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Post by mulaqi on Apr 21, 2007 19:19:44 GMT -5
The lively young woman’s reaction to Muqali’s remark was a bit surprising, and Muqali couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow at the haughty face she made at him. If his eyebrow could go any higher, it would have when she then apparently took such issue with his remark that she felt the need block his way, hands defiantly on her hips like a pouting child.
"What'cha implyin'?!"
“Uh, well…” started Muqali, stalling for time.
This sounded like one of those questions where the right answer wasn’t the best answer (there was a word for those, but he couldn’t recall it). After all, he had been pretty clear about what he had been implying. She also looked none to pleased about it. Suddenly, it occurred to Muqali that she may be unhappy enough to blow his cover, resulting in hundreds of fire-wielding guards chasing him through the city streets. That would most definitely ruin his day. If that was the case, then it was time to start backpedaling before things got ugly...
“Sarcasm! That was sarcasm!” he said quickly, throwing his hands into the air as though he were surrendering. “So really, I was just saying how wonderfully calm and collected you are today…which is a good thing!”
Throwing on his cheesiest grin, Muqali prayed that the young woman would cool off and continue to go along with his plan. He was, of course, totally unaware that he was simply being toyed with.
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Post by nasrin on Apr 22, 2007 0:10:46 GMT -5
Watching Muqali struggle to come up with an appropriate reaction to Manju's sudden inquistion actually inspired a small sense of pity in Nasrin. The sandbender had grown somewhat accustomed to the Igni girl's erratic behavior and bouts of randomness over the last week, but this poor guy was completely lost. She wondered for a moment if she should chime in and save him from a stuttered reply, but decided against it. She simply didn't care enough.
The somewhat evasive response the newcomer provided seemed fitting enough, though, and Nasrin's focus quickly shifted away from him. The quartet had made their way a short ways down the street adjacent to the plaza and they finally beheld a sign that labeled the upcoming building as a tavern. Like nearly everything else in the city, the building was made mostly of stone.
"Here we are," Nasrin's fellow sandbender said out loud to catch the attention of Manju and the other Si Wong native. Without waiting for them to reply, he stepped through the open door. Nasrin followed closely on his heels, thinking more about what she wanted to drink than the Igni's reply.
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Post by manju on Apr 24, 2007 13:36:36 GMT -5
The man's incredulous facial expression was met with much joy in Manju's eyes. She could tell of his nervousness, for he practically wore it out on his sleeves judging by the thinly-veneered smile that graced his face. What was even funnier to Manju was that the man tried to grovel afterward.
Even a period of time after the tension faded, when the quartet was stepping into the bar, the Igni still carried a cruel smirk that clearly conyeved her smug sense of satisfaction to anyone who cared to glance her way. With the image of the sand-dweller's corny smile and sincere repentance seared freshly into her mind, the smirk only was to come naturally.
Upon walking into the bar, Manju could only assume the local barflies would look at the quartet strangely. Three desert people and an Igni woman probably weren't at all what the citizens were accustomed to seeing waltz into a bar on any given day.
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Post by mulaqi on Apr 24, 2007 15:47:42 GMT -5
Muqali let out a sigh of relief as the strange, pierced woman turned away from him, apparently satisfied with his answer. That could have definitely turned out worse. Fortunately, there were no more chances for the apparently very feisty young woman to ruin his spur of the moment cover, for one of the Sand Nomads signaled that they had finally picked out a bar to suit their needs. As the group entered the bar, Muqali counted up the money had in his little pouch. It would cover the three drinks he needed, fortunately, but he would be left completely broke after that. He really wish he had figured out how long a journey it would be to Omashu.
While the others may have noticed some strange looks on their way in, Muqali was totally oblivious to it. Whistling at the rows upon rows of alcohol behind the bar, he strode on over to it and dropped his little sack of money on the table.
“This’ll cover three drinks, right?” he asked, dropping his little pouch of money on the table. The bartender, a heft looking man with a mustache, carefully counted the coins before at last delivering a nod. Muqali grinned happily, and turned to find a table before suddenly stopping himself. “Oh, by the way, you wouldn’t happen to know where I could find a woman named Yu Mei, would you?”
The bartender thought for a minute, but then shrugged, “Never heard of her.”
“Ah. Thanks, anyway.”
Muqali again turned away from the bar, but this time made his way towards a round table with six chairs around it in the nearest corner of the bar. He kicked a chair out a short distance and then plopped down in a relaxed position, his feet resting on the table and his back leaning against the wall.
“Go ahead and order whatever you want, I got it covered,” he called out to the Sand Nomads and their odd companion, adding a wink and a grin for good measure.
