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Post by yumi on Aug 3, 2007 13:45:16 GMT -5
Yumi listened to Jorani in complete silence, a small frown on her pale face. This ten year old did not know how to lie. Stopping in between words just to think showed that she was lying. It was so obvious. The woman rolled her eyes, looking off to the side at a random beetle crawling on the dirt in a sluggish manner. For several long moments, Yumi stood silent, but then spoke up.
"When we get there, I’m dropping your butt off and heading to Sun Sei," she replied flatly.
She would get the truth out of Jorani later. Probably making the truth slip out of her mouth on accident would help, along with a little push from Yumi. Learning from her older brother, Jinsei, as well as some of his other friends from her village of Jeng Li, gave her some tricks on how to get some sort of information out of someone. Her older brother seemed to get her every time.
The young woman then stood up and brushed herself off, turning her gaze towards Jorani.
"Well, I’ll keep mine short and sweet: I’m twenty two, a fire bender and a single bitch."
Yumi gave Jorani a fake smile that quickly disappeared within a second. She wasn’t in the mood.
"The little speech that I gave should have explained the rest for you. I think you get the picture."
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Post by jorani on Aug 6, 2007 14:15:38 GMT -5
Jorana kept her gaze to the ground, so she didn't notice Yumi rolling her eyes at her lie. She finished her bread in silence. As she was brushing away the crumbs from her lap, Yumi spoke up.
"When we get there, I’m dropping your butt off and heading to Sun Sei.."
Her copper eyes looked up at the older woman, the golden flecks in the flashing, as she replied, "Fine, I won't need you after we get to the next village. You can take your money and go wherever you want..."
Inwardly though? She wasn't so sure she liked the prospect of this woman leaving her behind...but what could she do about it now? She was just a kid and this Yumi seemed to have her mind made up. What chance could she really stand to convince the woman otherwise?
"Well, I’ll keep mine short and sweet: I’m twenty two, a fire bender and a single bitch. The little speech that I gave should have explained the rest for you. I think you get the picture."
She understood the age and the fire bending bit...but what was a bitch? She remembered hearing that term before, but when she asked her parents about it, they had told her that word meant a female dog. Yumi certainly didn't look like any dog she'd seen. And how did that help her know the woman any better? Were all grownups this confusing?
"...what does bitch mean?"
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Post by yumi on Aug 6, 2007 15:04:38 GMT -5
"...What does bitch mean?"
Yumi grinned, also giving a small scoff that sounded more like an attempt to conceal a chuckle. Was this child serious? It was a rather random question, but she might as well answer it for her. Yumi believed in telling the truth, even to children at Jorani’s age. There was no point in lying to her. Also, Yumi always wanted to give an explanation about it in her own words. Clearing her throat, the rugged woman stood up, stretched and cracked her callused knuckles and spoke up.
"A bitch is a woman that speaks her mind, is blunt and isn’t afraid to say something to someone’s face, even if it’s harsh. And a bitch is a woman that is considered to be an evil woman, like me."
She said it proudly, giving a smile, arching her dark eyebrows high. She liked her definition.
"Also, a bitch is referred to as a woman who is a prostitute and has sex with men for money or something else. That’s the kind of bitch you don’t want to be. It works for men too, in my book."
With that blunt explanation said, Yumi grabbed her possessions and started onward yet again.
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The sun soon set, the bright full moon taking it’s place in the now dark sky. The stars were twinkling brightly and it was now cool out with soft breezes every now and then. Yumi liked this kind of weather, especially when a full moon was present. It was easier to see in the dark, and Yumi was too lazy to create a small flame in her hand. She inhaled the crisp air deeply then exhaled. Feeling a need to rest, she stopped as soon as she found a small clearing in the woods.
"Alrighty, Jorani. We’ll make camp here. I’ll get the fire going in a minute. Hold on," she said.
The young fire bender sighed as she started to look around the clearing for decent pieces of wood and sticks and twigs to use for the fire. It didn’t take too long, just a few minutes. Yumi sat in the middle of the clearing, dropping the wood to the ground and starting to set them up carefully. A few more minutes went by and she was soon done, sending a small blast of fire to the wood to start the camp fire. She took a seat a safe distance away from the fire, beckoning Jorani.
"This is what you will be doing for a little while now. You’ll get used to it, I know I did."
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Post by jorani on Aug 15, 2007 15:39:39 GMT -5
Jorani had been holding back a litany of whines and complaints, but held her peace...and as the trudged on, she soon became too tired to waste the effort to gripe and complain. Not that it would've done her much good though. She was relieved though when Yumi announced they were stopping to make camp. She let out an exasperated sigh and plopped down on the ground, her package of clothes in her hands. Her feet were killing her and her legs were cramping something awful.
