Off the beaten path <Wilderness, Earth Kingdom>

[gobei]

"You, sir, must have plenty of these sorts of tales to tell. I must ask you more about them over a cup of tea at your house. I'd love to meet your other children and your wife."

"Oh, I've got plenty more," Gobei replied, doing well to keep any hint of sadness from his features, "And my children will be eager to meet you too." The old farmer deliberately mentioned only his children, as his wife has passed away some years ago. He had come to terms with that loss, but once more, he did not like to burden others with that knowledge so soon after meeting them. He left the matter at that, however, and kept the conversation light and pleasant for the rest of the journey home.

*************************************************

A while later, after the forest had ended and they'd been travelling through cleared farmland, Gobei finally caught sight of his humble dwelling. "There she is," he announced to Sunil, gesturing a ways up ahead to a few structures that seemed to blend in with the surrounding landscape. And for good reason... Everything seemed to be made of earth!

A large block-like house was the main dwelling of Gobei's farm. It was two stories tall, with the ends of wooden beams that supported the second floor poking out along the outside wall. It had numerous windows and an awning supported by stone columns. There seemed to be a small annex along one side of the first floor that served as a storage space.

Beside that was a barn. It wasn't quite as tall as the house, but it was longer and shared a similar construction. And attached to the rear of that barn was a large cylindrical silo for storing any surplus food.

The only other structures worth noticing were a well between the two larger buildings and a corral beside the barn. All in all, it was a fairly basic layout. It wasn't there to impress, just to function.

[sunil]

At long last, Sunil had arrived at the small farming village with Gobei and his twin boys in that rickety wagon. The rain had lightened up, and the sky was only partially clouded-over, the ground much firmer than it was earlier that very day. Sunil looked at the farm where Gobei and his sons dwelt, as well as his other children, he felt a certain sentimentality expressed with a soft smile. Surely this place carried so many good memories, and the whole compound itself was quaint and charming, just like the town it was near.

Sunil slid off the cart once it stopped, feeling between the knob-like toes of his large feet the soft blades of grass that peppered the ground around him. His dark eyes swept the entire area, taking note of the rustic surroundings that were known to Gobei as "home". Slowly walking around the wagon, he approached the portly earthbender with a stone hand. "Thank you again for your hospitality, Gobei."

[gobei]

"It's no trouble," Gobei replied kindly. His sons hopped off the wagon from the back and started to stretch their legs. Yun-Su made a quick dash toward the house, but Gobei called out to stop him, "Hold up there!" The boy kept on running, though.

"Make Min do it!" he managed to call before he disappeared through the front door. His sibling heard the buck being passed to him, though, and he quickly made a dash to follow before he could be assigned any work. However, the other twin barely made it halfway there before Gobei dropped his stance and punched his right hand toward the fleeing boy. The stone hand on that arm suddenly shot forward like an arrow, but slowed down just before contact and closed around Yun-Min's sash.

Gobei smirked and gave a slight tug with his right arm, the metal anchoring shaft afixed to his forearm now clearly visible, and the stone fist stopped Yun-Min dead in his tracks. "Just a minute now," he said, "Won't take long... I just need you take Jyo to the barn and unhook him from the wagon while I introduce our new friend."

"Maaaaannnn," the boy grumbled slightly, upset that his twin had been wise enough to run before the chore could be assigned. He started toward the ostrich-horse and picked up the reins to pull him along toward the barn.

As he walked past his father, Gobei extended his left hand and used his bending to retrieve the stone fist still latched onto his son's sash. "I'll take that back, too," he said jovially as he forced the fist to open and then guided it back onto his arm. He used his left hand to rotate the stone limb into the proper orientation, then waggled it a few times to make sure it was properly attached.

"Well," he said, returning his attention to Sunil, "Let's go meet the rest of the pack... Yun-Su's probably given them all fair warning by now." The elderly farmer patted the tea salesman on the shoulder and started toward the front door of their earthen home.

