Carousing in Gaoling <Gaoling, Earth Kingdom>

[mulaqi]

The trek from the swamp had been like heaven compared to the last three days. Huu had given them enough supplies to make it to the next town, and they terrain had been lush, cheerful forest. However, the swamp had certainly taken his toll. Muqali had been exhausted for the entire journey, and the state of his clothes didn’t help things much. He had no sandals, his shirt was long gone, lost in the swamp along with his head coverings, what was left of his pants was torn and his arm and foot wraps had been thrown away after they were determined beyond saving. At least his tonfa had made in out safe. He wouldn’t know what he’d do if he’d lost them. Aside from them, however, he had nothing.

Such was his state when the trio finally arrived at the next town, named Gaoling based on the sign on the road, but the site of civilization was enough to cheer him up nonetheless. Grinning, he strode into town and looked at the buildings around him. They were nothing spectacular, just the standard affair he’d seen in previous villages and nothing as glamorous as Omashu, but they were interesting nonetheless. On top of that, one of the buildings had a sign hanging over the door that read “Outfitters”. Perfect! He couldn’t head home in his current state, as it might embarrass his father for him to return from his glorious adventure in rags rather than as a conquering hero. Actually, though he was oblivious to it, he couldn’t really travel anywhere in his current state. Even now, he was already receiving a fair amount of stares from passers by, which he passed off as curiosity about the new people in town.

“Hey, check it out, a shop,” he said, pointing to the shop as he turned to Nasrin and Manju. “We can get supplies and clothes.” He paused and then winced in embarrassment, suddenly remembering he was broke. “Uh, that is, if you’ll lend me some money, anyway…”

[manju]

Welcome was the change in scenery that Gaoling had to offer. Manju had suffered the least loss of her companions, exiting the swamp with virtually everything she had on her person when entering. Her bag of jewels was still in her pocket, and her clothes, while dirty, were still in relatively good condition. It helped that she wasn't pummeled around or chewed on by evil plants while journeying in the swamp. It almost made her feel bad for her friends, though she had probably managed to keep their minds off any of their own problems, due to her usual antics.

Now ambling through the town, Muqali pointed out a place to gather supplies, which were both wanted and desperately needed. Though his comment about needing money caused Manju to roll her eyes and scoff. Reaching in her pocket, she pulled out a few crudely-cut garnet and jasper stones and threw them at the male sand nomad. "'Ere ya go, pauper. 'Ave fun shopping."

After saying this, she walked ahead into the shop.

[nasrin]

The journey since leaving the Swamp was practicaslly a vacation compared to the hell of that soggy marsh. The three companions had managed to follow a small river most of the way that provided them with some reasonably safe drinking water and a chance to wash off all the mud and grime. However, despite the more favorable travelling conditions, Nasrin was still a wreck. Her wrappings had been long discarded, and her undershirt that she'd removed in the swamp was long lost during her frantic escape from the 'living vines.' She was wearing naught but her tattered tunic, baggy pants, and her headcloth. All in all, she looked like a street urchin.

As the trio entered the town of Gaoling, the odd looks of the townspeople were nothing to the weary sandbender. Her eyes were elsewhere, scanning signposts and the markers on the buildings lining the street for the first sign of a tavern. When at last she spotted a sign hanging over the doorway of a building not far down the road, Muqali made mention of getting some new clothes. It wasn't a bad idea, but it seemed laughable to Nasrin, who was finally within reach of a good drink.

She raised a hand toward the tavern, pointing in a longing fashion while staring at Manju with a pleading look in her eye. She mumbled the first syllables of several different words, trying to argue her case, but didn't seem to be able to articulate her desire in time to stop Manju from wandering off into the outfitters store. Nasrin cast one more mournful look at the tavern before slumping her shoulders and resigning herself to following Manju into the store.

She had no money of her own at this point, and it seemed like the Igni girls was her only means of getting some alcohol in her system.

