature, this surely was it....
"You think that town has a bar?" Nasrin asked Manju, spotting a cluster of buildings along the shore a little way down.
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Post by manju on Mar 14, 2008 14:34:18 GMT -5
Whatever splendor could be found in that moment, Manju saw it all dashed across the floor in an instant. Just when she thought Nasrin would show an inkling of passion, a zest for something - anything in particular, she reverted to her normal self. Manju felt like smacking her own forehead. But, volleying her spindle-disk up and down, she kept her frustrations under lock and key. Eyes drifting toward the small town, the Igni sighed. "Yeah, sure. We can go get stinkin' drunk."
Walking down the sandy earthen slope, Manju took the lead toward the town. She was almost dejected, but soon concluded that it wasn't worth groaning. People couldn't change that much, at least from what Manju had seen in her life of two decades. Nasrin would be her apathetic self, so listless and devoid of the verve that radiated from Manju. As her bare feet dug into the sand, reminding her of home, the Igni turned back to Nasrin. "Comin' or not?"
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Post by nasrin on Mar 15, 2008 0:04:50 GMT -5
Manju seemed surprisingly optimistic about the idea of getting drunk. Honestly, getting hammered wasn't really Nasin's intention at all in mentioning it. She simply figured it would be the next logical place to go from here. The sandbender started down the hill after her Igni companion, though she picked a direction that would take her closer to the water's edge.
When Manju asked if she was coming, Nasrin was nearly at the bottom of the dune and heading toward the shoreline at a diagonal. She replied with a curt, "Yeah," burt otherwise didn't bother to change her course or even look Manju's way. Walking barefoot across the sand, Nasrin felt somewhat at home for the first time in weeks. Granted the sand was just a little bit more moist than the powdery dunes of the Si Wong desert, but it was great to have that familiar feeling between her toes.
She eventually reached the soaked sand at the furthest reaches of the surf and she paused for a moment. It was a different feeling entirely. It was different than the edge of an oasis were the ground was more like soil. Instead it was more like a soft, cool, padded mat. Nasrin patted the balls of her feet up and down slightly, looking at the imprint they left and taking a slight curiosity in how that seemed to draw the nearby water into a pool beneath her foot.
Indeed, it was definitely something alien. A wave swept in, sweeping over her feet with a thin film of cool water. Nasrin allowed the wave to receed, noticing how it seemed to bury her toes in a layer of sediment, before quietly resuming her walk toward the town.
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Post by manju on Mar 15, 2008 13:05:56 GMT -5
As she turned back to see, Manju realized she had been distancing herself from the sandbender more and more. Not emotionally, but in a physical sense. Nasrin was preoccupied with burying her toes in the sand, seemingly fascinated like a child. It was a strange sight for the Igni, whose childhood and life were spent by the sea. Still, it taught her a lesson on diversity somehow. It allowed her to stop and think, to reflect on her existence in some small way. Or not...
With her spindle disk returned to her backpack, she kept the same wide distance from Nasrin. For the Igni, the gentle tide washing over her feet was a peaceful reminder of home. The days back on the island where her tribe dwelt, only lacking the boredom caused by overt familiarity. Instead of being surrounded entirely by water on all ends, there was land like she had never seen. Mountain ranges, sprawling plains, arid canyons, and massive forests. Nothing like what she could find at home. Manju imagined the unfamiliarity Nasrin must have felt was much like her own. At that point, she actually felt for another person. It wasn't that bad, either...
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Post by nasrin on Mar 15, 2008 15:32:40 GMT -5
Walking parallel to her fellow traveller, Nasrin kept her pacing even with Manju's. The Igni girl was finished toying with her spindle-disk for the moment, which would have been a relief if she were still within striking distance. Nasrin still had her eyes cast downward, following the ebb and flow of the waves as they washed up close to her feet. Seaweed and shells marked the water's furthest reaches, and the occasional sandcrab would cross her path for just a moment before disappearing under the sand.
The Si Wong native was hardly overwhelmed by the array of new sights, smells, sounds, etc... But she did observe them all closely. She made sure to document every little detail in her mind for future reference, because she figured this could be the only chance she ever had. However, as much as she realized how rare and unique of an experience this was, she felt no real compulsion to make it last; no obligation to break from her usual habits and simply enjoy the scenery. She'd seen the ocean, she'd felt the waves, prolonging either activity wouldn't make them more or less enjoyable than they currently were.
A sigh escaped her lips as she realized there was a twinge of hunger in her stomach. "You hungry?" Nasrin asked, calling over to Manju with a voice that might not have been audible over the waves.
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Post by manju on Mar 17, 2008 21:09:32 GMT -5
From behind came a voice, echoing over the sound of the tide. Turning to see the source of the question, Nasrin, off in the distance, the Igni stopped in her tracks and allowed the sandbender to catch up. Barely had she heard what her androgynous friend had said, but Manju was fairly sure what her words conveyed.
Manju was rather hungry, certain she hadn't eaten that day thus far, and was willing to travel to town for a bite. Looking Nasrin in the face across the distance, she piped up with a response worthy of the listless sandbender herself. Shrugging her shoulders, she said; "Sure..."
