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Post by manju on Apr 8, 2007 13:47:19 GMT -5
A great pressure was now placed on Manju, and she, and probably more so Nasrin, hoped for dear life that things didn't suddenly go awry. Of course, she would probably be the sole cause of things going awry, so she had to suppress any urges to be random and impulsive.
At the officer's words, "Perhaps this is this some new strategy of the Fire Lord's to spread a plague throughout the Earth Kingdom..." Manju held back laughter, and her face clearly showed it. It suddenly brought back memories of when her father would take her to the ports in the Fire Nation and she would tease the guards, scaring them with tales of rare and exotic disease that she "might" cause them to contract. Her cheeks flushed red and her eyes squinted, her mouth widened in a subdued smile that she tried to cover with one hand, she replied in an involuntary squeak, "Sir..."
At once, she cleared her throat and cycled through memories that would rid her of her laughter. She settled on one image, that of Ngai's face, and this sent a chill up her spine. That hulking behemoth was obsessed with her, and her hatred for his constantly worshiping the ground on which she walkled burned like a fire that even the many waters of the ocean could not extinguish.
After the two-second-long pause, Manju straightened her back and replied, in an authoritative, though clearly faked voice, "I am ambassador Manju of de Igni Island peoples. I 'ave come in peace to make an alliance wit' your people 'ere." Manju swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping her poorly-thought out fabrication would be believed.
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Post by nasrin on Apr 10, 2007 12:46:00 GMT -5
"An alliance?" the Fire Nation captain repeated, his tone containing no small hint of patronization. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips under his neatly trimmed moustache. "And what pray tell, would convince your people that such a relationship would be desired by the Fire Nation?"
Nasrin gave a silent groan, frustrated that the captain didn't seem to be buying into the story. And now that they'd already started down that path, being caught in a lie would only destroy their credibility and make even the truth sound like a fabrication. However, the sandbender decided that she had let Manju hold the reigns long enough. The younger Igni needed some assisstance. She cleared her thorat slightly and stepped forward to bring the attention of the Fire Nation soldiers toward herself.
"You're excellence, if I may?" Nasrin said quietly to Manju, though loud enough for the men to catch the title she used. The heavily wrapped sandbender offered the Igni a slight bow before standing up straight and addressing the captain. "Ambassador Manju has graciously opened up trade relations with several of the desert tribes, exchanging gems for incense and ivory. Her excellence informs me that such goods are a scarcity in the Fire Nation, and while your people may frown upon trade directly with the Earth Kingdom, they won't look down on getting those goods from the Ignis. In fact, that you've taken over Omashu only makes this arrangement more convenient in that it makes transporting the goods less costly. That is why we humbly ask for permission for the caravan traveling with us to enter the marketplace of Omashu." Nasrin took a breath after her rather lengthy explanation and gave a glance back at Manju. "Ambassador Manju is very rewarding of those who aid her profitable venture."
The Captain seemed to digest the situation fairly quickly. He stroked the neat little beard on his chin. Nasrin could only hope she'd made the offer at least sound tempting enough to consider. And after several seconds, the man seemed to smile slightly and said, "Very well... Your caravan may enter the city, provided that it submits to a search at the gate for anypotential threats, and..." his smile turned into a smirk, "I would like compensation for being disturbed from my rounds in order to negotiate this exchange."
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Post by manju on Apr 10, 2007 20:49:36 GMT -5
Manju couldn't help but wear smile, albeit one carefully seasoned with haughtiness to preserve the image of her sudden, yet completely fake rank, for her ploy had worked. That is, only because of Nasrin. In all honesty, Manju didn't know what to say after her prior statement, and Nasrin really saved her hide.
Of course, though, Manju would never admit that until a time when it would be to her advantage to do so. Meanwhile, Manju leaned toward the man, and, reaching into her pocket and sliding her pointy fingers into the gem pouch and took out a small handful of crudely-cut and polished gemstones, some rubies, garnets, and topaz, but all of them rare and valuable.
Flirtatiously smiling coupled with a quiet giggle, she clenched her hand loosely over the gems and held her fist not far before, letting the colors of the stones shine from the cracks between her fingers.