With that, he turned his thoughts inward, subconsciously cleaning his teeth with his fingernails. Now that his little cover was complete, he next had to try and figure out where Yu Mei was. Asking random bartenders questions probably wasn’t the best plan. If she lived on the north side, then that would probably be the best place to ask around. Ask the other locals, not the businessmen. Businessmen can be bought, after all, or at least all the ones in the desert could. Maybe these Sand Nomads could help. They got into the city easily enough, so they must have some kind of connection.
‘What was the person the guard had mentioned? Figi? Inji? No…’
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Post by nasrin on Apr 26, 2007 21:57:11 GMT -5
“Go ahead and order whatever you want, I got it covered,” the stranger encouraged them, offering a transparent wink and grin for emphasis. Nasrin let her gaze linger on the newcomer for a moment before settling into a stool in front of the bar. She knew absolutely nothing about him, but he was offering free liquour, so she had no reason to question him immediately.
As she sat down and looked over the various brands on display for something interesting, her fellow sandbender continued to eye the newcomer suspiciously. The bartender noticed that Nasrin was the only one of the three actively scanning his wares and asked her what she wanted. After a moment's hesitation she decided against something too strong after having finished off her own jug not too long ago. "A mug of ale," she said plainly, resting forward on her elbows, "Whatever kind you'd recommend..." The female sandbender reached up with a hand and dragged the bandage wrappings away from her face.
Meanwhile, her comrade had not even glanced at the selection of liquors and sat at the bar while still facing the recent addition to their group. "So," he began, looking the man over, "Are you going to tell us why we bothered to cover for you?" The elder sandbender was sizing up the younger Si Wong native, theough the sand goggles over his eyes made it hard to tell. Despite being from the same region of the Earth Kingdom, the Desert tribes were notriously self-serving and thought nothing of the concept of loyalty... Or so was their reputation.
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Post by manju on Apr 27, 2007 13:33:20 GMT -5
Manju shrugged when the strange man gave them the go-ahead to order what they wanted. It was a good offer, despite coming from a stranger, albeit one akin to putty in Manju's hand.
"Gimme a mug a' mead", said the Igni to the bartender after Nasrin made her request, flailing her arm up in affirmation before she flung herself onto the barstool. Manju did so before Nasrin's partner did, probably interrupting him, but she didn't care. The bartender seemed to offer a nod of recognition to Manju, but if he was like the bartender in the last town, then some shouting may be required in the future. After all, shouting was how Manju would often get her way.
The wooden seat wobbled slightly when Manju plopped herself down on it, and it creaked loud enough to hear. "Stupid t'ing..." Manju muttered under her breath, paired with a soft growl at the inanimate object. A thought came to the young woman's mind, and it was too good to spend time mulling over.
She rested her arms on the bar, and, turning toward the quartet's newest member, she loudly and clearly said in her slightly raspy voice and mocking tone, "So, weird guy! Who's Yu Mei? Your girlfriend?"
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Post by mulaqi on Apr 27, 2007 14:34:39 GMT -5
No sooner had Muqali drifted into thought, then the same Sand Nomad who had spoken before snapped him out of it, "So, are you going to tell us why we bothered to cover for you?"
Muqali turned his head in the direction of the Si Wong native that had spoke, still subconsciously picking at his teeth with his hand. In doing so, he noticed the silent one, sitting at the bar. With the bandage wrappings gone, he could see now that it was a woman. It wasn’t that much of a surprise, but it at least explained the tense way he was regarded when he had wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Maybe her and the obviously male one were an item or something, that would explain it.
In any event, the man had asked an interesting question. On the one hand, if he didn’t tell them what he was doing, they could turn him in, but on the other hand if he didn’t…well, there was the same risk. The cautious man would have chosen not to tell the truth anyway, though. The less people knew, the better in this situation. Muqali, however, was not cautious. These people had covered him so far, right? Surely they wouldn’t turn on him if he explained why he was actually there.
Before he could answer the question, though, the strange one blurt out, “So, weird guy! Who's Yu Mei? Your girlfriend?"
“Huh? No, no, no,” Muqali denied with a laugh, shaking his head. “See, I’m delivering letters to the families of some Earth Kingdom soldiers for them, since they can’t exactly get into the city to do it themselves, you know? Yu Mei is just one of their wives. She’s supposed to be able to get the letters to everyone else, so I kind of need to find her.” He then gestured towards himself with his thumb. “I’m Muqali of the Kiyad Tribe, by the way. Do I get to know the names of the people that bailed me out back there, or will that cost me another drink?”
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Post by nasrin on Apr 28, 2007 14:38:37 GMT -5
“I’m Muqali of the Kiyad Tribe, by the way. Do I get to know the names of the people that bailed me out back there, or will that cost me another drink?”
The bartender placed Nasrin's drink down on the table in front of her and she hooked her fingers around the loop of the mug's handle. She pulled the fired clay mug in close and brought it to her lips without bothering to look a the contents. The ale wasn't horrible, but by no means was it something she'd have selected herself. That's what you get for having a little faith in the bartender's judgement, she thought dryly as she placed the mug back on the counter. She seemed almost completely oblivious to the conversaton going on behind her, though in reality she was soaking in every word.
