While We're Young... <Shai City, North Pole>

[desna]

" I'm headed that way too" Desna said easily walking off in the direction now that the destination had been named. Not like she had anything better to do, watching him "train" would be amusing hopefully. He hadn't shown any signs of being a bender She liked that, perhaps he would work on some martial arts stances, she'd always found things of that nature interesting. Perhaps he couls even show her a thing or two. Now with a bright smile on her face she had a hop in her step.

Half way across the bridge she stopped and noted he wasn't right behind her, instead of turning around like a normal person she lent back until she was nearly bent in half. her hair was falling from her face with the pull of gravity, innocently enough she blinked at him with her fingers awkwardly touching the ice behind her.

"Are you coming?" Standing back up she stretched a bit righting her position on her feet, the next few steps were what one might expect to see on a hopscotch board but after that she walked properly. It was always her goal to test the limits to see how people react. It almost annoyed her that he didn't want to hold her hand though, she often had a desire to at least physically invade peoples space. Touch was important.

[aden]

Aden grumbled quietly that his gambit had failed and Desna was still tagging along. The fingers of his right hand subconsciously found their way to one of his side-braids and tugged briefly on the tuft of hair at its end. It was a habit he'd had ever since he adopted that hair style and it showed itself whenever he felt some form of stress.

Regardless, after eyeing Desna strangely as she took to bending over backwards in his path, he continued along his way toward the wall. He really didn't want her watching as he resumed his training. Even thinking about her while he tried to re-awaken his waterbending would be enough to distract him... how difficult would it be if she was actually standing there, questioning everything he did?

Aden kept a fair distance from Desna as they walked, enough so that perhaps anyone looking would just think they were two kids that happened to be walking in the same direction. They passed through the rowas the buildings and start upon the last plateau before the city gave way to a field of snow. The young warrior hoped that perhaps he could convince her to let him train in private by the time they got close to the wall. But at the moment he couldn't quite bring himself to start that conversation. Aden figured that could wait until they were clear of other people.

[desna]

As Desna waited for Aden he walked right past her, she looked at him quizzically but he didn't seem to be paying her any attention, she could only guess that this meant they were in no way, shape, or form friends, or that he was distracted by something. She took the second answer only because she was stubborn and bored.

Now behind Aden by a bit she just kept walking without trying to catch up to him. It didn't matter to her that she fell behind somewhat, the destination was all the same. With a few more steps she saw the field where she knew children often played. Was he intending to get in touch with his inner child or something like that? Perhaps he was having a teen life crisis she thought with a playful smile. Stopping for only a few strides Desna leaned down taking a mitten full of snow and starting to pack it together. Quiet as she could be she just continued to set the snow into a ball as she walked, any plans that were made would have to be done well or not at all.

Aden seemed lost in his own thoughts as he stepped into the field. Desna paused at the edge of the buildings watching him curiously, a few seconds after Pikatti paused at her side looking up at his master. This was the perfect moment to launch her attack. Quickly she pulled her arm back and let the snowball fly at his back. " Hey look fast!"

[aden]

As Desna slowed her pace and Aden eventually began to pass her, he followed her movement with his eyes. He turned his head slightly, but it seemed that she was deliberately avoiding his gaze. He hadn't known her long, but he definitely knew Desna enough to at least feel suspicious of her behavior.

With that in mind, he wasn't ill-prepared when she suddenly called for him to "look fast!" several seconds later. Aden stepped his foot across his body and swiftly turned on his toes. His head snapped around and his eyes quickly focused on the incoming snowball. Aden lifted his trailing hand, and with a well-timed swat he smacked the snowball aside.

Even without his bending, he still had the reflexes of a master and the defensive instincts of a warrior fresh from the battlefield. It wasn't as efficient as bending, as the flecks of snow dotting his upper sleeve showed, but it was still effective.

A slightly smug smile spread across his face for a moment, and he looked directly at Desna. The fact that he thwarted her surprise attack brought some measure of satisfaction. It was a refreshing feeling after a morning full of failed attempts...

Aden held her gaze for a moment before turning on his heel and resuming his walk once more.

[desna]

He may have been pleased with avoidance of the snowball but Desna wasn't, a playful pout hung on her lips as she hopped down the stairs, step by step with her hair and poncho bouncing lightly with every movement. Behind her Pikatti eased himself down the stairs with the sled, it was mostly empty so he was able to manage on his own but his eyes mostly stayed focused on Aden wary of the boy still.

" Ya know you need to relax and have some fun, all that seriousness if going to cramp you up." Once she was on the ground and Aden was still walking away Desna stood there for a moment, maybe it would be best to leave him alone, he didn't seem to interested in company. She enjoyed forcing people to their breaking point and stepping away just before it, then again Aden seemed about ready to snap any moment.

She hated leaving people on a sour note, what if she never saw them again, they might die and then what. Now that thought hurt, no one would die, the spirits couldn't be cruel enough to keep taking from her like that.

Relinquishing a small sigh she looked down at Pikatti, he'd made it down the stairs with the sled in tow and was now sitting on the snow, he looked up at her curiously then over at Aden with a little huff of a growl. Desna followed his look and nodded lightly. " Yeah I guess, " She commented to the dog as if she'd been talking to him.

