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Post by leighanief on Nov 23, 2006 13:19:58 GMT -5
I'm sure he misses you... Well... she certainly missed him if that was any measure of it, though her sap eyes moved to the ground, and her hands stopped moving on the smooth surface of it, finger digging in to hold the suede a bit tighter. It wasn't that he wouldn't have missed her, it's that he couldn't.
She remained silent towards his comments for quite a while, trying to regain a voice to talk with. Hands only slowly starting to go back to what they'd be doing. She pulled open the bag and slipped her hand in, grabbing the two black socks on the top of her things within there. She tightened the draw strings again and leaned against a nearby tree and began to pull them on. There was no black material however on the sock like garments to cover her heels or her toes, and they barely went up on her ankles, stopping only right above the dominant bone there. They're purpose only to keep the fleshier underneath of her foot safer from wear and tear and any stray twigs or small rocks. When on stages, makeshift or not, she didn't wear these but they were wise for outdoor performances despite the callouses she'd gained.
"Even if... I'd been a little brother, rather. I do believe my brother would have been equally as kind to me as he was to me... as a little sister." She glanced up briefly, but returned her gaze to her foot as she slipped the second sock on and tugged it into place. "He was a very good man." She said this very confidently, though perhaps still a bit disheartened at the same time. There was however no doubt in her mind that her brother was anything less, if not he was greater than her modest words could paint.
She pushed herself off of the tree and raised her gaze fully once more as she took more notice in Vu's demeanor, she forced a small smile to the surface as well, though despite the subject, it became a little less forced as she spoke. "I do hope he'd be proud of my 'adventures' if that's what they could be called." She cleared her throat, as though the words had not come easily.
She moved back over, looking now for once down to him, thinking of his words. He was an older brother as he'd said, she wondered how much he missed his brothers and sister, and how much it'd spurred on his words to her. Probably quite strongly. Her hand lowered slightly and she leaned forward at the waist just a bit, bringing her hand to his shoulder. She set it there very lightly, unsure if the contact was appropriate or welcome, "I am sure you are missed, as well, while off on your own adventures." She said softly, and offered the subtle smile once more. She stood back up straight once more, slowly removing her hand from his strong shoulder, and glanced back over to Himizu who'd seemed to tense up, but hadn't left her bag unattended yet.
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Post by vu on Nov 23, 2006 18:59:18 GMT -5
Wondering about her brother he wanted to shake of the feeling that he was deceased. That he had a personal hand in the man’s death. And instead he wanted to believe that he was somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, probably near her hometown raising a tribe of children with some fecund, large breasted, nice child bearing hips, and wide bottomed woman.
After all… it was his own dream as well beyond his military career that left him without such a personal life. It may have been the life he would have if he never joined or joined for active duty all the same.
And what an adventure it has been his face creasing into brief and minute smile after fading away a few bitter memories.
The disrespect from the haughty and often noble born cavalry soldiers. The loss of comrades, the murdering of “enemies,” and the karma he and others were heaping upon themselves. The pain, suffering and trauma birthed in the wake of war and lives of soldiers for themselves and everyone around them. Nearly losing his life twice due to the Avatar by some means. And now risking his life a third at Ba Sing Sei.
Travel about a good quarter of this planet’s surface across land and sea. Expansive lands of parched deserts and endless snow with a beauty in themselves. The mass assortments of odd, admirable and despicable peoples he had come to know in one way or another. The infighting, comradery and brotherhood with the men he has come to fight alongside serving with, for and now leading.
And then there was this further adventure: slinking away from camp for a woman—this woman… and her protective wild animal for a pet.
Kage Gale, this likeable, lovely young woman—who to a soldier who had not seen one in months was rather gorgeous despite what most would consider a plain or average looking face. A face lacking any real delicate men are taught to desire and instead offered bushy, almost masculine, eyebrows and a plump yet enticing lower lip with a smile that could… that could tame a vole tiger.
Outwardly smiling though inwardly laughing at himself.
Momentarily he wondered if the hands of real women of the Earth Kingdom felt like that. Warm and feminine just like any woman’s but toughened, even calloused from actual work.
“Yeah,” his voice was low, but still understandable. “I guess I am missed… even when I am able to send letters home to them.” His face lowering, “I suppose they mean little to someone when you are not there with them physically,” before finally turning upward back to Kaijin then above her. “Though I am certain I will return to them, eventually.”
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Post by leighanief on Nov 23, 2006 21:50:10 GMT -5
Returning home... she imagined to him, it must have been such a nice thought, something one would aspire to and very much looked forward to. She wondered how she'd be received if she ever chose to do such a thing. Go back to that actual place she'd grown up in. If the remnants of her family were even still occassionally found there... she doubted there would be any sort of welcome. Surprise... a heavy sort of awe and silence in the air before she got thrown against a wall. She imagined it would be just like her father to slowly go to hug her, before pulling her into a immobilizing position, or if her step-brother was there it might be worse.
She looked off into space thinking of it far too much to her discomfort. The estimations of an incounter with her father was rather displeasing to the mind, but she would rather meet him again then Junsei. She couldn't bring herself to try to imagine the things he might take pleasure in doing should he find her again. Maybe not home... but perhaps one day she would return to the Fire Nation. Though... she lowered her chin. This whole world one day might be considered their nation.
The letters... She'd been staring off into vacant air for a while she wasn't sure of length-wise, lip twisting down slightly. So she nodded, and ran over what he'd said of letters, "Letters, simple words on paper can mean more than one would think." She nodded, certain that when she had received brief letters from her brother, and more often from her father while they were off and she was stuck at 'home', they'd helped to comfort her greatly. "Just make sure..." She rolled her shoulder uncomfortably, taking another step back, "You do get back to them."