She sighed again as she rubbed one of her calves with her right hand. She had not counted on having to walk this much. She had no idea how far they were from the next village...but prayed it wasn't too far away.
She watched as Yumi returned with the firewood, puzzling over how she arranged the wood just so, before using firebending to start the campfire. When the older woman beckoned, Jorani reluctantly complied.
Honestly? The dark woods were creeping her out, despite the full moon hanging over head. Now with the camp fire going, the shadows seemed longer, more menacing. Even though Yumi didn't even seem to like her all that much, it was better than sitting on the other side of the campfire by herself.
She rose to her feet, carrying her bundle of clothes with her, before plopping down beside Yumi.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to this...I'm renting a rhino or something at the next town...."
And with that complaint, she let it slip...she wasn't stopping to stay with an uncle in the next town, like she had said originally....
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Post by yumi on Aug 21, 2007 16:30:47 GMT -5
"I don't think I'll ever get used to this...I'm renting a rhino or something at the next town...."
Yumi quirked an eyebrow at Jorani, looking curious with just a touch of confusion in her expression. Not exactly the outdoors type was she? Yumi had been traveling for awhile now – two years to be precise – and never really complained about anything that nature threw at her. Well, Jorani was a city girl after all, unlike Yumi who grew up near the wilderness. With that thought in mind came some memories of home. For a few short moments, Yumi felt a little home sick, wanting to see her family and companions again, but she then snapped out of her thoughts.
"So, Jo-Jo ... how was it in the big city? You must have been loaded if you have that much money with you. Hmmm I’m guessing you’re maybe from a family of nobles or something?"
She hated silence between two or more people, and it seemed rather awkward sitting by a campfire with a ten year old that was keeping quiet. She could practically feel the tension between them. However, Yumi didn’t blame Jorani that much; she was the same way as a child, taking awhile to warm up to new faces. The fire bender shrugged slightly as she thought, cracking her knuckles as she stared at the dancing flames in front of her. Sighing, she rolled her eyes, knowing that tomorrow they would be going hungry until they reached the next town.
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Post by jorani on Sept 7, 2007 11:11:15 GMT -5
Jorani cast a cautious glance at Yumi. She had to choose her words carefully...this woman might decide to send her packing back to Lun Yang if she found out she was the daughter of the Kalliyan family. She wasn't ready to go back. She wouldn't go back until she found Hino...and she'd only go back if her older brother agreed to go with her.
"Boring. Mom and dad are..." she paused as she tried to think of something to say. "doctors. Really really good doctors. So their busy all the time."
At least half of what she said was true...they were busy all the time. And when Hino was home, at least Jorani had someone besides the servants and Tenka to keep her company. She looked away as the memory of her brother hit her though. Thinking about him hurt...she missed him a great deal, and she wasn't about to let this Yumi see her upset.
"They don't spend any time with me," Jorani added sullenly as she brought her knees up to her chest, resting her chin so that her words were partially muffled by her arm.
She turned to shift her gaze on the camp fire. Her copper eyes narrowed slightly as she let out an angry huff. In response, a spark of embers flew out in her direction as she inadvertently used a bit of fire bending.
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Post by yumi on Sept 23, 2007 16:07:48 GMT -5
Yet another lie, she guessed. Jorani really needed a lesson in lying ... at least Yumi thought this, of course. She couldn’t help but let a slight smirk come to her pale lips, finding it a little amusing how bad Jorani was at making herself seem convincing. The ten year old could have at least rehearsed on what she would say to others when they would ask questions similar to the ones Yumi had asked her. Oh well, it was too late now. Rolling her eyes, Yumi nodded at the little girl slowly.
"I see. You know--" She was interrupted as Jorani said one last thing before going quiet again.
Yumi frowned a little. A part of her felt bad for the small child. Yumi always had her family and friends to spend time with back in her hometown, the village of Jeng Li. Even if she didn’t want their company at times, they were there. At that moment, the young woman actually felt glad that she didn’t come from a rich family. If it meant having a relationship with her parents that seemed non-existent, it wasn’t worth it. Escaping from her thoughts, she watched Jorani perform a bit of bending.
"So, you’re a bender huh? Did you have any instructors to teach you back home?"