Interrupting herself for a second, she turned to Nasrin and brashly said, "Lackey, go get de rest of de caravan. Now!", obviously letting her nonexistent prestige go to her head. Then, she swung her head back to the captain and quickly and discretely slipped the captain his bribe. The man raised an eyebrow at the gems, but could clearly see that, though they were unrefined, they were indeed worth a lot.
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Post by nasrin on Apr 10, 2007 21:33:55 GMT -5
Nasrin's bandages did well to conceal her sigh of relief when it became apparent that the Captain was going to accept their story. She still had a nagging suspicion that the man would still be watching them closely, but Manju's bribe would keep him complacent at least for a while.
"Lackey, go get de rest of de caravan. Now!" the Igni girl commander her. Nasrin thought that calling her a 'lackey' might have been uncalled for, but she was at least glad that Manju had the presence of mind to keep up the facade of an ambassador now that they had reached an agreement.
"Of course, your excellence," she said, offering her and the Fire Nation soldiers a bow. She set off at once towards the caravan at a swift trot. Under other circumstances she might have made the trip faster with the use of her bending, but she didn't think the soldiers would take too kindly to such a display.
After a few minutes she came up to the top of the hill where the others were waiting. Her fellow sandbender was there, standing beside Gao the head merchant. When she was within hailing distance, Gao called out, "Well?"
Nasrin got a little bit closer so she didn't have to yell before replying, "We've got permission to enter. Get the mammoth-camels moving."
"You've got to be kidding me," her comrade said, almost in disbelief. "How'd you get them to agree to that?"
"I agreed to let them search the goods for any threats and..." Nasrin paused, almost unsure of how to go about explaining the rest, "If anyone asks, Manju is an Embassador and we are her escorts..."
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Post by manju on Apr 11, 2007 20:03:01 GMT -5
Her eyes followed Nasrin as the woman bowed and headed back to the caravan, notifying the troupe that they could enter the city. Manju, still allowing herself to not act out for whatever reason to preserve Nasrin's sanity, had to resist running past the guards and into the city to wreak havoc, at least for the time being. At least for the time being...
Manju smirked, but still stood before the guards, hands behind her back, nose upward, and chest puffed out pompously, as she waited for the caravan to return. She rocked back and forth on the balls of her long, slender feet, clicking her tongue rhytmatically, and would momentarily glance back to see how things progressed with the desert dwellers.
She saw Nasrin gesturing and heard her inaudible words, presumeably those signaling a "go-ahead" for them to enter into the city. Manju realized the Fire Nation guards may find a few suspicioys items in their search, namely her spears and blowgun, but she could only wonder how they would react.
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Post by nasrin on Apr 12, 2007 20:27:23 GMT -5
The caravan made its way down the hill at a decent pace, but it still took them nearly ten minutes to reach the bridge. Nasrin was riding astride one of the elephants, having grown tired of running around lately. She could only hope that Manju hadn't done anything to blow her hard-earned deception. Gao rode up at the head of the train of mammoth-camels, though at Nasrin's suggestion he forewent his usual litter. That particular mount was left unridden to maintain the illusion that it was Manju's seat and that she really was someone of importance.
The Fire Nation captain of the guards had apparently gone back into the city during Nasrin's trip. In his stead, nearly a dozen more Fire Nation soldiers and benders had come to the end of the bridge and motioned for the caravan to stop. They ordered all of the merchants to line up beside the mammoth camels as they were inspected for anything other than simple goods or supplies. Gao made an attempt to greet the crimson armored men, but they silenced him with a few harsh words and went about their business. Nasrin would have smiled at the sight of the greedy man being humbled, but the possibility of his stupidity spurring the soldiers into attacking kept her somewhat somber... Even if her drink from before was making her take things a little less seriously.
After several more long minutes of waiting, and a tense moment or two when the soldiers' suspicions were raised by the presence of Nasrin's fellow sandbender. Apparently they thought he looked "Sneaky and dangerous," but luckily the hired bender kept his cool and managed to convince them he was simply a guide through the desert.
At long last the caravan was cleared to enter the city and the mammoth camels started across the bridge one at a time.