She then turned, her face falling into one of discontent, her eyes and brow showing it much than she wanted as she kept her lips in line, but she moved back over to the fire and gathered up another thick branch that'd already been hacked at, then broken the rest of the way, and put both halves into the fire. Before she gave away too much more, perhaps she should perform... the reason he'd come after all.
"Alright..." She spoke out softly at first, but then reinforced her tone, "See that big rock." Her hands lowered to the belts that kept her tunic from just simply hanging limply, and she walked over to it . A grainy rock that stood about two and a half feet tall, a little less than half her size. "You're going to have to pretend this rock is... um, like a curtain. Sort of." She said somewhat uncertainly. Hiding it hard for herself to even imagine such an odd thing let alone him.
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Post by vu on Nov 23, 2006 23:05:17 GMT -5
Agreed. Her words echoed in him. Even if he was skeptical as to what a letter meant to anyone back home. Simple words on a paper read and true for only a moment... He would return. Alive. Intact. Not for my people. Not for the nation. Not for our lord, was his intended reason for his return. Only for them.
And even if they decided to stand in his way: Bai Sing Sei, the earth king, the entire Earth Kingdom. Even that boy called the Avatar. They were all obstacles. Neither permanent nor immovable.
A soft "Alright..." was her wanting to return them both to the present matter.
"See that big rock," she almost commanded as she walked towards it.
He within a grin, "big" in the sense that it was just under half her size which was a tad over the five foot marker.
"You're going to have to pretend this rock is...," uncertainly speaking, "um, like a curtain. Sort of."
With a closed mouth he coughed, or sneezed, a quick laugh. "Sorry," he began to hold up his hands in surrender. "Just do not be concerned. It was just the sound of your voice. I never expected for high production values let alone an entire Peking Opera troupe to appear all of a sudden. Please. Do continue, please. We should be enjoying ourselves, not reminescing about our pasts." Beaming a wide grin to her.
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Post by leighanief on Nov 23, 2006 23:56:01 GMT -5
She furrowed her brow slightly, confused at first. "Hey!" She called out to him, leaning forward slightly and extending her hands to the side to indicate more clearly the rock that she was speaking of, as though it hadn't been obvious already. "Don't laugh at me, this rock is a curtain!" She said defensively, and then her face contorted to her own stupid comment. "I mean! I mean... ah-jeez."
She hoped she was not blushing, but really she couldn't help it from that most random sounding comment. This rock is a curtain! Thinking it over more just made it worse, and she tried to hold back her laughter, ending up snorting slightly from it. Her hand came up quickly and the bottom of her palm made firm contact with her forehead.
She slumped her shoulders, and ended up sitting on the edge of the rock, hanging her head slightly as she still tried to stifle her laughter. "Ah, ah! Look what you've done!" She said pointedly and tried to begin breathing regularly again.
Clearing her throat, she looked back up to him, hoping her face's red was at least dieing down if nothing else. "It's not that our pasts are unimportant..." Well, maybe mine is... but oh well. "But you're right! We should be enjoying ourselves. And not just from me being... dumb... again." She proffered a crooked grin back, somewhat sheepish in nature.
"So." She clapped her hands together. "Forget the curtain... the rock is a ... rock, but let's continue."
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Post by vu on Nov 24, 2006 0:42:00 GMT -5
"So." Clapping her hands together to redirect attention of this matter and regaining a straight face herself. "Forget the curtain... the rock is a ... rock, but let's continue."
"Continue we shall !" saying through his toothy grin and closed jaw. "Mmhm, I just," beginning to regan a normal speak pattern. "Never knew something as a rock could do so much more than be a rock. I am sure the rock was happy to be considered something as lofty as a curtain. See how proud it is now?"
He took a palm over his mouth a few times. Attempting to wipe the grin off his face that did not want to leave. "I do not think you are being dumb," he shrugged. "Merely being a true artist," he was half lying and she probably knew that he was as well. "Others would have taken a rock for a rock, but not you it seems."
He stopped before he lost any chance of returning to a straight face appearance, let alone begin to seem like he was insulting her, while he signaled that he was ready despite appearances.
Tonight may certainly become a good night, it seems.
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Post by leighanief on Nov 24, 2006 1:38:45 GMT -5
All composure she'd managed to pull together, quickly fell apart as he started to talk about the rock as though it were now capable of being a curtain or of being proud. She knew he was mocking her, but at this point she was starting to think she deserved it. She'd never meant that the rock was a curtain, but would rather play the role of a curtain, in which she would disappear behind quickly during the appearance a couple times, but it would only be temporary.
Her face had become a heavy shade of red and hot. She tried to hide her face with her hands now, shoulders jumping with the laughter still ringing out in its muffled state. "Okay. Okay" She got in roughly between her attempts to calm down, "I get it already!"
She lifted her chin up slowly, still keeping her hands under her chin to block out some of her face. "If I had something to throw at you. I would." She teased and crinkled up her nose at him slightly, wanting to stick out here tongue for a moment, but she decided against it, that'd require her uncovering all of her cheeks.
Himizu shifted and stood up, striding toward Vu.He'd been watching closely enough, and Kaijin had seemed to get 'upset' with the constant jibberish these two were sounding off. He stopped near Vu and stretched up his snout, eyes peering up at this man, with a 'what do you think you're doing' sort of look. He looked back over to Kaijin, who seemed to be chuckling more calmly now, and sat down, continuing to peer.