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Post by jorani on Sept 24, 2007 13:06:55 GMT -5
The child turned her head to look at Yumi, cutting her copper eyes to look at the woman. Yumi had started to say something to her, but stopped. Jorani was curious as to what the woman was going to say, but she didn't press it. The girl felt a yawn coming...and pretty soon, her mouth opened wide as she let it out. Now that they had stopped moving, she was beginning to feel really tired. Her eyelids were feeling heavy and sleep was beckoning to her.
"So, you’re a bender huh? Did you have any instructors to teach you back home?"
Jorani smirked. "Yeah, I'm a bender. Mom and dad hired some old fogey to be my teacher. Old man Toshi doesn't know what he's doing though. He keeps yacking about 'basics this' and 'basics that'."
With another angry huff, sparks flew up again.
"I get tired of doing them all the-" in the middle of her sentence, another yawn crept in. She covered her mouth this time, and once it had escaped, she continued. "time."
It was obvious the kid was tired. Her eyes were only about halfway open, and steadily drooping...and after a moment, she was sitting there, with her chin propped on her knees, eyes closed.
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Post by yumi on Sept 26, 2007 15:46:08 GMT -5
Yumi chuckled lightly as she listened to the small child speak. She remembered how it would annoy her at times when everyone in her family kept on reminding her about "the basics." Being the impatient woman she was, it was hard to actually listen and keep herself from throwing a fit out of frustration and great irritation. Stretching out her limbs, Yumi couldn’t help but let out a long yawn as she did so, soon after the ten year old did. Well, yawns were rather contagious after all.
Before she could even finish her yawn, Yumi was looking at a sleeping Jorani in front of her. How cute. A crooked smirk came to her lips and she rolled her eyes at the child. Yawning once more, she slowly laid Jorani onto her back, making sure not to wake her up. Though in Yumi’s mind, she conjectured that Jorani wouldn’t even notice and was most likely in a deep slumber now. Sleep was a good idea. Yumi lazily kicked at the dirt and onto the fire, putting it out within a minute or so.
Her head was soon resting on her bag as a home made pillow, and she quickly drifted off to sleep.
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Post by jorani on Sept 28, 2007 10:59:11 GMT -5
Jorani was sound asleep and didn't even stir in the slightest when Yumi laid her back. Dreams visited the child in her sleep. They were pleasant ones...they were of her brother, Hino, and how they played together in the Kalliyan household. There were a couple of times the girl had talked in her sleep, something that really only happened when she was deep in slumber. Most noteable would've been an exchange with Hino about helping catch a turtle duck so she could paint smiley faces on its shell.
When it was time to rise and get back on the road, there was a fair amount of whining on the child's part. Yumi put an end to most of that abruptly when threatening to leave the girl right there on the road. Unsure as to whether or not the woman would actually go through with it, Jorani chose just to do as she was told.
By mid morning, the pair arrived at the small village of Chiisai. The village proper seemed pretty dead, as most of the villager were farmers and were out toiling in the fields. Still, there were a few vendors about and folks who had business with the merchants. Jorani was shocked at the lack of people on the streets of Chiisai. Compared to Lun Yang, this place seemed to her to be practically abandoned. A pit was forming in her stomach. With so few people about, she now ran the risk of not being able to find out any information about Hino's unit.
Jorani's anxiety registered on her face for just a moment...before a stubborn scowl replaced it.
"What a dumpy little village," she complained
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Post by yumi on Nov 12, 2007 19:39:34 GMT -5
Yumi had woken up quite early that morning, at least an hour or so before young Jorani did. For the majority of that one hour she spent awake, she stood lying on the ground, trying to get back to sleep, but failed to. Once the ten year old was up, Yumi quickly gathered her things and made sure Jorani was ready to hit the road again. Luckily for Yumi, the little fire bender was not the lazy type. There was, of course, plenty of complaining and whining from Jorani as the duo made there way to the nearest village. This was expected from Jorani from what Yumi had seen so far from her. However, this bratty attitude was soon put to rest after several threats from Yumi’s side. Would she have really left the girl behind? Maybe so ... or at least walk away long enough to scare little Jorani. Later when they reached the insignificant village known as Chiisai, the dark haired woman gave a sigh of relief, feeling her feet starting to ache once again. She was used to seeing villages such as these with few residents and not much activity. As she inspected the area, Yumi heard yet another complaint escape the little girl’s lips. Bronze gold eyes narrowed in annoyance at this. Oh joy... "Do you ever stop complaining?" the older of the two asked before going silent for a few moments. "Look, we reached the village so I guess this is goodbye. Take care of yourself alright, kiddo?" With that said, Yumi turned herself around and exited the village. Hopefully, the child would be okay. Yumi has left the thread
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