Spit Fire <Fire Nation>

[jericho]

Jericho wasn't ill educated, and she wasn't blind. She had caught the tone Yishugei had used upon uttering those words. Carefully she ran them through her head, her brow shifting into a slight pinch as she thought. Oh, she knew very well that he was speaking about more than the fish, what he had be hinting at, she was trying to convince herself other wise. But she wasn't stupid, and therefore wouldn't play to be; no, that was even worse.
She had caught the blush on Yishugei's cheeks and allowed herself a slight smile, and though the troubled thought was still crossing her mind she would not show it. Jericho wondered vaguely what he was thinking, something had to caused the blush, and it wasn't what he had said.
She shook her head slightly, the stress on her brow lessening with each movement. Loose whips of ebony hair fluttered as she did this, her bun hadn't withstood the run and had released a large number of stray strands. Jericho smirked to herself. 'Madam Masaki would not be pleased.'
With slow sloth movements Jericho placed the feed on the bench and slid her black fan back out from her obi. She coaxed it into opening without a sound and began to fan herself. She tilted her head down slightly, her eyes fixated on the fish. Her voice was the low simmer of a candle flame. "It's like they've never seen it before, isn't it?" This, like Yishugei's statement, was not speaking solely about the fish. "Like it's always been real but never... there." She laughed softly to herself. "Listen to me prattle on like those twits from the Academy." Jericho continued to fan herself gently, hoping the thoughts would lift and leave her clutter head.

[artisan]

Yishugei's mind went back to earlier that day. Jericho had spoke with the up most confidence. 'You are no fool.' With a slow silently inhale of breath he turned to face her, mustering the confidence up to dispute the Xanin Spit Fire. Though his placid calm amber eyes didn't display any hint of intensity, the confidence, or at least the faux confidence, had said enough. "You, Jericho, are far from 'twit'."

Inwardly Gei held his breath, waiting for a reaction. Jericho was, indeed, different. She had gone from laughter to pure venom in a matter of seconds. From being eerily cool, to smirking as if she knew a secret she was dieing to tell him. She was different, and whether that was to be considered a good thing or a bad thing Yishugei didn't care; he liked different.

He turned to look back down at the pond, trying to keep his mind off what may, or may not come. The food had all but diminished, either from being devoured by the fish or sinking to the bottom. The slightest of breezes had began again and brushed against the soft pink water lotus that bobbed in the pond. In the silence Gei stood, he was content with waiting.

[jericho]

Laughter began to flood its way through Jericho's painted lips. First in slow soft snickers and giggles, than to full blown inferno of laughter. She was having an out right giggle attack and it wouldn't stop. She wasn't laughing at Yishugei, no, that wasn't it. She wasn't even laughing at what he had said, not entirely. She was laughing at herself, at the whole situation. It wasn't even that funny, but she couldn't help but laughing. And it was that fact that made her laugh even more.
Jericho's eyes had began to tear with her warm laughter. The charcoal that covered her lips mixed with the tears, adulterating them. The blacken mess spilled over and trailed down her cheeks, leaving two blackened smears in their wake. The very breath was stolen from Jericho and she had to wrap her arms around her midsection as she bent forward slightly from the force of her laughter. In a seemingly endless cycle laughter was produced from laughter and she enjoyed every moment of it.
With a deep calming breath she straightened up, a smile as bright as the rays of the sun beaming on her painted lips. Jericho stood facing Jericho, beaming up at him as if he were the precious gem, not the seat beside her or the water. "I suppose you're right, Yishugei." A few more closed lipped titters came from her before the laughter finally left her. "Thank you for that."

[artisan]

Laughter truly was a contagious illness, not a bad one at all but one nonetheless. Jericho had began laughing, and though Yishugei was utterly baffled as to why, even going to far as staring at her for a minute or so in confusion, he had began laughing himself. Soft heartfelt laughs that seemed like a whisper compared to what was coming from Jericho. It was absolutely spectacular, a mental high. The laughter filled him until he was completely lost within it.

Yishugei had no idea how long they had laughed together, but the sounds soon slowed down. As Jericho beamed up at him and spoke all he could do is return the the expression. She had a lovely smile, her amber eyes seemed to dance with it. Two dark irregular streaks had crawled down her cheeks during their laugh attack. She seemed completely unaware of the black lines that contrasted greatly with her pale skin. This made Gei's smile widen, if only slightly.