A burst of an idea came to her mind and without thinking about it at all she went with it, dashing ahead she made quick strides to Aden tossing her arms around him with enough momentum to knock a man twice her size over.

[aden]

Aden made his way swiftly down the stairs that led to the open fields at the front of the city. His smile from moments ago had faded and his temporary feelings of satisfaction were quickly receding. Once more he was faced with the problem of regaining his bending, and he had no real answer.

However, his thoughts were disrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps approaching. This time, though, he'd noticed the warning signs too late. During his moment of distraction, Desna had closed the gap between them and before he managed to turn around halfway, she collided with him right level with his ribs. His one hand was trapped against his body, and though he tried to step back and widen his base, she hit him too hard for a recovery.

Aden managed one awkward hopping step before twisting on his pivot foot and tilting over sideways. For the briefest moment he had the thought of planting his free arm against Desna's collar and forcing her away from him. But the young warrior immediately brought that instinct under control and reminded himself that this was not the time or the place for such a reaction. As improper as it was of her to tackle him, it would be even more dishonorable of him to cause her harm.

Aden managed to look down at her from his position and ask incredulously, "Did you never learn how to just talk with people?"

[desna]

Desna was pleased with herself when she and Aden landed in the soft snow. Grinning from ear to ear she let out a few giggles hiding her face against Aden's chest. It seemed like forever since she'd gotten to just mess around and tease someone as much as she did Aden. It was fun and so far she hadn't gotten any poor side effects from it.

Now and then people would find her too immature and leave her, often enough they'd just stop talking to her but she didn't let that bother her too much, there were plenty of other people in the city who were up for some fun, she didn't dwell in the past too much. After so long she forgot about them all together and moved on, There were only a few people she would miss if they were gone, thus far the list had been cut in half leaving only Pikatti.

The polar bear dog sat near the stairs of the clearing knowing his master well enough. Pikatti laid himself down curling up on his side with his head tilted toward the pair, he wasn't about ready to his foolish master to her own devices, usually she'd just get herself hurt.

Her aqua eyes bright, Desna beamed up at Aden trying her best not to laugh, he was being a good sport all in all. Her expression soften and her eyes half lidded playfully as she shot him a rather coy look. " Actions speak louder than words, or so I hear."

[aden]

Aden was hardly paying attention to Desna at the moment, for his eyes were busily scanning the area around them to make sure that there weren't any people gawking at the rather inappropriate scene. There was a ship approaching the locks that led up to the next level of the city a short distance away, but aside from that it didn't seem like there was anyone else immediately nearby. Still, that didn't mean there was someone right around the corner.

"Right," Aden muttered, just barely registering Desna's comment, "And right now your actions say you hate my liver... Could you please get off of me?" The young warrior moved his free arm under him and tried to prop up his upper body as much as he could. He wasn't about to flip her off of him, but he was certainly not willing to wait until she decided to let him up.

[desna]

Desna got comfortable on his chest, she settled her head in her hands and smiled at Aden playfully for a moment. Locks of seemingly stray hair fell about her shoulders wildly aside from the bundles held in vague buns on either side of her head which were kept in some manner of order. She moved her knee out of his stomach settling them on either side of him laughing lightly. " Either way I think you need to lighten up and have some fun, but a stick in the snow like you probably doesn't know what that is."

After not too long she rolled off of him and stood on her own. She stretched herself up and reached her arms for the sky pulling her arms until her shoulders felt a little better. Without much of a glance back at Aden she continued to walk off in the direction Aden seemed to be going previously. Perhaps she should leave him alone, she'd managed to get her fun out of the feild trip.

[aden]

Aden kept a rather skeptical look on his face the whole time Desna was getting off of him. Truth be told, he'd never even lain beside a girl before and he wasn't quite sure just how inappropriate the situation was. He felt the need to minimize the importance of that first time event, and so he kept up expression of being unamused. Such moments should be reserved for a loved one, not some strange girl he just met.

"Me? A stick in snow?" Aden asked somewhat sarcastically as he stood up from the ground. He patted down his parka briefly, removing some lingering snow before casting a raised eyebrow at Desna. Aden had known many people to view him as a rather reclusive individual, but he never quite saw himself as a total buzzkill. He could have a laugh every now and then... Just not with everybody.

In a slight attempt at irony, he continued, "I'm a veritable hellraiser... Just the other night I was tipping over buffalo-yaks and drinking imported liquor." Aden's face was perfectly straight and his tone was dry. He figured that Desna wouldn't believe the truth when she heard it, and would just assume he was being sarcastic. Not that he could fault her for it... He still could hardly believe he'd been tricked into such foolish behavior.

[desna]

Desna laughed a bit, packing snow into a orb in her hands, of course if he was going to start tugging on her line she'd play. She turned around and smiled at Aden her blue eyes starring up at him perfectly innocently. An eyebrow quirked playfully and she kept her hands carefully behind her back, the snow ball out of sight. With her poncho as baggy as it was there was an unlikely chance that he'd notice her at all.