[sunil]

Sunil, eyebrows raised and deep brown orbs widened, was surprised at the elderly fellow's display of bending prowess. Clearly many years had gone into controlling that earthen hand with even the such an amount of finesse. He walked toward the farmhouse, careful to walking the right distance behind Gobei so as not to pass him with his long-legged strides. It would be rude, as Gobei's guest, to enter the house before him. Or so he assumed. Better safe than sorry, though. Perhaps his comment about the man's stone hand hit the wrong nerve, so Sunil didn't want to inadvertantly offend him again.

He swiveled his head slowly to see the farmland as the two walked, hearing the voices of Gobei's children exuding from the portly fellow's domicile. He swung back the edge of his coat to once again feel the pouches of tea hanging from his sash. Each was in place, filled as it was before. Obviously none of the three were tainted by water.

Suddenly, a question came to his mind, and he didn't hesitate from asking. "What do you farm here, Gobei?"

[gobei]

"Maize, mostly," Gobei replied, turning to survey his land and planting his good hand on his waist. For a moment he stared out over the fields, then rose his stone fist, gesturing toward the leftmost visible field. The elderly man swept it across and a little more than 90° in front of him. "There to there... The rest is a few cereal grains. Out back we got a small orchard of apple trees and a little patch for a handful of different veggies just for ourselves."

Goei reached up to the hat that topped his bald dome and pushed it back to that it hung over his back by the chin strap. "Not all the fields are growing right now, though. It's still early in the year and I like to rotate the fields..." For a moment, Gobei seemed lost in his own thoughts, as though he had suddenly decided to sontemplate the exact dates and duration of his crop rotation. Then, however, he remembered that Sunil was still standing beside him and he let out a slight laugh. "Ah! But you didn't come here to her about corn! Come," he started toward the door of his home and beckoned the visitor to follow.

"We can enjoy a nice drink and meal after that long walk, and perhaps exchange a few tales of adventure if my pack of animals lets either of us get a word in edgewise!"

[sunil]

The provincial life lived by Gobei was so different than life in the reasonably-sized city where Sunil grew up. Of course the hustle and bustle of such a place was too much for the dark-skinned man, who yearned for as much freedom as possible. Doing what he wants, when he wants. If he was a different sort of person, bent on wreaking havoc or troubling others, he would raise much disdain amongst the people he visited and whose towns he passed through.

He nodded and let out a faint snicker, hearing the man Gobei allude to his children being similar to animals. Another aspect of one's life he wouldn't really understand. Growing up with only his younger brother, both parents, and his admirable widowed grandfather under one roof, living with a large family was not something with which he was one bit familar...

In spite of that, he had been trying to put up a good pretense in understanding the elderly fellow as best he could with a few well-placed monosyllabic responses. Pretending to be attuned with his customer was an acquired skill from his life as a salesman, after all. Following the portly elder into his house, he took off his overcoat and draped it over his arm. Hopefully Gobei would tell him where to put it...

[gobei]

Gobei passed through the earthen door of his home, already squinting to adjust to the shift in light. "Afternoon!" he bellowed, removing his hat and hanging it on a wooden peg protrudin from the wall. He noticed Sunil holding his coat at that point and gestured to any of the other pegs along the wall. "Hang them up anywhere," he said quietly before turning to regard his children.

The twins had run straight through the house and their voices could be heard through the cieling as they informed one of their siblings about the new arrival. From their place near the front door, they could see straight across the living room to the kitchen in the far corner where two girls were just finishing a meal of stew. One of them was practicvally a woman at 17 while the other was only 5 and tagging along beside her older sister in an effort to help. And coming into view around the dividing wall that obstructed the other far corner from view was the eldest of Gobei's children, Baek. He wasin his early 20's and could rightfully be living on his own right now, but he seemed reluctant to leave his father alone with a houseful of kids to raise by himself.

