Picking up the peices <Shai City, North Pole>

[desna]

Flanked by her polar bear dog Pikatti the young woman made her way into the city having just left the wall. Her hat and coat comming off and being tucked away into the bag on her sled, she didn't feel she'd need it now that she was sheltered from the wind in the great chasam that housed the city of Shai. Hitching the sled back up to Pikatti she ran a hand through her tumbled excuse for hair. Of course with the seige having just ended the lift wasn't functional yet, benders who ran it most likely were busy rebuilding, still considering the damage things were in pretty good shape. There was no reason for her to complain, she'd already been walking since before the sun was up, a little more never hurt anyone.

Walking down the extensive flight of stairs wasn't too bad, carrying the sled on the other hand gave her some trouble, Pikatti whimpered the entire time watching his feeble master cart the thing, he was a good boy. It wasn't his fault she was as weak as a trouthorse on a shore. He was always looking out for her like a brother, if he wasn't around , the teen had no idea what she'd do. It was funny to think that girls her age were getting married and living their lives while Desna, like her grandmother had been, was stuck in her own ways. She was too stubborn for her own good, anyone else would give up and live in the city, Desna simply refused to. Now with herself and her things in order she moved from the edge of the wall to the innerworkings of the city. If she wanted to get her extensive laundry list of chores done she'd need to get moving.

[desna]

Men, waterbenders rather, were a common sight now, fixing houses here and there, structures being frozen and sculpted back into their place. Kiosks took the place of shops while the damage was being repaired, all together there was a strong feeling of cultural unity. The things that needed repairs were getting it, being made better and stronger than they were before. It was like the first seige was a warm up, everyone knew how to rebuild. Hopefully this would be the last time they'd need to for a few decades. Even though Desna wasn't present during the attacks her heart joined the rest of the Tribes. An infectious smile caught on her face watching people helping one another out, It was nice.

Now to her various tasks at hand, selling her goods then buying some food, it seemed like forever since she'd had fresh anything that she didn't catch herself, someone else doing the work sounded rather nice. The morning went rather smoothly, within two hours she'd sold out, things were going pretty well. In some ways it didn't seem like any other day in Shai City. Walking beneath a building just in the beginning stages of repair a icicle broke loose from the mans bending and snagged the edge of her sled, breaking one of the wooden planks that made up the base.

The man simply looked down gave an apologetic look and got back to work. Desna on the other hand huffed up and blew some of her hair from her face before letting the small pent up annoyance go in a deep breath. What could she have done anyway? She'd just need to have it repaired that was all, getting mad wouldn't do anyone anygood. Picking up the pieces of her broken sled she noted Pikatti rubbing affectionately at her side. She gave his head a good rub with her free hand and smiled a bit. The sled was made of wood, it was her grandmothers, possibly it went further back in the family, she didn't know, still the fact was that wood in the north pole wasn't something that you could just pick up at a store. " Well.... we'll figure this out, don't worry"

[aden]

Being home was a strange thing. So much had changed in such a relatively short time. Aside from the fact that nearly half the city had been leveled by bombs and then smoothed over by utility benders, Aden felt as if he had changed also. Even reuniting with his parents, a joyous occasion at the time, seemed different than before. He couldn't sit around and listen to their questions about his trip without immediately thinking about the battles he had fought and the lives he had taken. Thusfar he had simply steered clear of the topic entirely, as if there was no battles or expedition to speak of. He could tell they sensed his reluctance to speak about it, though... that only made the issue all the more obvious and awkward to approach.

However, the biggest shock came about two days after the siege had ended. Aden's father was a senior utility bender, and despite his committment to the Tribe's armed forces, Aden himself had at one time been studying as an apprentice to his profession. With the battle over and no percievable threat on the horizon, Aden had been granted leave in order to help with the reconstruction.

Much to his surprise, however, when he showed up at a work site with his father and then found himself unable to bend according to his assigned task. In days past he prided himself on his control over the water he manioulated, but on that day he felt as though it was constantly slipping through his fingers. It was like trying to shape the water with his bare hands. His father was slightly worried at first, thinking him sick or injured, but Aden assured him he was fine and continued trying on his own off to the side of the group. After nearly an hour, his condition only seemed to get worse, and after enduring the sidelong glances of the other workers long enough, Aden's father finally sent him home to rest.

It was embarassing and enfuriating all at the same time, but for the rest of that day, despite every effort he made, Aden could not regain control over his bending...

This day, just a few days after the battle had ended, Aden found himself heading into the city's market. Without the ability to help the reconstruction effort, he had taken to staying home and helping his mother. She was currently spending some of her time helping their neighbors who had lost family members or much of their possession during the seige, while Aden had been relegated to an errand boy.