[tali]

Even though she’d known this day was coming for a few weeks now it did not mean her stomach was any calmer, it tossed and turned making her feel truly sick. This would be the first time she’d left town, at least like this, sure she’d gone to tournaments to test her skills before. That involved leaving the city, but still her father went with her. That wasn’t much independence, the girl had to stand in awe of how adult she really was, or in this case really wasn’t. Half of her mind wanted to throw out her silly idea and just stay home where at least she knew what was waiting for her at the end and beginning of each day.

The city streets just went on as she was taking her, possibly last, jog through town. She had to say that the constant up and down motion was rather comforting, it cleared her mind with each step. Physical activity had always grounded her, spiritually it calmed the mind and body, physically it got rid of all her pent up stress and energy.

That was the best cure at this point. Her long brown hair bobbed up and down on her back along with the pace of her stride. Brown eyes focused straight ahead checking for stones or weaves in her path. At this time of day the city was rather active but knowing the layout of the area well enough she knew which streets to avoid. Staying around the rim of the city by the barely used paths was the easiest way to avoid crowds.

Tali’s eyes lingered on a dispersing group of people disappearing into the semesters store, they looked rather ratty, not like most travelers who, instead of moving on foot took ostrich horses. They seemed odd to her, odd dress and odd personalities. She didn’t mean to stare but it was hard not to, her usual childlike curiosity was getting the better of her, it was hard to resist following the odd group to see what their story was.

[mulaqi]

Muqali bumbled the stones that Manju tossed him for a moment, but managed to keep them from falling to the ground. Grinning, he gave hasty thanks, and rushed ahead into the shop. The shop was nice, but not so nice that things would be too terribly expensive. Supplies of all kinds lined the walls, from bags to rope. For a moment, he got caught up in it before he remembered his purpose. Looking around the store, he found the men’s clothes in the back, hanging on the wall and several display racks.

“They sure do like green around here,” he commented as he browsed through some hanfu.

Grabbing just about every piece of clothing that sparked even the slightest bit of interest from him, Muqali would feel the material, turn them over in his hands, and promptly toss them on the floor. Before long, there was a smile pile of shirts, pants, and assorted accessories lying on the floor behind him. In the dessert, when he bartered with traders or other tribes, this was perfectly acceptable. There were no displays, and you needed to be able to test your goods before you bought. This being only his third trip to an Earth Kingdom store, Muqali was still unaware that this wasn’t normal procedure in the rest of the world.

From around the store, the other customers glanced at the scene over their shoulders, not quite sure what to make of it. The store keeper just stared for a minute or so, mouth opening and closing, unable to find the right words. Finally, he shook his head and made his way over to Muqali.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask-”

The man was interrupted as an armful of clothing and an outstretched palm holding the stones Manju had give Muqali were thrust into his face, “Will this pay for these?”

Blinking the man stared at the stones. They were, in actuality, worth a good deal more than the items Muqali was buying. Dumbly, the merchant nodded and took the stones, while Muqali made his way to the shop’s dressing room with a grin. He had never been a very good barterer.

A short time later, and Muqali emerged, clothed in his new garments. He wore a forest green, sleeveless and collarless, cloth wushu shirt with five pear frog buttons running up the front, and pear trimming. His pants were a solid forest green cloth made to match the shirt, and he on his feet were kung fu shoes of a matching color. Around his waist, he wore a cloth belt of slightly lighter green than the rest of his clothes, on which two leather holsters for his tonfa were attached at the hips. As he exited the changing room, he adjusted his shirt a little.

“Wow, I didn’t think this would be so comfortable,” he thought aloud. “And these shoes are way better than sandals. I could get used to this.”

[manju]

Manju went off on her own in the shop, basically ignoring Muqali and Nasrin as she looked for her own clothing. She made her clothing decisions quickly, to avoid any further stares and whispers from onlookers. Generally, wearing only pants, a strip of cloth around your chest, and a sarong like a bandana on your head has that effect on close-minded Earth Kingdom people. Her vest, the only item of clothing to preserve her modesty, had been lost in the swamp, after all.

She wound up choosing an item of clothing vaguely resembling Fire Nation colors - a russet-colored vest with black toggles closing it up the front. Unbeknownst to Manju, the vest was designed for men, but she neither knew nor cared. Her knee-length shorts, while smudged with mud, were still in relatively good condition, so she forewent buying a pair of pants. She had no inclination whatsoever toward buying shoes...