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Post by manju on Apr 14, 2007 17:27:32 GMT -5
Manju felt a huge weight off her shoulders at the moment, for the soldiers either didn't find or notice Manju's weapons in their search or thought nothing of them being among the cargo carried by the merchants. She wiped her brow, then stood with her arms behind her back some feet from the caravan as she glancing at the members of the caravan being searched before they all entered the city. After a substantial amount of time, Manju decided to sit, cross-legged, on the ground and rest her jaw on her hands, because the soldiers were taking longer than she would have liked them to.
"All clear", was the statement that caused Manju to perk up, raising herself to turn and amble over to the caravan and walk alongside them into the city through the large iron gate.
When the gate opened slowly, Manju was awestruck. The city was huge, and Manju hadn't seen an Earth Kingdom city of this size since she arrived. The streets were lined with merchants and shoppers, smoke emanated from various worksites, and a large scaffolding around a statue of Fire Lord Ozai was perched atop the city. She couldn't help but smile in wonder.
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Post by nasrin on Apr 17, 2007 19:34:23 GMT -5
Omashu had chaned... That was the primary thought in Nasrin's head as she walked down the streets beside one of the mammoth-camels at the head of the caravan. Fire Nation soldiers trailed them as they marched through the stone paved avenues of the grand Earth Kingdom city. There also seemed to be more crimson-armored men around every corner in order to observe their progress. Evidently these barbarians from the West had more common sense than the natives of her own country would give them credit for.
The sandbender also took note of the diminished civilian traffic out on the streets. Typically, this time of year would have seen the vendors and stalls buzzing with activity that would have slowed a train of mammoth-camels to a crawl, but things didn't seem to be that way now. It was her guess, at least, that the Fire Nation had declared martial law or some equivalent condition that kept the majority of the citizens home-bound.
Eventually the caravan wound its way up the zig-zagging streets in order to arrive at a grand plaza several stories above the main gate and deeper into the city. The mammoth-camels were led into a ring around the open space that nearly formed a complete circle. Soon after, the Si Wong merchants began the process of unpacking makeshift stands and tables and started piling their wares atop them. Some were selling trinkets of gold or valuable clothing and doo-dads. The majority of them were likely stolen from unfortunate travelers or traded for from the thieves that did the stealing. Others sold ornate pottery and ceramics with designs that were distinctly Si Wong in origin. And others still had scrolls and other objects she couldn't immediately identify.
"You need a refill on your stash?" the voice of Nasrin's fellow sandbender asked. She looked beside her to see the older man walking towards her, gesturing at the ceramic flask on her hip. "You were hitting the drink pretty hard this last week... Must be running low." He tossed her a wry smirk and said, "Let's find a tavern or something while these guys do their business." He patted Nasrin on the shoulder and started to lead her aside while he added quietly, "I don't want to be around if these guys if they start another mess like they did in Kei Lan. If things get hot, we're out of here with or without them."
Nasrin offered a slight nod in response, but slowed their pace and offered a slight gesture toward the Igni girl who was not too far away. "What about her?" she asked, her tone equally low, "She's worth more than this whole caravan with that bag of gems..." The older sandbender hummed and Nasrin could tell he took her point.
"Hey, Ign-errr.... Ambassador Manju," he called, almost forgetting about Manju's title, "Join us for a drink while these guys set everything up."
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Post by manju on Apr 18, 2007 16:58:20 GMT -5
Even though the city was big, Manju thought it had a different feel than the smaller towns of the Earth Kingdom that she had been through. Omashu felt defeated. Lonely. Cold. As the merchants unpacked their wares, Manju slowly moved in a full circle, letting her amber orbs drift around the area and take note of everything.
People weren't bustling in the street, and children weren't outside playing. Manju fixed her sight on a woman glancing at Manju and the desert dwellers, but the woman quickly shut her curtains, seemingly in fear...
Her attention was caught seconds later. The older sandbender, to whom Manju kept referring as any other name but his own name, either because she forgot his name or just to tease him, shouted, "Hey, Ign-errr.... Ambassador Manju, join us for a drink while these guys set everything up."