"You've got something on your cheeks... Here." Yishugei lifted his thin hands to cup Jericho's cheeks. Using his thumbs he swiped the black streaks away, dirtying his own immaculate fingers was a small price to pay. Gei smiled down at her fondly, not caring that his cheeks had touched slightly with red. "There."

[jericho]

Warmth ravaged Jericho's cheeks as Yishugei laid his thin hands on them. Though every thought in her mind urged her to pull away with some truly venomous comment, something else pleaded with her to stay put. Her painted lips had parted, not quite in surprise but in awe. The fact that he had the nerve to attempt something so bold with her was absolutely dumbfounding. With any other maiden of the Fire Nation, yes, it would have been perfectly common, but she was the Xanin Spit Fire, unless she initiated something no one ever laid a hand on her... 'Maybe... I did.' She thought helplessly doing nothing but staring up into Yishugei's calm dull eyes. They were at complete ends with the fire that burned within Jericho. Maybe it was the fact that she could see her image, not vibrant and burning like she was used to, but filled with a new simmer of something completely different, reflecting back in the placid amber mirrors that made her want to keep looking.
Those few moments seemed to be spend in complete stillness. If it weren't for the breeze pushing some sense back into Jericho's head she would have stayed like that for ages. With a sharp movement she tore her face from Yishugei's hands, her fan moving quickly to cover from the tip of her rounded nose down. "Thank you." She whispered, half hoping the breeze would carry it away and he wouldn't hear it.
Jericho contented herself with watching the swirling swimming patterns of the koi as her mind searched for something to say. The silence seemed far too heavy, thick and choking like a humid fog. Her wit had not failed her, and neither had her mood shifts. A smirk had slid its way onto Jericho's lips, and though it was covered by the black ebony fan the vision of one was held dancing in her eyes, pushing whatever had been there out. "So, Yishugei, do you make it a business of yours to charm your acquaintances into silence?" A soft snicker left her lips. This was the challenged she had hoped for, the fun she was waiting for, the tale Yoshi, her once nanny, had once told her.

[artisan]

All Gei could do was stare down at her. The thought of taking his hands away from her alabaster face never crossed his mind. Yishugei's eyes stayed locked onto hers, his mind utterly and completely void of thought. The only thing, in those few moments, that seemed to exist was Jericho. When she pulled away it seemed all too soon. Yishugei found himself cursing the breeze that had pushed Jericho into moving away. Awkwardly, he let his hands drop to his side. He turned to the pond, holding his head drooping down slightly to study the fish.

Yishugei was completely taken aback when she spoke. He turned to her, his almond eyes flashed surprise before a soft smile made itself comfortable on his lips. "If it were my job, I wouldn't be very good at it." He paused once, entertaining the idea of what would have had happened if she would have stayed. "Seeing as you're still able to speak." Yishugei finished, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. Instantly he felt the silence between them lighten as if nothing had happened.

[jericho]

Jericho let out an audible snicker at Yishugei's comment. "That is very true." Another small laugh slipped through her painted lips. She kept her amber eyes on the fish as she lowered her fan slowly, holding it near the tip of her rounded chin.
The red and black, orange and white, of the koi's swirling backs created somewhat a hypnotizing pattern. For an instant they took Jericho out of her intertwining thoughts and allowed her to forget where she was. There was just her and those shimmering scales on the backs of the koi. Once more the insistent breeze kissed her pale cheek and she was out of her daze. She wasn't sure whether to be thankful or hateful of that breeze. It had brought about... many things this morning, now birthing into an afternoon, and whether those things were for the better or for the worst, Jericho couldn't tell yet.
The violet hem of her kimono swayed slightly to reveal her now socked feet. The geta were gone, inwardly she hoped someone would retrieve them and bring them inside. While Jericho preferred to be barefoot, those wooden shoes were far to precious to be left unattended, even in her own garden. They were, indeed, a beautiful work of art, and considering that Jericho herself had painted the panda lilies on the soles, they did hold sentimental value.
"Tell me about yourself, Yishugei." She spoke, still entranced by the shimmering treasures within the pond. Usually Jericho would not ask such a question, but seeing as he had proved himself worthy of her company, she thought she could allow it, if only just this once. He seemed interesting enough. She gave the slightest of hopes that he would not fall short of the expectation.