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Post by vu on Nov 24, 2006 19:29:38 GMT -5
It was encouraging to him. Watching Kaijin tilt her head upwards while hiding her mouth and a bit of her face with her hands. He knew she was still laughing, even without looking at her shuddering shoulders.
“If I had something to throw at you. I would,” he saw a bit of the area around her nose crinkle. Was she sticking her tongue out at him? He withheld the playful urge to go over to her—pulling down her hands and seeing for himself before replying with his own, outstretched tongue.
“Quite innovative,” he bantered back with her. “A dance where the dancer interacts with her audience.” He held withheld applause, refraining from further mocking her. Even though it was enjoyable.
Vu settled some of his laughter as Proud was approaching—suddenly appearing a few paw paces closer to him than where the vole-tiger once was. The vole-tiger stopped near him, stretching its snout with its wet nose a few inches away from Vu. As far as intimidation with it gave no real audible hint. Leaving Vu to question whether the creature wanted to know what was going on or telling him to stop as he kept his hands down. One on his bag and the other on the bamboo tube and pouch. Yet any harm from the creature settled as it turned its gaze to Kage then sat down.
Very protective…, Vu still looked at the miniature tiger-like being.
“You have got yourself a wonderful woman here, Proud,” a head toss point to Kaijin while keeping both hands down. Not wanting to agitate the animal in anyway as well as refrain himself from petting it. Uncertain if he Proud would allow him to do such. “A real keeper.” Though guessing that everything he said to the animal must have sounding like gibberish, as the communication barks a dog makes toward humans. Not wanting to make a sudden movement. “Brought him a little gift a well.” Holding up a small, yet bulging leather pouch to Kaijin’s view. “Just some dried fruit, nuts, berries and a few strips of jerky.”
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Post by leighanief on Nov 25, 2006 0:29:55 GMT -5
"Oh jeez." She said as she rolled back her shoulders and cleared her throat, trying to reconstruct the composure she'd so easily lost. It proved harder than she thought, especially as he kept speaking, and even began talking to Proud as if the vole-tiger could understand. She couldn't help but think maybe he should be the entertainment since he seemed to fit into the roll of acting as a sort of comedian, though his subject matter to this extent had only been mocking her quite liberally. Again though, she probably made it quite easy for him.
"Innovative. That I am, but you'll know when the dancing starts, when it happens."
She tilted her head, lowering her hands slightly more, watching Himizu closely, "Oye, Proud. Stand down." She said rather orderly, but the animal gave her no more heed than a simple glance from hearing his secondary name. Instead he payed closer attention to Vu as the man seemed to be speaking with him again, in a light manner. Could the beast have understood more clearly, he might have remarked with an affirmation and a warning to the man to heed his own words that Kaijin was indeed his 'real keeper'.
Kaijin blushed further, pushing back the hair out of her face in place of fidgeting. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. A wonderful woman. She'd been called stubborn and crude before, that had seemed accurate enough. "H-hey. Don't tell him that!" She spouted out, having a bit of trouble getting it across, but in her abashed state, she tried to cover it with, "He'll just get worse." Offering a chagrined but small smile, a hand coming to rest half pushed through her hair. "Erm, yeah."
She looked carefully to the small pouch, eyes looking to it as though through this all she hadn't expected it still. Truth was, most of what was happening she hadn't exactly expected, though not as if it was absurd or anything. Other than... some of her silly antics. "Oh... that's kind, but I don't want you to lose any rations you might need."
To her it was a rather kind gesture, especially since Himizu hadn't been exactly... nice to him so far, and food was a very important thing while traveling. Sometimes one could get stuck out along the road for longer than expected and not be able to hunt or catch anything sometimes.
Himizu on the other hand, remembered the pouch quite well, and his concern was not for the man's well-being along the rest of his travels. He stood up quickly again, eying the pouch closely, sniffing the air slightly. He wanted it, there was an even better scent than before that seemed to come from it now. He sounded out his demand, quite quickly to Vu, rather loudly too since he was right next to the man. This giver of snacks.
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Post by vu on Nov 25, 2006 2:20:50 GMT -5
Vu attempted to raise a calm eyebrow at the vole tiger. Not wanting to show in outward nervousness at this creature. Though with Proud so close to his ear with his demand did cause him to reflexively pull his head back. Despite it's supposed tameness in staying with Kage like some pet, Proud was still a wild animal. Seemingly no trace of capitivity breeding in his blood.
"Not to worry," he told Kaijin. Trying to reassure himself more than her as he loosened that pouche's opening. "I have learned to live lean when the need arises," slipping out a few morsels of mostly fruit and berries with a few strips of jerky and placing it before the creature in a neat pile. "Besides, if need be I can always run after and down a full grown fox-deer with my bare hands," he grinned at her reaction while holding up the rest of the pouch to her for the taking.
"Well I could," with a sheepish shrug, "if I was a platypus-bear, of course." Holding up his hands to her in an imitate bearclaw fashion much like a child. "But I can try such a performance sometime after you have performed your own."
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Post by leighanief on Nov 25, 2006 11:05:18 GMT -5
Himizu pulled back his lips, pleased at how promptly his demands had been met, loudness seemed to be a good solution at points like these. Something Kaijin probably wouldn't agree with, but his reward was evident. He waited for Vu's hands to leave the pile before he even considered touching it though. He watched it patiently, then leaned his shoulders forward slightly, and went at it. Ruining the pile, but not a worry, most certainly he'd get it all in the end.