He maneuvered around the market place, allowing his mind to wander off the enfuriating topic of his bending problem, and instead just tried to concentrate on the task of acquiring some food and fabrics.

[desna]

Desna pouted slightly gazing at the pieces of the sled, she'd need some sort of adhesive, she could make a new one, fat chance, or buy a new one, that seemed more reasonable but she was attached to what she already had, Change was dangerous, it wasn't something she often tried to think about, but it was something that she'd have to fight against for the rest of her life. Her eyes darted around the area, she'd have to get back to the market, if anywhere in the north pole had what she needed it would be the market. With that in mind she bounded off. Once she got her mind set on things it was easy to loose herself in it. That was a cooping mechanism, don't think things through, stay in the moment and don't dwell on the past. She'd gotten good at it over the year or two.

Plans of visiting some of her friends to see how they were holding up would need to be put on hold for the moment, not that they would be all too concerned. Once or twice Desna was distracted by the construction as she ran past sites, a few people watched her pass, others kept to themselves. They knew she was going to get herself in some sort of trouble, people running through the streets often did.

Her boot skidded on a sharp turn but she stumbled and picked herself up laughing a bit as Pikatti who wasn't so nimble skidded nearly into the wall. Lightly she jogged backwards becconning him on. " C'mon boy, we need to hurry" She let out a small chime of giggles into the air turning around just in time to stumble out of the way of a man. She kept an apologetic grin on her face as she went around him. The man rolled his eyes huffing about unruly children, it wasn't like he was wrong. One's parents often chided them for running through the streets, they'd crack their head open, trip, something. Isolation and lack of parental supervision made Desna an odd girl, rules weren't something she often followed, not like there was anyone to enforce them. Given the tribes stringent standards she acted like a girl a fourth of her own age.

She adjusted the things in her arms cutting down to a brisk walk with her polar bear dog finally coming up along side her shooting what could be considered glares at her but she didn't mind him much, he was such a lazy dog, she adored him though. Anyone who managed to put up with her constant energy should be praised for their perseverance. Her attention was on the wooden sled pieces, now that it was empty she only had pieces of the sled and her pack over her shoulder. It was a little heavy but a lot lighter than when she carried it down the steps. She'd made short work of getting back to the market where not even an hour ago she had been. Being so absorbed in her attempt to set two pieces into one another she barely noticed the debris in her path until she was falling face first into the ground. Her bag landed with a thud next to her and the wood tumbled where ever it fell.

With a grimace Desna couldn't do much more than get herself up. Pikatti at her side nervously. It wasn't the first time his master had taken a spill, nor would it be the last, all the same he was still protective of her. A few people paused to watch the girl, others simply because she had gotten in their way.

[aden]

Aden's eyes were busily scanning the stalls and kiosks lining the marketplace. Things had been re-arranged significantly in the aftermath of the damage and a sort of bazaar-like layout had replaced what used to be neat rows of stores. Vendors had moved from their usual locations, and so he had to hunt for the items he sought.

However, focused as he was on locating a fairly priced fishmonger, Aden's attention was captured by a young girl making her way through the crowd at an unsafe rate. Less than a heartbeat after he took notice of her, she seemed to catch her foot on something and took a nasty spill. He stepped aside instinctually, getting out of the way of a few pieces of wood that had flown from her grasp. Aden drew in a sharp intake of breath, mostly out of empathy for the pain of the fall, and he quickly took a step closer to the shaggy-haired girl.

"Are you okay?" he asked, offering a hand to help pick her off the ground. Aden also met gaze with the girl's polar bea-dog who was following close behind. Hopefully the beast wasn't overprotective.

[desna]

Desna winced a bit as she evaluated the damage on her body, nothing too deadly, she'd live, that was a relief. She could have laughed, as long as she wasn't dead there was nothing wrong with her that was what her Nana alwa- it doesn't matter right now. Supporting herself on her forearms she tested her legs quickly. Aside from some newly forming bruises on her knees she wouldn't have any problems. Still she was mildly surprised when Pikatti started growling close to her side, a small pout crossed the girls lips and she snapped at the dog lightly." Pikatti be nice." He didn't stop growling, but he did quiet himself down, he wasn't naturally trusting of strangers.

From there she allowed herself to acknowledge the boy that had so offended her constant guardian polar bear dog. Her aqua blue eyes examined the boy for a split second mindlessly taking his hand and allowing him to serve as an assist to get to her feet. He was kinda odd, not in a blatant way, not really in a subtle way either, his eyes were oddly colored, they were actually really cool. " aside from my broken kidney I think I'm alright." She slipped a signature smile on her face and tilted her head just a touch to the left.

