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Post by jorani on Jul 16, 2007 21:45:55 GMT -5
Continuing on from Escort Service...The bumpy road out of Lun Yang was actually somewhat relaxing, and Jorani had been lulled into a deep sleep. Several hours down the road, the old crusty merchant brought the wagon to a halt, explaining to Yumi that the ostrich horses needed a break. In truth, the man's old weary bones couldn't stand to be stuck in the wagon seat for more than a few hours at a time. He stiffly climbed down from the seat, working out the stiffness in his limbs as he headed to the back of the wagon to pull out some feed for the ostrich horses. The portly man reached in to grab the large bag, and when he did, a basket overturned revealing a young girl. "And just what is this?" the old man said with a snort...not happy in the slightest to find a stowaway amongst his shipment. The merchant dropped his bag of feed and reached in, snatching at the girl's arm. Jorani found herself rudely awakened as she was dragged out of the back of the wagon, letting out a startled squeal. A beefy, wrinkled, calloused hand held tight to her arm, enough that it actually was beginning to hurt. "Ow, let go!" the child shouted, then she lashed out with a kick to the man's shin. To her surprise, the merchant didn't let go, like most folks would. He simply glared angrily and tightened his grip. Jorani let out a little whimper as the man demanded, "Who do you think you are, sneaking into my wagon?"
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Post by yumi on Jul 18, 2007 16:19:52 GMT -5
Yumi just gave the old man a small nod and an "okay" as a response. Seeing as how they were finally getting a break, she might as well stretch a little too – she was going to need it. Yumi jumped out of the wagon, taking a few steps forward and stretched her arms out towards the sky, hearing the joints in her arms pop. That always felt good when she needed to loosen up.
"And just what is this?"
The woman’s gaze turned towards the back of the wagon. She heard a small squeal and the voice of a small girl. Wait, a child? In the back of the wagon? Yumi was expecting maybe a small animal, but not a child. Her golden eyes narrowed as she headed towards the back of the wagon to see what was going on. Well, what do you know, she thought, a little stowaway. Great...
"Umm sir, take it easy on the kid, will ya?" she spoke up as she spotted the two.
Their little "guest" was no more than ten years old, eleven tops. She could use some slack.
Yumi scoffed, taking the little girl by the hand and gently taking her away from the merchant.
"Hey, kiddo, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at home playing with your dolls?"
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Post by jorani on Jul 18, 2007 16:39:39 GMT -5
The old man looked perplexed as his hired escort manuevered the child away from him. Jorani was grateful, as the man's grip was pretty solid. She was pretty certain there'd be an ugly bruise cropping up as a result. The woman's next words, however, changed the child's attitude entirely.
"Hey, kiddo, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at home playing with your dolls?"
Jorani's cheeks puffed up as she scowled, shooting a glare at the woman.
"I'm not a little baby!" she shouted, jerking her hand away. "Don't treat me like a little kid!"
The old man snorted, letting out a booming laugh. He changed his mind about feeding the ostrich horses at this point. They could go on for another hour or two and still be fine. He was more interested in getting to Sun Sei, and could suffer being a bit sore this day to escape being saddled with the little girl.
"Fine...you ((Yumi)), let's go. She's such a big girl? Let her walk her way to Sun Sei. Hope the bandits don't find ya girl..." the merchant said rather nastily.
As he loaded the feed back on the wagon, he paid no more mind of the girl. As far as he was considered, the brat was on her own. He assumed that his hired escort would do as he bade and get on the wagon so they could sojourn on.
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Post by yumi on Jul 18, 2007 18:35:34 GMT -5
"I'm not a little baby! Don't treat me like a little kid!"
Yumi scowled. This is exactly why I don’t have any children. They always got on her nerves easily and seemed bratty all of the time in her opinion. With a roll of her eyes, she placed her hands on her worn, black leather belt, still looking at Jorani with a frown on her long face. She heard the old man laugh and snorted. But, her attitude soon changed when she heard him spoke.
"Fine...you, let's go. She's such a big girl? Let her walk her way to Sun Sei. Hope the bandits don't find ya girl..."
The young woman blinked, her face blank. And I thought I was cruel, she thought.
"Hey now, we just can’t leave her here. She’s just a kid, cut her some slack."
She paused for a moment, placing a pale, callused hand on the small shoulder of the girl. Yumi wasn’t so sure about what she was doing, but she knew she was doing the right thing. She always had the bad reputation of being cruel and cold, but this showed her more... sensitive side. The two girls might have started out on the wrong foot, but she just wasn’t going to leave her.
"She has to come with us. When we get to Sun Sei, I’ll take her from there."