With holding the pile of clothes on one arm, she walked up to the storekeeper and handed him a few gems, while saying nothing at all. He must have been even more irked to see a half-nude woman walking around his store, but Manju was sure the gems would heal any petty wounds.

As she stepped out of the store, she slid on her new brown vest and buttoned it up the front. Earning quite a few more stares from passersby, she scowled and turned to the nearby Muqali. Smirking, then wolf-whistling, she said, "Lookin' good, jerk."

[nasrin]

Nasrin walked into the store on Manju's heels but quickly broke off from the Igni. She made a bee-line straight for the nearest pile of clothes and hastily assembled an outfit from the articles immediately within reach. Within about ten seconds she had acquired a drab sleeveless cheongsam with faded green embroidery along with a pair of light black pants. She also picked up a handful of simple cloth strips that were cream in color. The sandbender disappeared into the dressing rooms and practically morphed into her new clothes.

Within a few minutes she was walking out of the back room, looking almost nothing like her original self. Nasrin had abandoned her headcloth and her hair was pulled back into a large, low bun just above her neck though a few strands still hung loose and dangled past her chin in the front. Her new clothes made it obvious for the first time in years that she was actually female, despite the fact that she was anything but curvy. The only thing about her that spoke of the desert any more were the cloth wrappings that she had put back on her forearms and feet. Despite the fact that they weren't really necessary in a town like this, she couldn't shake the feeling that her hands were naked.

Nasrin spotted Manju leaving the store ahead of her and quickened her pace to catch up to her only source of money at the moment. The sandbender woman glanced at the shop owner as she walked toward the exit, and though she hadn't paid, they made no move to stop her. The slight twinkle of gemstones in the store owner's hand suggested that Manju had already paid, and maybe she'd given the man enough extra so that he didn't mind the addition of one more outfit to the tab. Nasrin didn't bother to dwell on the man's silence, for with her next step she was out the door and beside the others once more.

"Who else is thirsty?" she asked, attempting a lighthearted tone. Nasrin was alrady starting toward the tavern, her feet moving of their own accord while she twisted her upper body to regard her companions. "Come on," she urged, offering a wave for Muqali and Manju to follow, "There's a bar this way."

[tali]

Her interest was now piqued, such a group rarely came through town. They previously were in mud soaked rags but it looked like they were getting a change, earth kingdom clothing complimented them. The man with them didn't seem to be the leader. She could assess that the scantily clad woman had the money while the skinnier one seemed to be pre-occupied. Part of her wanted to a stay and watch them for a while. Perhaps even go up and talk to them, maybe get a few stories about the world outside the small town.

It would be enjoyable to hear where they'd been doing, as well as what they had been doing in a swamp. The other part or her mind, the rational one, told her that would be childish and that they'd dismiss her easily. Shaking her head she watched them walk out of the store paying with gemstones. Honestly she was a bit amazed, they couldn't have come from around here. Perhaps they were from as far away as the firenation, maybe they were hostile or they were on the run from the military. Or maybe she'd just been listening to too many stories that passing travelers enjoyed pawning on the weak minded.

Tali was pulled in two feeling like a child mulling over eating the last sweet in the kitchen. Finally she pulled herself from her place in the street to go get a drink.. of course there was no shame in being thirsty... none whatso ever. If there happened to be odd travelers in the bar then that was their problem... not hers.

[mulaqi]

"Lookin' good, jerk."

“Why than-” started Muqali happily before catching himself and glaring at Manju. “Hey!”

Before the banter could continue, however, Nasrin interrupted asking if they were thirsty. Muqali frowned a little. He knew exactly what that meant: Nasrin wanted to get hammered. Muqali sighed as Nasrin waved them on. He was fine with Alcohol, but getting drunk had always been a poor decision in his mind. He’d seen it kill a lot of people indirectly, either during a raid, trying to pilot a sand-skimmer, or something else. Well, that, and his father had told him it was bad, which meant it had to be bad. Muqali simply couldn’t simply perceive his father being wrong about something like this. It wasn’t like he’d be able to stop her, though, so he may as well tag along to keep an eye on her.