Letting go of his hand she brushed herself off quickly and collected the peices of her sled swiftly all but ready to move on with her life as if she'd never fell in the first place, " Thanks for your help."

[aden]

The girl's growling pet gave Aden slight pause in helping the girl up, but he didn't withdraw his hand. He simply stopped reaching closer. As she seemed to recollect herself, getting to her hands and knees, Aden was afforded a good look at her face. The girl appeared young, but still he could tell she must be about his age. She had very dark skin which contrasted well with her bright blue eyes and aside from her wild hair, she wasn't too hard on the eyes.

Aden's left eyebrow twitched up slightly at her remark about a damaged kidney, and after a moment of looking at her curiously he replied, "Strange choice of organ... I would have guessed your spleen." Whether the girl heard him, he wasn't entirely sure as she swiftly went about the task of picking up the pieces of wood she'd dropped. Aden wasn't entirely sure what the pieces were for, but he felt like giving her a hand and bent down to pick up a piece she had missed. As he did so he glanced once more at the girl's pet, who replied with a low, rumbling growl.

He stood up and glanced at the girl, slowly extending his hand as a spoke to offer the last piece of wood. "Is your dog always so friendly?" he asked casually, attempting a slight smile as he tried to give off a trust-worthy vibe to the animal. Aden generally liked animals and so far had never met a pet who he wasn't on good terms with.

[desna]

Her lips pulled into a mild pout looking down towards her abdomen, almost chidingly she sighed, ever the one to be overly animated." No, my spleen is alright, he used my intestines as a shield, tricky little cuss." She laughed only a bit at her joke taking the wood from the boy without much or any hesitation. It wasn't in her nature to be distrustful without reason. Pikatti growling should have been a good reason to most people but Desna knew he was just overly protective. He was always like that, it took time for him to warm up to people. While she was overly trusting until given reason to think other wise, he was overly suspicious until he was shown other wise.

Her eyes traveled down to her white and black companion, she shifted ever so slightly to her side so her thigh bumped against his hip playfully. Pikatti's muzzle pulled away from the growling snarl and went back to it's usual position, though his eyes never once left Aden. He knew it was his job to pick up where Desna's common sense left off, for all she knew the boy could be dangerous, as much as he loved his master she didn't think things through.

Desna smiled up at the boy almost sheepishly, Pikatti was being a little rude, not that she had much control over him. " Usually, he's just not good with new people." That said she reached down taking her pack off the ground and hefting it over her shoulder, her smile brightened once more and she nodded some what respectfully to the boy. " Thanks."

[aden]

Aden looked at the girl strangely for just a moment after listening to her remark on her crafty spleen. It had been a while since he had really exchanged witty banter with anyone. A slight huff of laughter escaped his mouth and his lips curled up into a slightly amused smile. However, he'd waited perhaps a little too long to counter with his own retort and so he held back from continuing the exchange about her organs.

"You're welcome," he replied to her after recieving a 'thank you.' He bowed his head slightly and then swept his eyes along the ground in a quick check to make sure she had gotten all of her pieces. "And no worries about your dog," he added, "That's what they're here for." Aden straightened up a bit and started to drift a little past her as he remembered his original purpose in being in the market place.

"So, are you planning a bonfire with all that debris?" he asked, partially as a joke and partially for the sake of polite conversation.

[desna]

Desna faltered as she nearly dropped a piece of the wood but she recovered quickly catching it surprisingly without falling over. She gave a mildly flustered look to the items in her arms as if to question them why they were being so difficult. Being wood the pieces neither replied or responded to her silent query, and if they did it would most likley have been all the more troublesome. Regardless she was ready to move on and figure out just what she was going to do about this problem.

With a step forward she lingered back with the boys question. She placed another smile on her face, she did this often, she didn't like people to worry, she was strong enough to keep grinning through the worst of times, it told people she'd be okay. If she really was, well that was none of their business. " A piece of a building fell and hit my sled..." She looked away only slightly before realizing she was slipping, firmly she pulled herself together and let out a small laugh "... it was kind of cool."

Pikatti turned to face Aden continuing to quietly examine him, as long as that boy was around he refused to let him out of his sight.

[aden]

Despite the fact that his legs were slowly still carrying him away from the conversation, Aden found himself suddenly wanting to finish the exchange. His last question had been intended as a passing comment, but when the girl explained what happened it sounded as if she actually had a problem. She definitely seemed nonchalant about it, but he figured that at least he could offer some small token of help.