She furrowed her brow slightly, the noise had obviously been too loud for Nhat's liking but, she was a bit late for any sort of discipline of Himizu for it. "Sorry... about him." She said, and lowered her hand to the back of her neck. As he offered the pouch, she shook her head slightly, "Keep it, give him what you want from it."
The action seemed to repeat as she shook her head again, but now with a crooked grin for his action of bear paw-like hands. "Okay okay bear-man." She snorted her amusement and got herself up from the rock, pushing up with her hands. "We'll have to see that, when I'm done." She wondered if it was a hint for her to get on with it. Not sure, but she took it as that anyhow.
She undid the sash around her waist and then unclipped the sheathed wheels, hanging both on a broken branch near the rock. So that naturally... it'd be close at hand should she need it. She headed over to the rock, pulling up the flaps of her tunic and then pulling an arm back through the sleeve and underneath. She glanced over once more, "You two play nice now." She warned with a smirk, then stepped down behind the rock.
There was a slight incline there, a nook between the hard rock like formations that held a good deal of the land together, covered by packed dirt and grit. From back there the rock came up about four feet from the ground. Between her ducking down slightly and the darkness, it was not as easy to see her. She pulled off her tunic and pants, leaving her in the only thing that would remain consistent throughout the varying parts of the performance; her black shorts, bound chest and gut, and black tank-top. Like the four nations, each part of the performance was very different from the other, but in itself it connected in a non-specific way.
She tied on the first part's skirt and slipped on the top quickly, grabbing her two props, white ribbons attached to thin polished sticks of wood, and placing them between her legs as she tied up her dark hair so it would fan out at the back of her head in a high spread out pony-tail.
"Okay." She popped her head over the rock which served as her 'curtain'. "It all goes with music, it varies, but you could try to imagine it simply as tapping of drums, that speeds up and slows down at parts. Alright?"
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Post by vu on Nov 25, 2006 17:06:54 GMT -5
Well I would be—it does work as a curtain after all. Watching her hide behind the rock that was a tad larger than even her crouching form. Vu chuckled to himself after the fact. A curtain indeed.
Taking a gander over to the still eating Proud as he patted the pouch he laid on the other side of the creature. Quite an intriguing being. Still wild yet willing to be carried like a child. As well as eat as one but that was normal for an animal. Turning his gaze from the creature and back at unto the rock. A deft, improvised curtain, combined the darkness well hid Kage and her machinations from his view, causing him to turn his attention to above the rock. Leaning over a bit in hopes of discerning a better view of what hung on the broken branch above the rock. It seemed to be to metal hoops incrementally protruding spokes all along its outer edge save for an area where one would probably hold it.
So where they part of her act or weapons? If they were weapons then they were the oddest looking weapons he has ever seen. So how do you use those, looking at his hand, imagining one there.
“Okay,” her head popped from behind the rock. “It all goes with music, it varies, but you could try to imagine it simply as tapping of drums, that speeds up and slows down at parts. All right?”
“All right,” nodding. That shouldn’t be too heard. A beat of the drum or multiple drums. Easiest instrument to learn and he heard more than enough beating drums in his life—especially throughout his military life—to easily conjure their sound in his mind.
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Post by leighanief on Nov 27, 2006 2:19:57 GMT -5
She nodded in return to his response, glad he seemed to understand, because there’d be no more talking until her routine was over. It wasn’t a part of the performance; the piece was to explain itself through the actions and movement. If it didn’t she had failed to perform it well. She leaned over once again and picked up the white and light grey face mask. She tied it on and adjusted it comfortably on her nose. The thing she’d crafted over the long hours to herself was a light blue grey up along the nose and white where it spread upward in two mirrored spirals and outward over her eyes and curved in on itself in an etched-in design of curls, rounded like the imagery of clouds. The edges of the eye openings was coloured with a soft beige colour, all in this luminosity though would reflect the light quite liberally, which was the whole point in the end, since detail was much better appreciated after when she would not be moving continuously. Though she’d always believed that if one did add smaller details with care, that those touches would somehow be noticed, even if subconsciously by some people.
Stepping out from behind the ‘curtain’ she remained on the balls of her feet as she moved forward, bringing the rest of her foot down slowly and carefully for each step. Though she kept her chin up, the fan of hair that splayed into view behind the mask, bobbed softly as she moved as smoothly as she could. The rest of her garment that she’d pulled over her bandings, top and shorts was all crafted of tapering strips of light-weight fabric, translucent when the light caught under it right. Light blue and a soft beige fabric was layered over and outnumbered by white strips of the material, but its effect was not lost. The strips on the partial skirt were attached to a material strap tied about her waist, open in front. The top piece was the same in make, but two straps of material criss-crossed over her chest, and where they crossed, shorter strips of material hung down from the bands.
As she bowed, they floated almost, following her in a slower softer sequence, her fingers curled around the polished sticks in her hand and she rose up her hands slowly to each side. Watching him for a moment as she flicked her wrists and forced the ribbons of white cloth to unfold from the instruments, she took in a deep breath, trying to convince herself to not be nervous. This is like any other time you’ve done this. Though she was trying to believe that she still felt uneasy, unsure if it was because it’d been so long since she’d done this performance in its entirety, or because she knew his eyes were on her. This was what he’d met her for right? When she did this in inns, she felt comforted sometimes that not all the people would care enough to watch it all, or… if she messed up, she could disappear to her room and away from people.