Manju shrugged, and walked up to the two sandbenders. She knew why the two were to go there. She was well aware of Nasrin's love of alcohol of all sorts, probably even more so since Manju began traveling with them. As she walked up to them, she did a cartwheel in their direction on the way, just because she felt like it.
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Post by mulaqi on Apr 18, 2007 18:25:34 GMT -5
In Muqali’s opinion, his journey with the wayward Earth Kingdom soldiers to Omashu had gone fairly well so far. The desert had been a breeze thanks to his own expertise, and once they were out of there the Earth Kingdom soldiers had led the way with equal efficiency. Really, it was like a vacation for Muqali. They’d stopped in two Earth Kingdom towns, miles of forest and three rivers. Well, one was technically just a creek, but since Muqali had never seen anything remotely like a river before, he decided to count it. Having never left the desert before in his life, even the shrubbery seemed interesting to Muqali, really. Fortunately for him, the Earth Kingdom soldiers had put up with his frequent questions, and some even seemed to find them endearing.
Now, however, their journey was entering its final leg. They weren’t far from Omashu, having crossed over into the rocky terrain that surrounded the great city. According to Yunchang, the de-facto leader of the group, they less than a day out of the city.
“So, Yunchang, how big is Omashu, exactly?” Muqali asked, unable to hold back his questions about the city any longer.
Yunchang grinned back at Muqali through his thick, black beard, “Think of the biggest, most magnificent mountain you can imagine, and you’ll be pretty close. It’s always called the second greatest city in the Earth Kingdom, but between you and me, it’s the best by a long shot.
“Wow, that’s somethin’ all right,” the Sand Nomad replied with a whistle. “What about its king, this Bumi guy? What’s he like?”
“Strongest Earthbender in the world,” chimed in a younger soldier from behind Muqali. “He’s supposed to be some kind of genius, too. Makes you wonder why he isn’t Earth Ki-”
The soldier was cut off by the sound of falling rocks from beyond the next ridge. Yunchang raised a closed hand to signal the troops to stop as everyone instinctively grabbed their weapons. A moment later, the sound of voices could be heard, and another hand signal from Yunchang sent the troops scrambling for cover behind large rocks and what foliage there was as silently as they could. Muqali, however, simply sat down and started fiddling with his tonfa. Since the Sand Nomads had no official stance in the war, it had been decided that in case of an encounter with Fire Nation soldiers, Muqali would make first contact. Such a scenario hadn’t actually occurred until now, but the five men in red and black armor coming over the crest of the ridge were about to change that.
“You there! What is your business in Fire Nation territory?” stated one in a gruff voice from behind his helmet’s faceplate.
“Me? Oh, just a Sand Nomad taking a little vacation,” Muqali quipped, standing up and stretching with his tonfa in hand.
“A sand rat, huh? Should have figured,” grumbled the same soldier. “All right, put your weapons…”
The soldier never got the chance to tell Muqali where he should put his weapons, since it is very difficult to speak when a large rock is hitting you in the side of the head. Ambushed and outnumbered by more than four-to-one, the Fire Nation soldiers never stood a chance. Muqali himself rushed forward and knocked the legs out from one of them before finished him off with a rising uppercut from his right tonfa while the Earth Kingdom Soldiers took care of the rest. In the end, only one of the Fire Nation soldiers was remained breathing, and he was quickly seized by Yunchang.
“Are you lost or just stupid? You’re in Earth Kingdom territory now, or did you not know that Omashu is right around the corner?” Yunchang growled at the soldier, clearly unsettled by something.
The soldier laughed, “You’re the stupid one. Omashu doesn’t exist anymore, just the great city of New Ozai! Why don’t you head down to the dungeon and ask your King Bumi?”
In a burst of rage, Yunchang threw the soldier against the nearest rock headfirst. Judging by the blood seeping out of the helmet’s eye holes, the soldier would never be getting up from that one. As the Earthbender steamed silently, Muqali contemplated the news. Omashu had fallen, and apparently Yunchang and his comrades had been out of contact for so long that they never got the news. It seemed that Muqali wouldn’t get to see the great city of Omashu afterall.
“So, what now?” Muqali asked, speaking everyone’s mind.