Shortly did the pair arrive at the seaside village, all while Manju kept glancing momentarily at the rolling waves at their side. Entering the town, she was dressed as decently as possible in her russet-colored vest and cardinal-colored pants, sarong tied around her head like a bandana. While relatively modest, Manju couldn't help but feel that people would stare.
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Post by nasrin on Mar 18, 2008 15:48:39 GMT -5
The village was simple enough. No walls or military fortifications that Nasrin could see. Just a handful of rows of houses and what appeared to be a single main road lined with two-story buildings; presumably shops and inns. There was a fair number of piers on a sizeable wharf, but only a few were long enough to accomdate larger trade ships. All in all, it looked like just a homely fishing town that had been able to avoid being destroyed by the Fire Nation.
Walking down the main road of the town, the pair of travelers got a few looks from the locals. Or rather, Manju did, but supposedly any newcomers would be a point of interest. There was barely a defined road even leading to the town, so Nasrin assumed the people simply kept to themselves. It was a wise policy given these troubled times.
Nasrin was quick to sniff out a tavern, and with little hesitation did she enter the building. The establishment was basic enough with a few decorations depicting some of the larger tropies caught in these waters. There weren't many people in the building at the moment. Most of the townspeople were probably out fishing.
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Post by manju on Mar 24, 2008 17:11:23 GMT -5
"Ah...'ome again, right?" Manju grinned at Nasrin, elbowing her in the ribs rather violently. She knew the sandbender was a tough ol' gal, not apt to complain about a nice firm jostle...or do anything for that matter. The Igni soon looked around the place, but took no time to admire what was actually there. In her mind, there was nothing to admire.
She and Nasrin were probably the most interesting items in there at that moment, other than a few scruffy patrons and a bored bartender. From the latter of these, Manju earned a raised eyebrow. The fellow seemed rather young, perhaps the son of the business' owner, but the interest seemed mutual. Manju thought some flirting may break the monotony of it all. It had been a while since her last bout of fooling around. Looking up at the taller woman again, she elbowed more toward the lower abdomen near the hip. Winking, she said, "Some sight to see, am I right?"
She then headed to the bar and casually took a seat.
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Post by nasrin on Mar 25, 2008 20:26:10 GMT -5
Manju's little jabs to her side stung more than one might guess from Nasrin's reaction, or rather, the lack thereof. A slight wobble was all the sandbender afforded in response and then followed her spunky friend toward the bar. "He's a regular Shu," Nasrin replied after Manju's comment on the bartender. It wasn't likely the Igni girl would be familiar with the legend she referenced, but it was the only historical figure she could recall that was supposedly very handsome.
As Nasrin slumped into the seat beside Manju, the young man made his way over to them and asked, "What can I get you...?" he paused just ever so slightly as he studied Manju a bit more closely before adding "ladies."
"A pint of beer and a bowl of peanuts," Nasrin was quick to respond.
"We only have walnuts," the bartender resonded, and by his inflection it was obvious he was asking if that was an acceptable substitute. Nasrin merely shrugged slightly and gave a grunting noise that sounded like approval. The bartender nodded slowly, finding the sandbenders rather limited verbal skills to be a little odd. He then turned toward Manju and asked, "And what'll it be for you?"
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Post by manju on Mar 29, 2008 0:02:48 GMT -5
The screech of a chair upon entering led to a rather comical scene that kept running through Manju's mind. All she heard from Nasrin regarding the fellow was something about his 'regular shoes', whatever that meant. It made Manju chuckle at most opportunities. As the women were seated, Manju was quick to spin around on her stool. When she stopped, the first thing she saw was bartender's charming face while she heard his question. Smirking, she replied to him. "Whatever jou tink I'd like, 'andsome."
Time and again, Manju proved she was a shameless flirt - whether or not she was any good at it was up to debate, sadly. Landing her forehead on the counter after the bartender winked and left, her flattered smile was concealed. Little did it take for her face to return to normal. Swiveling her head back to Nasrin, she put her feet on the sandbender's lap. "Jou're right. 'E does 'ave regular shoes."
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Post by nasrin on Apr 1, 2008 16:40:44 GMT -5
Nasrin turned her head ever so slightly toward Manju after the Igni decided to use her lap as a footrest. Evidently she hadn't heard the story before, which was not terribly surprisingly, but still she commented on the bartender's footwear with an unusual amount of enthusiasm.
The sandbender turned her attention back toward the man behind the bar to watch him preparing her order for a moment before shifting her gaze around the room. The preserved skeleton of a massive fish fastened to a plaque on the far wall caught her eye. Nasrin stared at it with mild fascination, guessing its length at about 10 feet and trying to picture what the creature must have looked like when it was alive. She had only ever seen a few fish in her life, even fewer that were not cooked and on a plate.
Nasrin eventually stopped staring blankly at the trophy catch and returned her gaze to the bartender who seemed to be sifting through some cabinets for something to feed Manju.
"We should go fishing," she said quietly, letting that random thought somehow slip out of her mouth. Generally Nasrin just supressed such random impulses and let them fade into nonexistence. In fact, she was hardly aware she'd even said anything. Perhaps spending so much time with the Igni girl was starting to take its toll on her mental barriers?
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