"That's unfortunate..." he began, stopping on his next step to keep himself from wandering out of easy speaking distance. "There used to be a carpenter along the market street, but I don't know where his shop is now," he informed her, sweeping his hand around at the rows of stalls that surrounded him. Aden wasn't sure exactly how badly she needed the sled, but after seeing how many pieces it was in, he doubted he had the particular skill set to help her himself.

"He can probably patch your sled up or rig up something to carry your stuff," he added, giving a slight shrug.

[desna]

Desna looked up and down the street, it would be hard finding the place with all of the construction and general dissaray. She felt a little disheartened but at least there was a starting point to all of this. Her mind calculated the amount of coins she'd gotten this morning, there would be enough to repair the sled leaving her a bit to buy the supplies she diminished during her stay on the shelf, it had to have been one of the longest stretches of time she'd gone without coming into the city.

" Do you think he might be working? I mean it'd be hard to keep a shop like that open with all of this going on. " She turned her head to show her point with all the makeshift shops dotting the usual strip of orderly stalls. It wasn't like any plain joe would understand wood working or be able to help her. As much as she loved the wooden sled she fretted that she may need to buy something new, it was a more realistic idea then fixing her old one.

The girl half smiled letting out a small sigh, where would she even begin? She'd manage she always did. " At least It's a nice day..."

[aden]

A twinge of sympathy struck at Aden's mind for a moment, but he reminded himself that there wasn't much he could do. For a moment he opened his mouth as if to suggest that he could make her a sled out of ice, but he quickly bit his tongue and reminded himself that that wasn't exactly an option right now. Chances are he could even pull enough water out of the ground to make one, much less craft it into something sturdy enough to weather any amount of rigorous travel.

"I suppose he would probably have some stock material lying around," Aden proposed, "With all the reconstruction, his business is likely booming. Either that or try the bone yards by the docks. You could use a row of small scrap bones; maybe even cover them with a stretch of hide and tie it down." Aden's voice picked up a little bit as he continued speaking, suddenly having a brainstorm of ideas that made him want to take the project on himself. It was strange how his enthusiasm suddenly picked up. He'd been training to be a warrior for over three years, but deep down he couldn't deny he still enjoyed the task of designing and building things like his father.

Aden took a breath after his monologue of suggestions and offered the girl a slight smile, almost a little embarassed thta he was taking so much interest in the repairs. "I hope that helps," he said, "But I should probably pick up the things my mother wanted me to get." He took one step back and started to turn, but he kept looking her way for another moment. "...And you're sure you're okay?"

[desna]

Desna grinned a bit, it seems she found the perfect person given her situation. She didn't know much about the older shops in the area but as far as chore type items were concerned she had spent most of the morning in the area. Now she needed some chores finished of her own and who would be better to help him then herself. Without much word she began to walk alongside him, this would be a rather nice I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine situation. Desna was never above roping random people into her little problems. Not that the boy didn't seem a little bit interested.

"Actually.... " She began rather coyly looking off to the side as if in some manner of deep thought. " I don't know the first thing about making sleds and I wouldn't protest to some help, but...." She glanced back over to the boy with a pleading smile and bright eyes, hopefully this would work out. "if it would cut too much into your chores I could help with that." She offered her piece and let him take his time formulating an answer, she wouldn't force him, not if she didn't have to and even if he outright refused he rambled enough that she had a pretty good idea of what she could do. It seemed today was looking up.

Given the situation she began to wonder why she'd never seen the boy before, it wasn't like she was oblivious to the goings on in the city. She was as social as they came, it made a lot of people dislike her but she didn't make to many waves about that. She was outgoing , if it didn't fit their standards that was there problem, she didn't pretend to be high classed. Still if this boy was being sent to the market she should have at least seen him once or twice, unless he hadn't been in Shai, he looked too young to have left the city.

[aden]

Aden did well in keeping his expression from drifting into one of uncertainty and trepidation. Perhaps his eagerness in posing solutions had led the girl on into thinking he was truly interested in her situation. He was generally not one to involve himself in other people's business, and he was certainly growing unease as the girl wandered over toward him and asked for his help. However, Aden could not help but feel as though he would appear rude if he turned her away now.

"I..." he started to say, attempting not to look directly at her pleading eyes as he tried to come up with some excuse not to help. But as the moments wore on and nothing came to mind, it seemed like he had to say something. "I guess I could help. Though my mother is expecting me back soo..." he said, subconsciously tugging at one of his side-braids. "If you have no rush I could get what I need, then run them back, and meet you here to fix up your sled?"