She turned her wrists first, picking up the rhythm; the ribbons began to follow too, moving in continuous circles through the air, so long as she kept her wrist moving. She closed her eyes and forced her foot to make the first move, stepping inward slightly as she got into her manoeuvre’s balance area. Her other foot lifted up, and she slowly dipped forward, lifted foot raising up to above her head until her leg was almost straight in the air, arms kept the ribbons going, though one slowed slightly and she brought her hand down to the ground quickly, suddenly shifting her weight from her foot to her hand, and her slower calculated movements, became swifter, though she tried to keep them as smooth as possible still. Her other foot moved up quickly, following the previous path the other had taken, but it’d not waited, but continued quickly over, helping to give the momentum to the rest of her body to complete the forward flip. Feet coming down to the ground once more, her out-stretched arm still twirling the ribbon, other hand coming up to join it, her whole arm going into navigating that ribbon now, and her foot-work began to emulate it as well, light steps and turns to get the whole of her outfit into the movement. She remained on the balls of her feet as much as she could.
A small smile pulled at her lips as she got into it more, loosening up and moving better with the rhythm in her head. She continued with the ribbons, integrating both their movements together in twirling patterns so that they never quite crossed paths with each other. The choreography seemed to be coming to her once more, better than when she’d been practising, and it relieved some of the pressure she was feeling. She moved forward at the waist and pulled in her left shoulder, flipping this time on a slight angle, but without the use of either of her hands. All the loose bits of fabric followed in movement, and as she rose back up to full height, she took steps backward, continuing once again to bring the ribbons in and out through the air. Keeping them up in simple patterns as she disappeared behind the rock again.
She threw them to the ground as she slid down to the flatter area, pulling off the mask quickly, then the skirt and top. Tossing them down quickly with the ribbons, into the small area she’d designated now as where the pile would be, before she snatched up the next ‘wardrobe’ for this fiasco. She pulled on what she need, pulled down her hair, and adjusted the new mask on her face once more, before she emerged once again. Taking a few hastened steps to gain momentum before leaping up, pulling one leg out, the other bending briefly before landing, and balancing, the other lowering until it was stretched out diagonal down to the ground, her toes pointed downward to the ground in front of her. She slid it across the ground when it’d made contact with the earth, pulling it in a semi-circle around her, her planted foot an anchor until her moving foot came to behind it, and then with a small hop, she swiftly switched feet, continuing the circles until her toes ended where they had begun.
She stood before him with arms out stretched, long pieces of blue fabric hung down from cuffs on her wrists to about her waist. The skirt she’d changed into was held together by a thick two-toned band, divided into the top duller blue colour from the richer royal blue colour by a curving up and dipping down line. The lighter blue material that came from the band, wrapped around the back of her and met back at the middle of the band in front of her. The material hung in bunched folds near its end, and three dreads of white cotton weaves with uneven grey tips hung down to about her knees. Her top consisted of a leather hide strap that hung around her neck. Slate blue fabric, bunched where it’d been sewn over the leather, hung down in front of her chest and stomach. Hoops of royal blue materials were sewn on either side of the leather strap, and equally to its back, leaving the fabric to rest loosely over top part of her upper arms. The mask was a mix of elements; the area above her nose was a light grey, black around the eyes, with white marks for symbolic eyebrows. The part that hung down below her nose, on either side of her mouth was white. A pale blue crescent moon sat on the forehead of the mask, three tassels of white fur with grey ends, hung down from either side.
Her movements now, though equally as smooth, were fluid; as though it was hard to tell when one ended and another began. Her hands moved in and out, as though pushing and pulling, and the fabric hanging from her wrists primitively followed. Much movement ended with powerful but controlled jerks of her wrists. Her feet, slid more on the ground now, as she turned they seemed to lift little from the ground, and stayed spread apart for balance, sliding whenever they could. The tassels and garments moved with her, but not the same as the others had, now they moved with her but confined by their own substance and weight. Very similar to how her moves had changed, as though she was no longer defying anything, but rather manipulating and pulling. This parts story told of the moon’s birth in the sky, as her hands moved raised and opened up to the sky, then it slowly moved back down, to the show the abiding of the great ocean tides to the reign of the moon. How it pushed and pulled, and moved continuously as did her hands and even feet to a smaller portion of free space.
It seemed to her just as quickly over as she criss-crossed her arms, bringing them back up to her torso in diminishing curves, until her wrists touched and the two lengths of fabric fell to meet one another. She quickly went to disappear behind the rock once more, keeping her footwork consistent with the more fluid motion as she did so.
Once behind, she did the routine again, of pulling of the apparel as quickly as she could, tossing it into the pile and pulling on the new garments and mask, before she reappeared again. No prop this time to help; hand movements and foot-work would be the art of this dance. Black cuffs with studs in them covered her wrists and ankles, short amounts of green material hanging down from them. Her skirt was similar to the previous, only a leather band was secured around her waist with beige material hanging down to about her knees loosely, pulling up towards the bottom of the leather band in her front again, with rectangular flaps of green and a smaller golden coloured material hanging down in front. Her top was off the shoulders, secured by leather around the sides of her arms and beige material hanging down from it, over the upper half of her arms, where green material hung out from underneath it around her torso. Her mask for this one was designed to represent to the face of a badger-mole. The black triangular nose covered her own’s tip, two white stripes moving up it towards the top over the creamy brown colour, and black around the eye holes, with tapered strips downward emulating the look of fur, and an ear of either side of the top.