“Okay, but don’t take it too far,” he agreed.

He followed Nasrin to the bar and entered. It was a lot nicer than the ones he’d been in before. Of course, when you’re one of the only bars in the area, you probably stand to make more money. Finding an empty table, Muqali pulled out a chair and propped his feet up.

“Hey, Manju, mind buying me a water?”

[manju]

A wide and obnoxious grin grew on Manju's face at Muqali's classic reaction - But that changed when Nasrin did something equally predictable. Pointing out the nearest bar, and asking if her fellow travelers were thirsty, the female sandbender probably only wanted one thing. Still, Manju shrugged and followed while Muqali gave his own more vocal reply. The Igni wasn't at all averse to having a drink or three, but she had to expressd her amazement at her fellow female comrade. As they walked in, she muttered to herself, "Is Nasrin ever sober?"

They found a nice wooden table inside the bar, where Manju attracted few of the awkward stares that she would before. Perhaps it was her mainstream clothing that did this, instead of her revealing Igni attire. Though Manju normally loved attention of any kind, she was rather relieved to not see some old guys whispering about her off in the corner. Though the tattoos lining her jaw would elicit a brief glance or two, but this was only natural - She knew that people tend to stare at tattoos. As she plopped down on her chair, cross-legged as one often did not, Muqali asked her a stupid question that she could easily exploit.

“Hey, Manju, mind buying me a water?” Manju quirked an eyebrow at this, and gave her own reply. "Yes, I mind. Very much. Buy your own stinkin' water," she said as she rolled a gemstone at him. After all, he never said anything about her ordering for him. Now hopefully they could order soon.

[nasrin]

The moment the others conceded to visiting the bar, Nasrin was off like an arrow from its bow. As she neared the building she was practically at a run and once inside she darted toward the counter. Her sudden entrance earned her some strange glances, but she paid no heed as she stormed towards the bartender.

The man had just slid a mug of some ale towards another patron when he took note of the approaching desert nomad. "Can I help you?" he asked, wiping the counter with a rag. In response Nasrin simpl shift her gaze toward the wall behind the bar where several shelves full of puts and jugs were stacked. She really didn't know what she wanted so she settled for the brew that sounded most likely to knock her out with a few swigs; a spirit named 'Soulstorm'. If she weren't in such a rush to find a drink she might have chuckled at the irony.

Pointing at the jug with and extended hand and finally looking at the patiently scrubbing bartender, she saidsimply, "Give me a shot of that stuff." She jabbed her finger at the proper container several times to stress her urgency and the bartender casually removed it from the shelf. Within moments he had taken out a small cup and delicately poured the liquour into the cup.

"Easy with this stuff," he cautioned Nasrin while handing over the small shotglass, "It's pretty-Hey!" Nasrin snatched the cup out of his hand, raised it to her lips, and threw back her head. in one gulp she downed the alcohol and slammed the tiny cup back down on the bar. The liquid seared the inside of his mouth and burned all the way down to her stomach, giving her a series of rapid shudders followed by a slight, "Yow!"

The bartender stared at her with obvious amazement for a second, but when she suddenly reached across the counter and swiped up the ceramic bottle that contained the spirit he blurted out, "Whoah! You got the money to pay for this?" Nasrin had already started to turn away from him and noticed Manju and Muqali making their way toward a table.

"I'm with them," she said to the bartender, "Send the bill to the table." And at that, she started over toward the table her companions had chosen with the bottle in tow.

[tali]

Tali swooped in taking one of the four seats at the table they chose to sit around, like a little girl on spirits day her eyes were sparked with interest, though in her mind this was something better than a present. Knowledge was valuable and all of that non-sense. More so than anything she wanted to hear about the world, all the places she one day wanted to visit, all the things she wanted to see. Already she could fill a book with all the things she wanted to try. Casually she placed her elbows on the table lacing her fingers together and placing her chin upon the makeshift rest.