“Well, we’re going to go try and link up with any resistance in the area, and if we can’t find any, we’ll head south and regroup with forces at a town there,” Yunchang said before turning to Muqali. “You, however, can return home, unless you’d be willing to do us a favor…”
***********
A few hours later, Muqali was alone, gazing at what was now New Ozai. It was indeed like a great mountain, with countless buildings all sloping upwards towards the peak, where there seemed to be a large, incomplete statue. He wasn’t sure if it was normal, but there also seemed to be large plumes of smoke rising out of various parts of the city. Even with the smoke, it still seemed magnificent. After gawking for a minute, Muqali brought himself back into reality, and continued towards the city. After all, he had a mission to accomplish.
The favor that Yunchang had asked him was to deliver letters to the families of him and his men letting them know that their fathers and husbands were all right. The letters, hastily written before Yunchang and his men had left, were now stowed in a leather satchel that was slung over his left shoulder under his tunic. Logic dictated that the families would still be in the city, and while that made it impossible for the Earth Kingdom soldiers to reach them, Muqali would have a good shot. Whether that was true or not was soon put to the test…
“Oh great, another sand rat,” groaned one of the guards as Muqali approached. “Are you with that Igni freak?”
Muqali’s lip twitched at the words “sand rat,” which made him wish he had his head wraps on for a moment before he put on a wide grin and spoke up happily, “Why, yes I am! Very clever of you to guess that, sir! You see, I just fell behind because I had to relieve myself and…”
“Ugh, just go through,” grumbled the guard, opening the gate as quickly as he could to get rid of this new pest.
Smiling sincerely this time, Muqali stepped on through the gate and into the city. After walking long enough to get completely out of sight of the main gate, Muqali pondered how to begin his search. Yangchen had said that if he could find his wife, Yu Mei, that she would be able to get the letters out to everyone else. She supposedly lived in the northern district…but the Fire Nation could have relocated her. Before Muqali could dwell further on the matter, however, he noticed that he had run into a large caravan setting up in the middle of the street. He quickly recognized that these were the other Sand Nomads the guard had been talking about. He was about to simply pass them by when he noticed a Fire Nation guard standing by. This was a problem. If he didn’t join them, it would raise suspicion, but if he tried to mingle, he might be found out as a fake.
He found a compromise in a group of three that was leaving the main group: two Sand Nomads of unknown gender due to their head covers and a slightly odd looking woman that he couldn't clasify. If he could just get them to play along for a little while, he would be out of this mess for now. So, it was with great recklessness that he walked in between the two Sand Nomads from behind, and put his arms around them like they were the best of friends.
“Hey there, guys! Sorry I’m late, but I’m here now, so let’s go, go, go!” he said with as much cheer as he could muster and a big smile before whispering in a low voice. “Just go along with this, and I’ll buy you a round of drinks or whatever it is you’re looking for, okay?” he gestured at the strange looking woman with his eyes and added, “You, too.”
Muqali really didn’t have enough money for much else outside of a round of drinks, but the way he saw it, having to explain that to these three later was much better than having to explain himself to the Fire Nation guards.
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Post by nasrin on Apr 18, 2007 20:27:54 GMT -5
“Hey there, guys! Sorry I’m late, but I’m here now, so let’s go, go, go!” came a startling voice beside Nasrin as an arm wrapped around her shoulder in a sudden gesture of kinship. The female sandbender gave the slightest jump of surprise, though her expression hardly changed but for a momentary widening of her eyes. She glanced to the side to regard the new arrival and was slightly put at ease to see another desert-dweller. However, considering the number of shady figures that inhabited the Si Wong desert, she was still on her guard. “Just go along with this, and I’ll buy you a round of drinks or whatever it is you’re looking for, okay?” the man explained in a hushed tone, signifying that he at least realized the sort of confusion he'd just created.
Nasrin's fellow sandbender was staring hard at the man out of the corner of his eyes. A moment later, he and Nasrin shared a brief glance followed by a sort of grunting shrug from the female bender. "Take your hands off me and walk two steps ahead of us," Nasrin's comrade ordered the man. Apparently he was no more willing to trust this unexpected addition to their trio than she was.
Nasrin simply remained quite as the the three Si Wong natives plus Manju continued away from the plaza in order to find a tavern. When it all came down to it, she was promised a free drink, and that was all she needed to know to tolerate this man's presence.