As she moved out from behind the rock once more and into the light, she forced strength into her movement, feet coming down into direct connect with the ground. She always felt this part of the dance was the most foreign to her in the manner that if she didn’t keep the concept in mind she could easily find herself making her movements to sharp, where as they were to be blunt and bold. This section’s story was of the splitting earth from the force of the great animals that could together move a mountain and shape the world. It was of force and control to shape the world. Her feet pushed out, and she took the horse stance, hands coming down together in front of her, fingers extending and tensing and as she kept her wrist together she pulled up, elbows giving way to her rising hands, arms tense as though she were lifting something. As her forearm came to be even with one another she ripped apart her wrist from each other, shooting each out to her sides as her feet moved in from, the horse stance, never lifting from the ground. Instead the heels and balls of her feet took turns in moving inward, had there been a beat it would a have synced up, though without it, she even had some troubles, but kept still quite faithfully to a mental pace.
She continued on with the choreography she’d come up with after a while of having watched people, and done the best she could to learn movements and common mannerisms. With limps kept straight or at angles, she kept her movements stiffer and sturdy, even with the consistent changing, very different from the flowing movements of the sub-dance before. Her hands moved forward again, stretching out before her the back of her hands together and remaining as such as she pushed her elbows out and hands back, then separating her hands as if moving things, or digging at the air. Repeating this a few times before pushing forward a heel, bringing it down on the ground forcefully, leaving only her heel touching as she slid it in a circular fashion. The rest of her foot smacked down flat against the ground and she switched feet, doing the same movement in the opposite direction with the other. After this Kaijin threw her whole body into motion again. Hands coming down firmly against the ground ahead of her as she pulled the rest of her body up, straightening her legs in the air. Bending her elbows slightly to make sure she didn’t lock them, she held herself there, biting her lower lip as the muscles in her body stressed. Slowly bringing her legs out to come to something of the splits in the air, only she didn’t make it quite all the way for her legs to be straight across from toes to toes.
Pulling them back in, they bent at the knees as she lowered her feet back to the ground. Breaking momentarily from character, they touched down lightly on the balls, and then came back to her heels, as she spread out her arms and brought her torso back up straight again. She breathed in deeply and looked at him directly for a moment, choosing to break the gaze quickly as she started to feel a bit nervous again, and she moved back towards the rock again, wishing it really had been a curtain, so she could disappear behind it and not have to make the small distance to it after each sections’ end. She did however, and disappeared once again, beginning the final routine of stripping the garments and changing to new ones.
The final part… the one despite her highest expertise in it was the one she was most worried for.
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Post by vu on Nov 27, 2006 23:20:56 GMT -5
It will be more than he suspected as she emerged from behind the rock. Each step she made toward the “center stage” before him was probed by the balls of her feet followed by the rest of her foot. Her pacing was not cautious, merely contented as a monk in walking meditation. And yet there was an airy, liberated quality to it—highlighted by white strips of what Vu assumed to be very thin paper that floated and bounced. Giving the impression that she was flying rather than walking.
Matching her pace was the change in clothing: azure, sky blue and soft beige in colored short cowl crisscrossing her chest and an open front skirt similar to a fauld. Her face a mask of azure and gray and white mimicking sky and clouds, while her hair was tied back into a ponytail that was splayed outwards like a blooming flower at its end.
When she bowed he was unsure if the eye opening were colored black or brown as his eyes were distracted the white strips about her body and clothing that floatingly followed her movements.
A tad nervous as she was probably looking at him, his nostrils widened for a moment and his gaze trailed from the eye openings to the rest of her. In her hands were two sticks, each with a long strip of white cloth attached. Flicking her wrists, the ribbons flying outwards, she began.
Vu felt unable to maintain his eyes from widening into staring discs at her legwork, lifting straight up, above her bending head, or attempting to mimic the ribbons while making the straps on her outfit move about the air.
And just as he was getting into it—coming to terms with what he was seeing, Kaijin took refuge once again behind her “curtain” of a rock.
Yet after a few minutes she reemerged from the rock with hastened steps leading into a long-legged leap, lowering the lead leg until it stretched to the ground as an angle when she landed, sliding it then her other in alternating semi-circles along the ground.
Her new outfit confirmed his guess of her first dance representing the Air Nomads. And this new one was obviously representative of the Water Tribes. He knew that from the face more than anything. It was the first thing that drew his attention.
This new mask was an obvious black around the eyes, white marks were the eyebrows should be, ash gray coloring above the noseline and white below, a blue crescent moon at the forehead and tassels of white fur with gray tips hung from the sides.
Vu involuntarily gulped and turned away from her. Uneasily squirming in his half-lotus position. Even if it was just a mask it bore too much of a resemblance to the makeup of warriors from the Northern Water Tribe he had fought. A resemblance that brought all to clear memories of the failed assault upon their capital. The bitter cold and artic wear clothing that still was not enough to ward it off. The sky turning a frightful shade of blood red for minutes on end. The sight of that… monster calling itself the Avatar. Drowning and near hypothermia in the chilling artic waters. Then almost dying from sickness afterwards on ships already packed with the injured and sick with not enough medical supplies and attention to go around.
He managed to keep himself rooted to his spot, looking at her from the corners of his eyes before turning the rest of his head back to her. Fighting a small urge to leave, not out of insult but because of the flood or memories and feeling of cold sweat coming. Taking his eyes away from her mask he watched the rest of her body. The various hues of blue that made up her outfit and the movements of her body. Smooth as last time but more fluid. One movement quickly, seamlessly linking itself to the other. And as he watched he felt himself breaking in a cold sweat while not taking his eyes away from her.