As usual she was the first in the town to actually seek out the new comers, others tended to be a bit weary but Talia's trust was never ending. " If you dislike sake they have a pretty good selection of teas and juices, I enjoy the Citric infused jasmine myself."

Her smile caught the boy, seeing him to be the most friendly and welcoming of the group. She'd picked him out as the most likely to string into conversation with her though another glance at the second woman sauntering over to the table she wagered another shot or two and she'd be willing to open up as well.

The tattooed woman once again asserted herself as dominant over the other two. Both second party members of the group seemed to rely upon her financially which piqued Tali's interest. Gemstones were pretty rare, ore and other materials were plentiful but she obviously wasn't from this neck of the earth kingdom. She didn't fit the description of a waterbender, dark skin and trade marked blue eyes so she must be from the firenation.

The smile turned into a grin as she formulated each and every question she wanted to ask. All of the tension was boiling in her mind. There was so much she could learn so much she could know with their help. It'd been weeks since there was anyone interesting passing through. Even if she had to delay her departure for a day she felt it would most defiantly be worth it.

[mulaqi]

Muqali had to stretch himself out to snatch the gemstone Manju tossed him before it fell off the table, and as he did so he heard another person sit down. He assumed it was Nasrin, but when he heard the sandbender speak from the bar, he brought his head about with a start. To his surprise, there was a stranger sitting there, a young woman with long brown hair, the hair framing her face wrapped in cloth. She was clearly from the Earth Kingdom, and bore a friendly smile on her face.

" If you dislike sake they have a pretty good selection of teas and juices, I enjoy the Citric infused jasmine myself."

Muqali blinked a few times at the girl, still a little surprised, but quickly broke into a smile. She seemed like a friendly person, and Muqali certainly had no qualms about starting conversations with strangers himself. If she wanted to sit with them and make conversation, all the better.

“Thanks for the tip,” he said, and then called to the nearest waiter. “Hey, can I get a citrus jasmine tea? Thanks.”

Without even waiting for a reply, Muqali flicked the gemstone towards the waiter. Completely unprepared, the waiter bobbled it in one hand, nearly falling over before he had caught it. Grinning lopsidedly, Muqali placed his hands on the back of his head and leaned back in his chair, his feet still propped up on the table.

“So, I guess you’re from around here, huh?” he said to the new arrival.

[manju]

A strange girl randomly walking up to their table did not bode well with Manju. Sure, the girl was polite, and somewhat familiar. The girl was probably in the vicinity as the trio shopped for clothing, but how and why the three travelers attracted her attention in particular was entirely overlooked by the Igni woman.

Still, this girl possibly had a crush on Muqali, which could explain her focus on him, but the brown-haired dame could have also spotted them as a group of travelers with whom she could hitch a ride out of town. Another traveler would have made things interesting for the trio, but Manju would hear nothing of it. She enjoyed the dominion she believed herself to have over the two sand nomads, and this girl may have been too strong-willed to comply.

Interrupting her own thoughts, she called out to the same waiter as Muqali, "Gimme the strongest swill ya 'ave in dis joint!"

After this, she looked the stranger in the eye, and with a distinct hostility said, "Go away."

[nasrin]

Nasrin was nearly upon the table when she heard Manju call out to a waiter, "Gimme the strongest swill ya 'ave in dis joint!"

Raising the bottle she carried in one hand to show it off to Manju she managed to say, "Don't bother. I already got it." To illustrate her point, the sandbender paused beside the table and took a swig straight from the bottle. A warm feeling coursed over her body, mostly from a sudden dulling of the senses brought on by the nearly pure alcohol, and she gave a great sigh as she put the bottle back down.

"I really needed that," she told the others matter-of-factly. Nasrin then circled around the table, plopping herself down in the remaining seat and depositing the bottle in the middle of the table. She then sat back, stretched out as far as her spindly limbs could go, and then slumped back forward to lean on her elbows. With her head propped up and her eyes half-lidded, she finally turned to regard the girl sitting beside her.

She'd noticed her on the way back, but for the most part hadn't bothered to ask who she was. Neither Manju or Muqali seemed overly concerned by her presence so neither would she be.