"Hey, Dad," Baek said, tossing a wash cloth he'd been using to wipe his hands onto the table before striding forward to greet him. "You look soaked... Didn't feel like riding under the wagon?"

"Wouldn't have been fair for Jyo," Gobei replied, referring to the ostrich-horse. "It's hard enough to pull that cart in the mud without me on their doubling the weight." Baek smiled for a moment and then turned his glance toward the stranger beside his father. Catching that look, Gobei took the liberty of introducing them. "Son, this is Sunil, a traveling tea salesman we met on the road."

Baek smiled and extended a hand toward Sunil in greeting as he looked him in the eye. "Nice to meet you," he said, "My name's Baek."

[sunil]

As Gobei spoke briefly with his son, Sunil followed the stout elder's instruction and decided to carefully balance his coat on the peg beside the one where Gobei had just hung his hat. Turning back to see a man in his early twenties, Sunil shook the hand of the man introducing himself as Baek.

"Wonderful to meet you, Baek.", he said, a smile coming to his wide mouth. There were two other girls watching, both of differing age groups. His following comment was directed at all the children as he stepped backward and said, "Your father is a fascinating man, and so very generous to allow me to stay at your house and look around your home village."

Allowing himself to take a look around while still standing in place, he took note of the charmingly rustic wooden house. Turning his face to look more toward the two girls even though his comment was, once again, directed to everyone, he said, "What do you kids do around here for fun?"

[gobei]

In reference to Sunil calling his father fascinating and generous, Baek smirked slightly and remarked, "Please don't let my dad hear you say that! He'll start with the stories and then we'll be here all day!" The young man laughed a bit as he grinned toward his father, and Gobei only shave a slight shrug as though conceding to the accusation. However, a smile still played across the elderly man's visage as he started toward the cooking area of the house to greet his daughters.

That left Baek standing beside Sunil as his laughter faded and he realized that the traveler had posed him a question. "Ahhhh," he sighed, returning his tone to normal, "But our days are pretty busy this time of year. Me, 'Min and Pa till of the fields with our bending while 'Su and our youngest brother Guan tend the animals and help with the planting. Our sisters My and Myuri," he pointed to the older and younger girls respectively, "are the ones who keep this house together and us from starving. Isn't that right, Sis?" Baek's voice raised at the end of the sentence in order to catch My's attention, which tore her away from her concentration on a stew she was standing over.

"You'd be a withered husk without us!" she called back over her shoulder, pausing for a moment to let her gaze linger on Sunil. A smile slowly crept across her face as she studied the stranger, and then she quickly turned back to concentrate on her cooking.

"Bah!" Baek retorted, waving his hand at his sibling before adding quietly to Sunil, "She's right, you know... But anyway, whenever he have some downtime, we always manage to find some way to keep from being bored... Bending practice for me and 'Min. The girls like to sew. Sometimes we take the ostrich-horses for a joy-ride down to the river where we can swim. And I suppose there's always good old-fashioned rough-housing." Baek paused for a moment and scratched his chin. "Yep, that's pretty much everything... Come have a seat, lunch should be reasy." And with that he started toward a long wooden table that could easily hold a dozen guests, gesturing for Sunil to follow.

In the meantime, Gobei had gone over to his youngest daughter, Myuri and picked her up on one arm, holding her to his chest as he looked over the cooking meal. "Did you help make that?" he asked, sounding astounded as he whiffed the delicious-smelling stew. The little 5-year-old nodded and hummed an affirmative, at which point Gobei said, "What talented daughters the spirits have blessed me with!" He hefted up Myuri and gave her a kiss on the cheek,. eliciting a giggle from the girl who was tickled by his beard. He placed her down and asked her to start setting the bowls out before greeting his eldest daughter with a similar peck on the cheek.

[sunil]

"Why certainly." Sunil replied to Baek with a wide grin. He mulled over the reasons why there was no mother or motherly figure present, but ultimately thought it best to let the situation explain itself as he waited patiently. After all, anyone who knew Sunil knew how he would never be in a hurry. Ever.