Yes, her movements were telling a story much like the last, but it seemed his mind was keeping him from enjoying it. Remembering the events of the North Pole and trying to match her movements up to memories of those done by waterbenders. Especially a very old and very dangerous waterbender that surely lived to see the end of that failed siege. And Vu hoped he would never lay eyes on that old man again.
Thankful it was over sooner than he had hoped as she crossed her arms and retreated back behind the rock. Vu exhaled a long and quiet sigh of relief.
Resting his head upon one of his hands for a moment he hoped she did not take offense to his actions.
He hoped the next one would not be as… memory inspiring in its context. But then again in all the time he served in the Earth Kingdom he could not truly recall directly engaging earthbenders. Or at least threateningly powerful ones.
She emerged yet again. This time short material, of a green shade, were used to hang down from the black and studded cuffs on her wrists and ankles. Her clothing a mix of green and beige with a mask was that of a… badger-mole? He raised an eyebrow. An overall creamy brown color, black triangular shaped nose, two white stripes, black circles around the eyes, and strips of something hanging down it what could be representative of fur. Stylized a tad but close enough to what he seen in the zoo.
Her movements were well done, though a bit sharp at times rather than blunt. But forceful and sturdy nonetheless as for moments she stood in one position with only her upper limbs and feet doing any real movement. Her body even vibrating as choreographed lifting and rending motions during her dance and both of her feet remaining to ground, if not on it, for much of the dance. Save for when she lifted them in the air, doing an incomplete handstand splits.
After which, placing her feet back on the ground and looking directly at him for a moment, she receded back behind the rock.
And while she did, changing into her final outfit for the Four Nations performance, Vu speculated that her dance was unfavorably received due to what came next. Representing the Fire Nation as it would there would probably be those in the Earth Kingdom finding her dance offensive for one of their own kind to imitate the Fire Nation in such an inoffensive as the first three. Or that, much like the Water Tribe dance was for him, would recall personal images of past encounters.
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Post by leighanief on Nov 28, 2006 4:14:22 GMT -5
Into the pile went one outfit and on came another. A routine she was getting rather used to doing as quickly as she could. She did, however, pull this one on a big more cautiously though, being more gently with the fabric, and making sure all the small things were on properly. She pulled on the mask adjusting it properly and making sure the white, ochre and soft pink tendrils were splayed back properly. She grabbed the two sticks she’d carved away at. As equally thick branches as she could find, with the rough bark having been etched off, with the edge of the spokes on her wheels, in the middle of both sticks so that she could grip them there. She turned back out towards her ‘stage’, hesitating for a moment. You can do this… it’s your best.
She breathed deeply, taking in a few breaths quickly, trying to convince herself that, but it was less her worry, that how Vu would react, but she forced herself back out into the open. Pacing forward back to the ‘center’ of the stage, her feet came down quietly, the ball of her feet and toes stretching out to touch the ground carefully each step of the way. She moved forward towards the fire and leaned forward, lowering two of the ends of the sticks into the fire, and then setting the rest leaning against the stones for now. She glanced back up to him, but tried to not keep any sort of eye contact, she would find the answer to whether or not he enjoyed it at the end; she did not want to get any further discouraged if his expression was one of discontent, though from what she’d seen he’d seem in thought of some sort.
Her garments this time around, had a subtle quality change to them, richer almost in both colour and detail. The cloth that hung down in her front was a bright fiery red with a golden and orangey yellow flame pattern bordering on it. It was attached at both sides by a gold chain that connected the front flap of flowing fabric to the one at the back, making it sit on her hips. Both pieces of material were lines with a silky material of maroon red on the inside, and two more chains criss-crossed out from underneath the material, coming to hang lowest at her sides, where white tendrils with ochre and light pink highlights splayed out from where they were attached. Her top piece was the same red fabric on her front side held on by tied leather strips over the back of her black top. Its highest points were again attached to a similar chain that looped around the back of her neck. Orange folds of loose material fell in bunching folds over where the red fabric was pulled tighter over her chest. Her mask though for once not pulled over her face, was pushed up on to the top of her head, but the same long tendrils of hair hung down from its top and sides, falling to her elbows in their feather-like wispy manner.
She turned away from the fire and walked away from it, her feet coming down on the balls of her feet once again, similar to the Air Nomad’s part of the dance, but their light quality had been replaced, she steadied her weight even on the balls of her feet, not trying to keep it balanced between the two, but rather heavy on one instead. Her feet pivoting slightly with each step, pushing itself into the ground slightly, until she came to where she wanted to and turned sharply back to him. She crouched down, sitting on her haunches, fingers spreading out as she truly began. Slowly she rose up, the action accompanied by her arms stretching out and rising up as well, arching in as she came to be fully upright, and her hands arched over her head in a circle until her fingers touched lightly to each other.
This story, one of the very few things she had left from her mother was one of the sun rising on the land, and the birth of the great phoenix from it. It was beautiful and graceful, a ‘masterpiece’ her mother had been known for, and her small additions to it only furthered its living on. Like the other three she’d already preformed she’d come up with her own choreography or it and other tales of the Fire Nation, but they were shy in comparison to Ren’ai’s bold dance, and though she performed them on occasion, whenever she got the opportunity rather, but doing her mother’s story had always made her feel… just a bit closer to understanding what kind of woman her mother truly was.