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Post by manju on Apr 18, 2007 23:49:50 GMT -5
Manju jumped back as her eyes widened. That jerk nearly scared her to death! Who was he? She didn't recognize him as part of the caravan. All those desert dwellers may look the same, but his clothes were a bit different.
She growled at the man as he thrust his arm around Nasrin, seemingly all buddy-buddy with her. That lowlife probably though Nasrin was a man. But Manju thought it best to let things be as he heard his offer, that he would buy them drinks. At least for once on this excursion, Manju didn't have to buy something, which was a relief for her.
She may as well respect his wishes, to play along with his ploy. There had been enough ploys that day up until this moment so that Manju was accustomed to them. In fact, they wouldn't even be in the city if it weren't for good ol' deception.
She played along, though the man probably didn't noticed her there. She acted as natural as possible, which meant for Manju, that she did a few more cartwheels and acrobatic moves while in the vicinity of the three sand people, not merely to seek attention, but again, because she simply felt like it.
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Post by mulaqi on Apr 19, 2007 0:18:45 GMT -5
Muqali held his breath as he waited for some kind of reply, and was relieved to hear one of them whisper back, "Take your hands off me and walk two steps ahead of us."
Flashing a grin at the man and giving him a light pat on the back, Muqali happily complied. Now that he would look legitimate to the Fire Nation guards, his worry left him. Sure, he had his back exposed to three unknown, possibly dangerous caravan members, but they didn’t worry him. After all, he’d fought both Sand Nomads and Sandbenders in the past. The prospect of any sort of conflict with legions of people who could shoot fire out of their hands was a whole different matter, however. It was not something he enjoyed thinking about.
Instead, he decided to focus his attention on the peculiar girl. He’d never seen someone with her skin tone before, not to mention the piercings and tattoos on her face. Spontaneous cartwheels were also among the long list of things he had never witnessed. All of this newness had Muqali curious, an event that had become quite common since he left the desert. When combined with his rather spotty understanding of general manners, this lead to verbal expression of his curiosity, even when he was supposed to be going incognito. Suffice it to say, Muqali would have made a horrible spy.
“Well, you’re certainly feeling lively, aren’t you?” he quipped at the strange young woman. “Don’t you get dizzy doing all of those?”
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Post by nasrin on Apr 19, 2007 16:02:09 GMT -5
Manju's flips seemed to be born of sheer randomness and a carefree attitude. Hardly watching, but still noticing them, Nasrin couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of concern. After all, they were in the city under the pretense of the Igni girl being an ambassador looking to discuss trading arrangements. They were still in the midst of an entire legion of Fire Nation soldiers occuppying the city and cartwheeling through the streets under their wathful eyes was no way to maintain the ruse.
The feeling passed quickly, however. Perhaps it was the drink she'd finished off earlier that was making her a bit more apathetic than usual, but she simply didn't care as much as she probably should have. Besides, they'd gotten into the city on a bribe. The Captain at the gate most likely knew it was a lie, but he stood to gain personally by letting the merchants into the city while the citizens would likely be too scared to come out of their homes.
A slight smirk tugged at the corner of Nasrin's bandage-covered mouth. At the very least she was now looking forward to a free drink from this new guy. She just hoped that a city this large would have a better selection than the shanty-bar at Kei lan.
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Post by manju on Apr 21, 2007 17:18:12 GMT -5
When the newly-arrived sand person standing near her spoke up, Manju batted her eyes in a confrontational manner, her mouth becoming slightly agape. She walked up ahead of the sand person, stopped walking, and put her hands on her hips. Manju then scoffed. She was only a bit offended, but that feeling passed within seconds. Now, she was merely trying to make the man feel as guilty as possible for no apparent reason. Of course, it may catch him off guard, since what he said was definitively not meant to offend.
Manju abruptly stepped closer to him, then sneered. "What'cha implyin'?!" She kept the sneer on her face for a few seconds, not letting her pretense manifest its falseness before the "new guy". This person seemed to have a better sense of humor than Nasrin, but not knowing where her sassy retort would lead her was part of the fun.
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