He followed the young man possibly a few years younger than he after a gesture was granted along with an invitation to dine with them. Inadvertantly repeating himself, yet showing his gratitude once more, he said "I would be delighted."

He took his seat at the long table, turning his head to see Gobei, most fatherly of fathers, flattering his little daughter. It brought a warm, fuzzy feeling to Sunil's heart, causing fond memories of his own father and even his deceased grandfather to arise. Of course, Gobei hardly looked anything like his father, but it was the principle of things that mattered. Perhaps he himself would be a father one day. But only when he felt he was ready.

[gobei]

Within moments, the simple farming family began to accumulate around the kitchen table. Little Myuri was walking around the table, placing bowls she carried in a stack up to her chin in front of each seat. Halway around, Baek gave her a hand with the chore while Gobei and My followed around behind her. The elderly farmer might have been past his prime, but his arms still had plenty of strength to lift the heavy pot full of stew while My ladeled out a helping into each bowl. Yun-Min was just walking back into the house after squaring away their ostrich-horse in the stable, and he made a bee-line for his seat at the table. And simultaneously, his twin and the hereto unseen younges brother, Guan, came down the stairs into the room.

Cups were fetched and a few jugs of water were placed on the table, along with a hand-carved wooden spoon for everyone. When the pot was returned to the stove and Gobei finally took his place at the head of the table, the family plus their guest was finally settled.

"Dig in!" Gobei announced over the multiple minor conversations that were going on, and with enthusiasm he picked up his spoon and began to eat. There would be plenty of time for chatting when there was food in their stomachs.

[sunil]

Sunil politely waited in his seat as the children scrambled to their places, each one attending to their duties. As he sat at the table, drumming his fingers on the wooden surface, his dark eyes flitted around at the courteous family working together to serve the meal that would feed them all, including their guest.

After receiving a cup and spoon, it dawned on him how there was little banter taking place, especially that would involve him, so he kept silent. The meal was served next, a hearty-looking stew that probably tasted very good, which was fitting because Sunil had become quite hungry waiting.

He swept back strands of pitch-black hair that seconds beforehand lingered over his eyes as he looked down at the bowl filled to the brim, and after a few seconds, Gobei's voice caught everyone's attention. As Sunil sunk his spoon into the stew, he let the wonderful aroma waft into his nostrils, soon after taking his first taste. He uttered sounds of approval at its fine flavor, informing Gobei and the children of what he thought.

[gobei]

After a few moments of uninterrupted feasting, Gobei had packed away enough of his meal to satisfy his hunger for the moment. Lowering his spoon to the side of his bowl, he looked across the table at his guest, and then swept his gaze over his gathered children. The twins sat next to each other along with Guan on one side. Though they seemed to be casting curious glances at Sunil between spoonfuls of stew, they too seemed more intent on eating at the moment. On the other side sat Baek and the two girls, the elder two were engaged in a quiet discussion over some boy from town that My had come to be friends with. Like any big brother, Baek was having a good time poking fun at what he had elevated to a crush. My was gracious enough about the mocking, and snapped back with a few witty retorts of her own, but Gobei could see the pink tinge of embarassment on her cheeks. Across the table, the younger boys were snickering at the torment.

"Baek," the elderly farmer said thoughtfully, scratching his chin as his eldest son looked toward his father, "I was just remembering... Didn't you once have an eye for the brewer's daughter in town?" Almost immediately, the superior grin fell from Baek's face and his expression became almost one of pleading. He knew where this was going, but the gleam in Gobei's eye told him that he wasn't about to stop. He opened his mouth and started to stutter out a reply, perhaps trying to word it in a way to redirect the conversation, but his father resumed speaking and cut him off. "If I recall correctly, you were 13 at the time, and you used to run off from our wagon when we went into town to follow that girl around all day." The younger boys across the table were withholding chuckles, but just barely, and earned themselves a glare from their big brother.