Though it could never be truly complete and thus not accurately appreciated with the fire-bending aspect… she always did her best to portray its beauty without that. As her finger had touched she started to bend at the waist, bringing her arms back to the center of herself, as she moved only at the waist, going down as far as she could, bent over on herself more or less, if she’d wanted to, she could have touched her nose to her knees. A hand rose up subtly and she pulled down the mask now as she looked to her legs, being able to feel the tendrils shifting and falling. She rose up her elbows so they came to be in line with her shoulders, then one at a time her arms spread out straight. Fingers separating and stretching out, as though it were their first time ever being able to do so, as she twisted her wrist as if for the sole reason of feeling what it was like. She began to raise her torso again, keeping her feet and legs together. She twisted her body gradually as she rose up, and her neck craned, as she looked around in a circular motion, showing the face of the newest mask now. It covered her face till under her nose and lips like the other ones had but it tip came to a point over the noise, orange… shaped like a stylized beak. The orange continued up over the bridge of the nose spreading out until it reached the top. From the inner edge of each eyes spread out a brilliant red, sectioned off from a rich crimson by a band of yellow coming down from the eyes like golden tears, and small gems that reflected the light well adorned the bridge of the ‘beak’. The eye holes were slimmer but well formed to her face, giving this mask an eternally intense gaze whether or not it was being worn or not.
Her chin turned as she inspected each hand of hers and then lowered… a foot slid forward, heel rising slightly as toes diagonalled to the ground. The other came forward then pulled back, followed by the other; she took more steps backward, quite a little ways. Coming to the part where if there had been drums, they’d have started to pick up quickly. Taking a few quicker steps forward, she built up some momentum, throwing her hands forward to hold the earth as she preformed a reverse round-up, landing only momentarily before she continued in a frontward flip, followed by a second. When she landed that time around her right foot slid forward, her left sliding back to stabilize her weight. Her arms spread out and she bent at the waist again.
The phoenix bowing to the world that witnessed it.
Her hands reached forward after and grabbed the stick she’d left in the tip of the fire, rotating her wrists, she pushed the other tips of the sticks into the flame, the wood slick with oil for the fire when it rained, they caught quickly. Bringing up her props, she began twisting the thinner shaved area of wood through her fingers, twirling the primitive batons through the air. Stepping back to gain distance from the actual campfire, she began to incorporate the intricacies of the dance. Arms beginning to move with the batons as she turned them, and feet beginning to move more freely. She closed her eyes, picturing the moves with firebending in her mind as she did them with the replacement. All these movements were quick and sharp, but pulled through with agility. The essence that made them different was the force incorporated into them, without loosing such speed. Her feet moved with a mixture of softness for movement and weight to keep the strength and balance, while her hands kept busy with the batons, her whole arms moving with them now, much like she had with the ribbons, only with a different sort of flow, like she had to be more on guard and tough with the movement. Continuous and yet broken, like the movement of her clothes and the tendrils of her costume.
She came to the part in which she was supposed to toss the batons, but she had decided from the moment she’d picked this area it would not be a good decision. She lifted a foot up, laying the bottom of her foot against the inside of her other leg’s thigh, and she slowed the speed of the baton’s twirling a bit, and started rolling the wood over her knuckles making bigger circles with the turning flames, doing one hand after the other. She closed her eyes again, a momentary lapse of judgement hit her of where she was and what has her appropriate, as she stopped rolling the batons, her foot came back down and both feet restarted their elaborate foot-work, her arms moving the flames quickly and close together which was to make the flame seem like stream and flowing together, but her one hand gripped the baton with only her thumb, two fingers upright and a small lick of flame moved over them for a brief moment, smearing in with the quick movement.
Her eyes snapped open and the briefest moment of firebending ended. But had it been enough? She almost slowed herself, balance becoming slightly unstable for a moment, Did he see…? Did he see!? Don’t stop! It’s almost through, bring it to its end. She forced herself to keep going, if there was any time to have messed up if was probably lucky to be then, but if she stopped dead, then any speculation she had might become realization. Her mind was screaming at her though, how could she have been so stupid? Stupid stupid stupid.[\i] She came to the dance’s actually slowly, where the fire display ended to give the story itself a proper ending. Just keep going. The baton’s came back into her proper grip and each rolled over her knuckles one final time, as she moved forward, dropping both into the campfire, before she stepped back and then lowered her shoulders back, arching her body’s like a cat before she pushed off with her strong legs and stood herself up in her hands only momentarily so her garments did come fall all the way into her face, feet coming down tensed and ready for the final part of this all.
The setting of the sun.
She leapt up quickly once both feet were stationed enough to gather the strength and both legs stretched out to each side as far as they could go. They did not come back to catch her though, instead her hands came down, left in front, right behind. Palms clapping on the dirt as they caught her and her legs remained stretched out in the splits. Hands shaking slightly from strain of it all, but elbows bent more as she lowered herself to the ground, arms stretching out to each side again as she circles them upward like the fire’s dance had started, but her forearms came together flat against one another and lowered slowly, her head tucking in behind them to obscure the core of her face.
That was it. Vu had witnessed something she hadn’t done in… well she wasn’t exactly sure anymore.
She waited an extended moment in the final position, before she pulled her arms away, and she braced them against the ground to help her get out of the splits she’d come to be in on the ground. She pulled herself up to sit on her lower legs, pushing up the mask to the top of her head once again, then lowering her hands back to the ground again. Fatigue, strain and anxiety making her body feel a momentary lapse of strength now as adrenaline prepared to start worming its way out. She looked up to him, breathing heavily now, but she was not sure what to say anymore, that one question still beating in her mind.
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