[artisan]

Yishugei mulled the request over in his head, trying to get a feel for it. Some how, Gei figured, it was more of a command than a request; seeing that even if she had requested it there was no way under the Fire Lord's rule that he would be able to deny her, whether it was the threat of Jericho's scorn or his own inability to refuse something she had asked.

The smallest of chuckles emitted from Yishugei's thin lips. "What's there to tell?" He paused, turning his dull eyes to the clear sky. A few thin white clouds drifted with the slight breeze, but none dared to touch the sun. "I enjoy writing, mostly poetry, as I've said before." Gei ran his tongue over his lips in thought, one pale hand running itself through his bangs. "I read more than could possibly be considered as healthy." He stumbled on, not knowing what else to possibly tell Jericho about himself. What was he, after all? The spoiled son of a general? There was no great interest in his life, nothing monuments or important. He was just Yishugei.

[jericho]

The smirk continued to play on Jericho's painted lips, her fan progressively drooped until it was held at her collarbone, creating the slightest of breezes that the wind itself couldn't even match. Yishugei hadn't disappointed her, not in the least. He had given her the exact answer Jericho had needed to hear. The fact that he couldn't come up with much to say showed he wasn't egotistical, and he didn't put himself before others. He was soft spoken and therefore lived up to what he said about reading 'more than could possibly be considered as healthy'. He wasn't lying, and once more he wasn't like any other boy that she had ever met. He had not failed her test, in fact he had peaked her interest. Calmly Jericho kept her catty eyes on the smooth surface, inwardly she was a bubbling cauldron of excitement, eager to know more.
"What type of poetry do you like? Any specific genre or forms?" She worked hard to keep the excited edge out of her fiery voice, not an easy feat for someone who was accustomed to expressing whatever she felt freely. Jericho bit her lip lower lip, tasting the make-up the had colored them red. She had to push away the hundreds of other questions that were all storming onto her tongue, and a physical action was the only thing that seemed to prove affective. Her tongue ached to speak, and her heart ached in the need to know. There was nothing more she could do than to content herself in watching the koi once more, and wait for Yishugei's answer.

[artisan]

Yishugei should have grown accustomed to the way Jericho could, and had, surprised him, even to cross the boundary from surprise to the slightest of shocks, but he hadn't. He had thought she would have rejected his answer, seen it as unfit, or some other horrible outcome, but she hadn't and once more, he was grateful.

He pushed the surprise off his face, and out of his voice as he spoke. "I beg you not to laugh..." He paused a moment, a soft smile crossing his lips as he tilted his head slightly so his bangs fell over his eyes. Gei lowered his voice slightly before continuing. "...but I am very partial to tales of the heart..." He raised hos voice before adding on, hoping the slightly louder part of his answer would over power the quiet. "...or personification of any natural feature. The way some writers can create a person from..." He trailed off, the passion of his art seeping into his voice. Yishugei's eyes roamed the garden slightly, searching something to finish with. "... a flower, is simpley... astonishing." A pink blush threatened to rise within him but he pushed it down, finishing his rant. "Pardon my excitement, sometimes I forget myself."

[jericho]

"Please." Jericho spoke, her eyes still mentally tracing the koi's routs. "There's not need for pardons." She smiled, warm as the sun. Jericho turned her head to look as Yishugei; her cheeks had pushed her already catty amber eyes to thin slits, she happily squinted up at him, the rays of her benign smile twinkling in her amber eyes. "You should loose herself more often."
Jericho's round petite ears caught the lowered voice, and after addressing the last statement she found it fit to bring back something Yishugei had mentioned. "'Tales of the heart?'" She quoted, speaking carefully as not to sound offensive. The warmth of her smile seeped into her voice. "Great romances?" A small careful laugh slipped its way between Jericho's lips, but it was far from mocking or condescending. It was a laugh of pure enjoyment, Yishugei, had yet again, surprised her. He spoke the truth, at the risk of embarrassment and injured pride. The truth had bought him her admiration. It took a strong man to speak something isn't the norm. The type of strength Jericho had respected.
The excitement she had bit back before muscled its way through in full form. "Recite me one." she paused a moment before adding. "Please?" Her bright smile blossomed into a sunny grin, her even white teeth sparkling in the early afternoon sun. "One of your favorites."