"Not that she wasn't pretty," Gobei went on, sounding perfectly comfortable recounting the tale of his son's first crush, "but I think she got tired of your gifts of heart-shaped boulders." Beside baek, My covered her mouth to avoid spitting out some of her stew in the fit of giggling that was taking over her. Even little Myuri, who was not so knowledgeable as to understand the finer points of the story, was smiling at her sibling's reaction. Gobei tossed a smiling glance at Sunil when he then continued, "They were nice thoughts, but a girl her age couldn't even lift one to take it back home... And I think he might have made an error when he left what was supposed to be a statue of a badger-mole outside her house. It looked more like a cow-pig, and I'm afraid she took it as quite the insult." At that point, Baek's brothers could no longer contain themselves, and started breaking up into fits of chuckling, while the eldest son merely sat up straight with as much dignity as he could muster and tried to salvage what was left of his pride.

Gobei was laughing himself, though he almost felt bad aout having his oldest son take the brunt of the abuse while there was a guest. After glancing toward the younger boys who were still laughing quite a bit, he decided that it was only fair to spread the joy around. "Oh, and you boys've had your own little mishaps throughout the years, haven't you?" he said, grinning mischeviously. The Twins and Guan looked his way like startled deer. They knew their father had enough embarassing stories locked away in his memory to put them right in Baek's position.

"I remember the time you two found a thicket of Maka-oni berries and decided to make war-paint out of it..." he held back a laugh as he waved a hand over his entire face, "Made your heads swell up like giant berries themselves!" The Twins groaned at that memory, but Gobei was just getting started...

[sunil]

Sunil let out a couple of good laughs at the recounting of such events. Each of the boys put on the spot seemed to be most embarassed, but who could blame them? Sunil could relate, but all the tales told were simply hilarious. As Gobei's tales ended, Sunil spoke up to add a few of his own experiences as a traveler.

He spoke of climbing mountains, crossing gorges, descending into the darkest reaches of the earth. All for the sake of finding the rarest of teas to try for himself or sell to others for decent profit. His words accompanied by lively hand gestures and animated facial expressions as he spoke of dashing adventures and even how often he almost ceased his existence, bringing life and color to his tales from across the nation. Of course, he would also include how he would take unecessary risks for his profession, immediately afterward being sure to urge the children not to imitate his foolishness.

As his long-winded words eventually ceased, his eyes almost by habit drifted toward the windows of the wooden domicile. The sky was darkening, the sun setting. The day drawing to a close. Taking the younger ones into consideration, Sunil spoke up after a few seconds of silence. "It looks to be getting late..."

[gobei]

The stew had long-since cooled, and though halfway through the discussions My and Myuri had gotten up to collect the bowls and refll the pitchers of water, the family had still stayed around the table for most of the day. By the time anyone really bothered to check the time, the sun was practically touching the horizon. Gobei looked out the window and judged the remaining daylight.

"So it is," he said. A smile came to his face, "How time flies when you're having fun!" He recieved primarily agreeing remarks except for the Twins who probably had the most embarassing collection of anecdotes that were recounted. Years from now, they'd laugh without shame at their little misadventures, but with several of them still in recent memory the sands of time had not yet dulled the sting of a few parts of the story.

Well," Gobei grunted as he stood up from the table, "Wash up and get to bed, the lot of you! I'm headin' back to town tomorrow, and I want those irrigation ditches laid out and the silo cleaned." The children took his words to heart and scrambled into motion while the two older siblings stayed downstairs to help clean up the mess. Little Myuri was heading toward the stairs, but as she passed by her father, Gobei scooped her up. She squealed a cherubic giggle as he buried her in a hug, kissed her forhead, and then sent her back on her way.

He finally turned to Sunil, whom he realized was left without much light to travel under and stranded a good distance from the nearest inn. "My apologies for keeping you here so long," he told the traveling salesman, "If you'd like to stay, we can arrange a bed for you."