Her shoulders shrugged up moving her furred hood around her neck and cheeks. One foot moved behind the other with her toe tapping lightly on the ground as she tilted her head to the side, honestly she debated throwing the snow ball, but she just didn't really think that she could pass this situation up. " Sounds like you had a rather fun night." Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked to the side quirking her head curiously at something that might be happening off to the left. " What the-......."

Hoping Aden would look that way Desna pulled out her snowball and threw it at him from only a few yards away, she knew her chances of hitting him were good, she didn't know if he'd retaliate so as soon as the snow left her hand she began to dart away laughing rather pleasantly, proud of herself and her trickery. near the stairs still Pikatti watched the pair rolling his eyes and letting loose a long sigh as she settled down in the snow.

[aden]

"Mhm..." Aden mumbled in sarcastic agreement with Desna. He ran a hand over his hair, casually checking to see if their tumble and knocked some strands loose from his wolftail. The young warrior still had his hand raised when Desna trailed off her next sentence and seemed to catch sight of something behind him. Without really giving it much thought, he started to turn and look.

"What?" he started to ask, but before the word finished leaving his mouth, Aden noticed the telltale flash of movement in his peripherals. Unfortunately, Desna was just a little too close and his reaction a little too slow. He took a blind swat at the incoming snowball, even going so far as to try and force it aside with some bending. But if it made any difference it didn't show. The snowball struck him just below the collar and he closed his eyes to avoid the splatter of the impact.

For a moment he just stood there, eyes closed and motionless as he listened to Desna chuckle happily about her ploy. Aden hated being played for the fool, and right now he felt very foolish indeed. He took a few calming breaths to try and keep from verbally going off on the girl and telling her to leave him alone forever. It was strange, considering that's what he usually would have done under similar circumstances. But not this time... This time he felt like beating Desna at her own game, and sending her packing, thoroughly defeated.

Aden opened his eyes and salmyly bent down to the ground. He scooped up a handful of snow, deliberately packed it into a sphere, reared back, and then threw it right at Desna. However, he wasn't used to throwing a snowball that he couldn't guide directly to its target by bending. And though he had a decent arm, his lacked of practice showed when the snowball trailed off to the side and seemed like it was going to miss her completely...

[desna]

Desna paused blinking at Aden, he actually threw a snow ball at her, she was rather proud of it. Even though it missed. She stood there awkwardly tracing the snowball with her eyes as it moved a good deal away from her before crashing to the ground. Already she was packing another snow ball for launch but she couldn't help but berate the boy a bit for his lack luster toss.

"seriously?" An eyebrow quirked at him and she managed to keep a smile from her face for the most part, it had to be slightly embarrassing. He looked to be a warrior, she'd heard it mentioned before. What did he fight the firenation with? His good looks and a smile? He couldn't throw and he couldn't bend, it was comical. She shook her head laughing at the sheer patheticness of his attempt before she lobbed another snowball at him. She hugged herself around her waist laughing, her snowball seemed to fly straight and true, she had a good arm if nothing else. But a warrior missing that poorly, she still couldn't get over it.

" You suck!" She exclaimed giggling to herself as she started to form another snow ball, it was time to go on the offensive and make the uptight boy loosen up.

[aden]

Aden's cheeks burned with a sudden flush of bloodflow, and he cursed himself for the bad throw. He wanted so badly to shoot this girl down with her own tactics, but apparently it just wasn't his cup of tea. As she bent down and scooped up another snowball of her own, he was already taking a few steps back in precaution. Despite his lunder, at the very least he would not allow her to hit him again.

Desna's next throw came right at him, but by that point there was plenty of room between him to allow a suitable defense. Aden stepped back and to the side and managed to snatch his hand at the snowball. She had packed it well enough that it mostly held together, and as he stopped his retreat he also held back his arm ready to throw.

"Don't even think about it..." he said, pointing with his free hand at Desna. She seemed to be putting together another snowball, and he suddenly lost control of his better judgement.. Aden threw the remains of the caught snowball at Desna while she was scooping up another. This time, however, his aim was better.

[desna]

Desna laughed and ducked her head down against her shoulders as the snowball hit her head, but she'd already formed another ball perfect for throwing. The twice thrown chunk of snow broke upon impact rather gently doing little more then sprinkling a light dusting of white on her hair which she shook off like a dog. With the previous snowball taken care of Desna lobbed her newest projectile at the boy before leaning down to take another handful of snow.

When it came to war there was no time for gloating. She ran up a small drift of snow slipping down the other side of the make shift barrier. She landed on her back side blinking a bit and shaking the stray snow off of her clothing, getting back up onto her feet peeking over the barrier at Aden. It took a bit, she was nervous that he'd come around or use his superior warrior powers to sneak up behind her.

Instead of wasting time to attack him she began putting snowballs together, packing them tight to produce the best possible impact on the unfortunate boy. She kept glancing over the snow trying to locate Aden and keep herself a step ahead of him. Her aqua colored eyes were hidden under her black lashes with a hint of rare seriousness in them. She dislikes loosing.