[artisan]

After hearing the warmth in her voice Yishugei had turned his head to meet Jericho's sunny smiles. She was truly like a flame, low and dangerous one moment, bright and life giving the next. She was subject to change, wild and free. The slightest hint of envy sparked inside Gei, the smallest desire to be more like her, but it wasn't large enough to be hindering. After all, he did very much enjoy being who he was, even if it was only the spoiled son of a general.

"One of my favorites?" He quoted and reformed it into a question. Carefully he turned his head back to the pond, the dark bangs still hiding his dull eyes. Yishugei searched his mind, trying to find one fit to be called his favorite, and even more important, one that may be able to delight Jericho. The task was far from easy, having a memory for what he read, borderline photographic, he had hundreds of works to choose from. Gei gingerly ran through the list, mentally reciting a few lines of each, testing them in his mind's voice.

Finally, Yishugei found one; reciting it the way he had pictures in his mind, eyes still focused on the pond appose to Jericho.
"Gentle foothills, and
in the dew drops of the mountains,
soaked, I waited for you--
grew wet from standing there
in the dew drops of the mountains."
His voice was clear and flowing, like the poem. The wind carried his words off to be heard by someone else, far off. Yishugei stood their waiting patiently for Jericho's response.

[jericho]

The vindication Yishugei had spoken the poem, the breezy flowing manor in which he had recited it was breathtaking. Jericho had closed her eyes to listen to the short, yet incredibly sweet, words of the heart. Her imagination had painted an image of two sweet lovers who had been separated for what seemed like ages. It somewhat reminded Jericho of the story Yoshimi, her once nanny, had told her of the Secret Lovers. 'The Story of Oma and Shu.' Yoshi had said fondly. A sweet smile beamed on Jericho's lips from the images she had painted and the memories they had brought back. When Yishugei had finished, it seemed all to soon.
"Oh. Yishugei." Jericho spoke breathlessly, the words filling her in entirety. There was no need, no want, to hold back how she felt, she was genuinely moved to the point of not having anything more to say than 'Oh Yishugei'. She turned to face him, taking a shaky breath in, trying to find words on the wind. "That was..." She paused, her amber eyes swimming with the images she had created; the two separated lovers, the foot hills, the dew drops... Jericho gave something between a small laugh and a scoff at herself. She had found the perfect word. "...Breathtaking."

[artisan]

A gentle smile cam upon Yishugei's at her response. He turned to face her once more, watching the dreamy far off look in her amber eyes. They were dancing with fires once past, with a flame the color of the pale moon and autumn leaves. Jericho had said the poem was breathtaking, but the look on her face at that moment almost stole Gei's. For, what seemed like ages, all Yishugei could do was look down smiling at her. He longed to bring his hands back to her rounded face, but wasn't nearly as bold as to try something like that once more with out reason.

His bangs hiding his almond eyes, and there for hiding the half-lidded longing longing within them, ran themselves over Jericho's face once more. He may not have been bold enough to touch her face without reason, but breeding and tutelage had instructed him that it was quite fine to take a young lady's hand. Jericho wasn't like any young lady he had met before, but Gei wouldn't deny himself such a simple pleasure.

With a taught grace he slid his hand in Jericho's, entwining his pale fingers with her own. Yishugei continued to put on the same gentle smile, finally spoke. "Thank you."

[jericho]

A small surprised blush had found its way to Jericho's cheeks. She hadn't mind the blush, she was far to preoccupied with the nerve endings in her fingertips. Yishugei's hand was warm and smooth, gentle. If she were to guess, he had never done anything more strenuous than turn the pages of a book in his entire life, but she didn't care. Brute force wasn't something she admired; catching a flame off guard, however, was.
Jericho's lips parted and she retained her dreamy look, doing nothing but looking up to Yishugei, basking in the warmth of his hand entwined in hers. A slight crease crossed her brows, she couldn't see his eyes. They were shielded from her own, behind a veil of ebony hair. Carefully she raised her free hand and pushed Yishugei's hair away toward his hairline and held it there. When her amber eyes locked with his, and Jericho caught the longing held within she smiled softly, his eyes flooding her with more warmth than his touch had.
"You're welcome." She spoke in a low simmering voice that sounded like a candle flame, flickering and enticing. Jericho removed her hand and let Yishugei's bangs glide back into place. Her smile widened slightly to show a sliver of her shimmering toothy grin, a teasing smile. Her eyes flickered once in invitation, but the flash was gone in an instant.