Yumi then crouched down to the level of the child, their eyes meeting.
"What’s your name, kiddo?"
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Post by jorani on Jul 18, 2007 21:07:33 GMT -5
Jorani felt her stomach plummet straight down to her toes when the merchant talked of leaving her behind. This was not working out the way she had planned, not at all! She was supposed to make it to the next town undetected, slipping out of the wagon once it stopped there. Instead, now she found herself about to be left all alone.
"Hey now, we just can’t leave her here. She’s just a kid, cut her some slack."
Jorani looked at the hand the woman laid on her shoulder, fixing a glare on the hand's owner. Once again, she'd been referred to as just a kid. Sure...yeah...she was a kid. But she didn't like being treated like one. She was about to open her mouth to pop off, when the woman went on...
"She has to come with us. When we get to Sun Sei, I’ll take her from there."
Jorani's scowling diminished just slightly. This woman was...sticking up for her? As the woman crouched down to meet her gaze asking for her name, the child was unsure what to do. Could she trust this woman? At any rate, it seemed like she didn't have a choice. She at least appeared to be willing to help her, whereas the crusty old man was not.
Still maintaining her scowl, she replied, "Jorani Kalliyan. And DON'T call me kiddo!"
The merchant was not pleased at Yumi's suggesting the child go with them. Not at all. He was a business man, not a damn baby sitter!
"I'm not haulin' that brat anywhere. If you want your pay, you'll get in the wagon and leave her," the old merchant said gruffly.
Jorani growled. "Who said I wanted you to haul me anywhere, you grumpy old fart!?" At this point, the girl took the pouch of coins she'd lifted from her governess, took Yumi's hand, and plopped the whole thing in her palm. "Besides, she doesn't need your money! I'll pay her so she can take me wherever I want!"
To emphasis her point, she stuck her tongue out at the old merchant. As for the money in the pouch...if Yumi were to open, she'd find it lined with nothing but gold pieces...and judging by the weight, certainly more than what the merchant was planning to pay her for escorting him to Sun Sei.
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Post by yumi on Jul 19, 2007 14:53:23 GMT -5
"Jorani Kalliyan. And DON'T call me kiddo!"
Yumi quirked an eyebrow at Jorani, frowning. She really had a spark, though Yumi wasn’t exactly liking that spark so far. Her attention went back to the old merchant, hearing him saying that he wouldn’t take the child, also ordering her to leave her there. He was ordering her to leave a child alone on the road? Even if he was her boss (though temporarily), she wasn’t going to listen. There was no way she was going to just leave the child alone without finding its parents first.
She was about to speak, but Jorani beat Yumi to speaking up to the merchant.
"Who said I wanted you to haul me anywhere, you grumpy old fart!? Besides, she doesn't need your money! I'll pay her so she can take me wherever I want!"
Her bronze eyes widened. Now, that pouch looked very full, even more than the merchant’s. She took a few moments to think. The child must have been from a noble family; there was no other logical explanation on how she would have gotten that much money – that and the clothes that Jorani was wearing at the moment seemed to give it away too. Yumi didn’t like to babysit children, but this girl was offering her a lot of money just to watch over her. What an offer.
"Well, I quit. See ya later!"
Gripping Jorani’s hand gently, Yumi adjusted her bag on her shoulder and lead Jorani away.
"It's Yumi by the way..."
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Post by jorani on Jul 20, 2007 16:38:45 GMT -5
The old merchant huffed a bit, angered by the turn of events that had just transpired. He shook his head and simply took hold of the reins, urging the ostrich horses on. Dust rose up in the wagons wake and within a few minutes, it and the merchant in the driver's seat were out of view.
Jorani bit her lip as she contemplated her next step. She had not counted on this. Now she was in the company of another adult, had offered to pay this Yumi a lot of money to come with her. Should she even trust the woman? Afer a few minutes of walking in silence, holding onto Yumi's hand, she jerked her hand free. She hugged her set of clothes close to her, thinking of what to say to her newly acquired travel companion.
She gave the woman a side glance as she said haughtily. "You work for me now. And I want you to stay with me until..."
Should she say it? Say what she was really after?
"I find my uncle's village..."
Nope, she opted to lie. Why she had decided to use that line was beyond her though. She prayed no further questions would be asked and the woman would just come along.
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Post by yumi on Jul 20, 2007 17:33:11 GMT -5
The older woman gave a small glare to the ten year old once she jerked her hand free. Not exactly the type who wanted to have her hand held while she was walking with someone she noticed. Elongated, pale hands made their way to her narrow hips, gripping her black leather belt tightly. With a deep, long sigh, Yumi turned her attention to Jorani when she heard her voice.
"You work for me now. And I want you to stay with me until... I find my uncle's village..."
Yumi sensed a bit of hesitation in the girl’s voice. Rather suspicious really. Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, eyebrows furrowed. It seemed obvious that Jorani was lying right to her face, but Yumi decided to roll with it for now. The truth would come out later, she thought. For now, however, the fire bender decided to go with Jorani’s story until she decided to tell the truth.
"Just as long as you pay me. I’m more like playing babysitter slash guardian for you," she said.
Silence. It seemed like a long, awkward silence to her, though it lasted only for a few moments.
"At least tell me about yourself. Don’t worry, I don’t bite, Jo-Jo. Hmm mind if I call you that?"
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Post by jorani on Jul 20, 2007 19:52:21 GMT -5
"Just as long as you pay me. I’m more like playing babysitter slash guardian for you."
Jorani was a bit surprised at this response. All the hired servants in the Kalliyan household, with exception to Tenka, would bend over backwards and practically would be falling all over themselves to do her bidding. Not this Yumi though, she seemed to only be doing the job begrudgingly because she was getting paid. This was something she wasn't used to, so she refrained from smarting off at her comment.
"At least tell me about yourself. Don’t worry, I don’t bite, Jo-Jo. Hmm mind if I call you that?"
The child gold flecked copper eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't call me Jo-Jo. That's a little kids name! My name is Jo-ra-ni," she smarted off, emphasizing each syllable of her name. "How would you like it if someone called you YuYu instead of Yumi?"
She sounded incredibly snotty at that moment, and she really didn't care. A few moments passed in silence, then Jorani finally said something again.
"I'm 10. So that means I'm not little. Don't treat me like I'm a baby!"
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Post by yumi on Jul 24, 2007 0:05:18 GMT -5
"Don't call me Jo-Jo. That's a little kids name! My name is Jo-ra-ni. How would you like it if someone called you YuYu instead of Yumi?"
This kid had spunk – and a lot of it too. Now, Yumi could really see her ten year old self in Jorani, but Yumi would probably be saying cuss words at her age – and wasn't as bratty. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, a part of her wishing that she stayed with the old merchant. However, the pay would be worth it in the end, she thought to raise her spirits, even if just a little bit.
"I'm 10. So that means I'm not little. Don't treat me like I'm a baby!"
The raven haired woman scowled, making a low scoff at the ten year old’s remark. Geez...
"You’re sure as hell acting like one..." she muttered very lowly.
After crossing her arms over her torso unconsciously, Yumi looked towards Jorani, glaring.
"I’m not going to treat you like a baby, I’m gonna treat you like an adult. I just felt like giving you the nickname. Do you want me to be calling you kiddo again, or no? Just tell me now, Jorani."
Yes, she was being a little immature by the tone of voice she was using, but she didn’t care at the moment. Yumi, surprisingly, was being rather patient with Jorani. Considering the fact that her patience was very short, this was a new record for her. She stretched, hearing her joints pop yet again, then let her callused hands slap the sides of her thighs. The woman was growing tired.
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Post by jorani on Jul 24, 2007 13:50:51 GMT -5
Jorani heard Yumi mutter something. The scowl on the child's face still remained as Yumi fixed a glare on her.
"I’m not going to treat you like a baby, I’m gonna treat you like an adult. I just felt like giving you the nickname. Do you want me to be calling you kiddo again, or no? Just tell me now, Jorani."
The noble child walked along, staring at the woman. Never...never had ANYONE talked to her like that! Tenka and her voice instructor certainly were stern with the girl, but never had they spoken to her in such a manner. It was becoming clear to Jorani that behaving like a brat would get her nowhere with Yumi. And...for some odd reason...she wasn't bothered by it.
So, the pair walked on and Jorani kept quiet. As time rolled on and the sun climbed high in the sky, the girl was becoming very tired. Rare were the times she'd been allowed past the grounds of her family's compound. Outside of normaly rough housing with her brother and her instructions under her firebending master, she didn't get much excercise. For awhile, Jorani had hoped that Yumi would suggest stopping...but finally, the girl couldn't stand it.
In whining voice, the girl spoke up, "I need to stop...I'm tired...."
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Post by yumi on Jul 24, 2007 15:24:30 GMT -5
A small, sly smirk came to her lips. Yumi usually knew what to say when it came to comebacks and had gotten the last word plenty of times before – not all of the time, but a lot. Of course, Jorani was just a child, not much of a challenge to make her be quiet with a smart remark right back. For the long period of silence, it was like heaven to Yumi. Not having to hear Jorani’s smart and whiny comments for awhile was what she needed now. But then, it was all over. Jorani started to whine again, wanting to stop walking for the time being. Yumi had to agree with Jorani on that though.
"Okay, okay. We’ll stop for a break. C’mon," she said in a dull tone, walking off of the dirt road.
Yumi spotted a large stone not too far ahead and took a seat on it, rolling her ankles. An intense pain coming from her feet was starting to get to her. How she wished she had a wagon and a Komodo rhino to take her to her destinations at times. She cracked her knuckles, sighing, turning her head to face the noble child. Though Yumi was the type of person to be constantly bickering with others, she knew that arguing with a child such as Jorani wouldn’t help the situation. They were traveling with each other now after all. Having simple conversations with her should help.
"So, if you’re done arguing with me, how about you tell me about yourself now? I need to know since we are traveling together now and arguing with me isn’t going to get you anywhere."
She paused, taking out an apple from her dark brown traveling bag and taking a large bite of it.
"Besides, I’m not a submissive little servant that will stay quiet, sweetie," she continued.
"And if you think I’m gonna take your crap, then you are sadly mistaken. Don’t try to annoy me because I have no patience nor a good temper. I could leave you behind if I got mad enough."
Again, another pause and another crunch as she bit into the apple again. She then continued.
"If you show me respect, then I’ll show you some respect back. Don’t test me. Are we clear?"
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Post by jorani on Jul 24, 2007 20:55:42 GMT -5
Jorani listened to Yumi's scolding in silence. She was stunned at the way she was being treated, how she was being spoke to. It was very clear where she stood with Yumi: behave or I'll leave your butt here. She sat down on the ground in front of the rock, bringing her knees up to her chest. She was trying not to pay attention to the fact that Yumi was eating. The impetuous child had neglected to pack food for herself in her haste to get out of Lun Yang. She figured that the next town would've been closer, that she would've gotten their by now.
"If you show me respect, then I’ll show you some respect back. Don’t test me. Are we clear?"
Jorani simply nodded her head. "Okay."
Listening to Yumi crunch away on her apple was absolute torture. Hunger pangs were gnawing away at her, and she felt as if she were going to die of starvation. Still, the prideful little child didn't say anything. She figured she'd riled Yumi enough for now. Besides, she had other problems on her hands. Yumi wanted Jorani to tell her about herself...and if she told the truth, she figured Yumi would send her straight back to Lun Yang.
She was contemplating a lie to spin, when her stomach let out an audible growl.
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Post by yumi on Jul 24, 2007 21:19:21 GMT -5
A simple okay coming from Jorani was music to Yumi’s ears. She knew laying down the law with the child would do something. It made her smile, but just slightly. As Yumi munched away at the bright red apple, she waited for Jorani to start telling her about herself. She was expecting she was probably from a family of high nobility, but wanted to it hear it from Jorani herself.
Yumi was soon torn away from her thoughts when she heard a loud grumbling sound.
"Well, I’m guessing you’re hungry. You should have said something before, Jorani..."
Rolling her eyes with a small smirk on her face, Yumi tossed her traveling bag lightly in front of her, making a small thud. It was already open a little, the gauze wrapped hilt of on of her sai daggers sticking out of the opening of the bag halfway. The fire bender ignored it however and looked through the dung colored bag for some food, whistling. How strange, she was whistling.
"Umm here’s some bread. That’s all I got left," she said, handing her the loaf of bread.
She took a last bite into her apple, realizing she had gotten to the core then threw it aside.
"So, are you gonna tell me about yourself or no? I’ll talk about myself a bit after you talk."
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Post by jorani on Jul 25, 2007 13:33:47 GMT -5
"Well, I’m guessing you’re hungry. You should have said something before, Jorani..."
Jorani watched as the woman rumaged through a bag. While she was doing that, the child caught glimpse of something wrapped in gauze. She leaned forward a bit, trying to get a better look at what it was. Before she could see it though, Yumi found something for her.
"Umm here’s some bread. That’s all I got left."
Jorani took the bread offered her, taking a bite. She made a face, finding the bread to be stale. Still, she was hungry and this was what was offered. She ate it, choosing not to voice any complaints.
"So, are you gonna tell me about yourself or no? I’ll talk about myself a bit after you talk."
Jorani quickly shoved a bit of bread into her mouth, affording her just a couple minutes of time to think of something to tell Yumi. Anything to keep Yumi from sending her back to her parents in Lun Yang.
"Uhh...I'm...going to stay with my Uncle...Ping. He-uh...owns a livery stable...um...at a village between here and Sun Sei."
To her, the lie sounded plausible...
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