"More like an explanation," Nasrin's fellow bender responded to Muqali's question, "Do you just expect to stick with us for the time we're here? There's Fire Nation soldiers keeping an eye on us, and now that you've made us look like buddies, you're going to be stopped the moment you wander off alone..." The elder bender glanced over his shoulder at the bartender who was standing around in expectation of an order. He requested a shot of whatever Muqali's money would pay for and kept his eyes trained onthe younger man,
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Post by manju on Apr 28, 2007 18:25:33 GMT -5
Manju grabbed the clay mug once the bartender placed it abruptly on the counter. She looked into the beverage as she swished it around the inside of the cup, smelling it as well. She sipped a bit of the drink to test its quality, perhaps making a dramatic fuss if it wasn't exactly to her specifications. She wouldn't care if it wasn't of the utmost quality, but she thought the bartender could use a bit of "good-spirited" teasing.
Distracting her from even noting its taste was Nasrin's comrade's words to the man Muqali. The middle-aged sandbender demanded an explanation for his arrival and facade, and Manju wasn't opposed to hearing his reasons. She raised the mug to her lips again and downed a fourth of the glass' contents. The flavor of the liquid trickling down her throat was mediocre, but it was only to be expected.
When Nasrin and her fellow sandbender glanced their way at Muqali, which probably would make him feel somewhat nervous, Manju joined in staring. She raised her eyebrows and smirked at the man to add to the pressure she assumed he felt. His story ought to be interesting, after all.
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Post by mulaqi on Apr 29, 2007 14:11:39 GMT -5
The Sand Nomad’s question caught Muqali off guard, and he was left blinking stupidly at the man. In truth, he completely lacked the foresight to look that far ahead in his planning, and only now did he consider the possibility that he would be unable to wander off on his own. In hindsight, it would be pretty suspicious for him to just randomly head off to the northern part of town. Then again, what choice did he really have? It wasn’t like he had anything else to bribe these people with.
“Uh, well, I actually hadn’t thought of that,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “I guess I didn’t think they’d pay too much attention once they thought I was part of your little crew, so I was just going to head off on my own…”
Still, it wasn’t a risk he should take. Not for his own sake, but for Yu Mei and all the other soldier’s families. They might be put in danger if the Fire Nation soldiers found the letters on him, and Muqali knew he couldn’t let that happen. He could ask these people to help him out, but with no more money, he somehow doubted they’d be willing to help. If that was the case, he would just have to be careful, and be able to get rid of the letters if he ended up getting caught. Even so, that was an outcome he’d like to avoid if at all possible.
“But, if one of you wants to take a trip to the northern district, then that’d be kind of nice,” he continued with a lopsided grin. “I can’t buy you anymore drinks, but it might be fun to explore the city a little, don’t you think?”
Considering the cold stares he was getting, Muqali couldn’t help but feel like these people wouldn’t exactly share his idea of fun.
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Post by nasrin on May 1, 2007 21:41:04 GMT -5
The older male sandbender actually laughed aloud at that. "Hah!" he exclaimed, resting back against the bar counter as he took a shot glass from the bartender who had poured him his drink. "You want us to be you chaperone's for the fun of it?" Still grinning at the absurdity of the request, he lifted up the glass in a brief toast before throwing it back and gulping the contenst down. He hissed slightly at the burning taste and then placed the glass down on the counter where the bartender quickly scooped it back up. "I ain't about to hold your hand and walk you around the city for fun... Either you have the money to pay for these little favors or we go back to guarding the caravan that hired us in the first place..."
Beside him, still facing the back of the bar, Nasrin was absently swirling the contents of her mug. Amazingly, she'd actually lost her drive to finish the whole drink. Perhaps it was the bland taste, or simply the fact that she was on enemy territory that kept her from getting a decent buzz going. Either way, she placed the clay mug down on the counter and turned in her seat to regard the other three. Her face was expressionless as always, save for the slight hint of boredom provided by her slightly drooping eyelids. The woman sandbender glanced toward Manju specifically, figurng that the Igni gil would be the most likely source of mild entertainment among the assembled group. However, she wasn't much more than making odd faces at Muqali, using her many piercings to make her expressions more intimidating.
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Post by manju on May 6, 2007 19:44:08 GMT -5
Manju, ignoring what went on in her surroundings, downed the last of her mug's contents and proceeded to lean back slightly, ceasing to slouch as she once did. Afterward, she thrust both hands up into the air while simultaneously forcing a most exaggerated yawn of boredom and definitly not from lack of sleep. Within the last week of traveling with the caravan, Manju slept whenever she felt like it while the others had to walk or otherwise stay awake. But one could only expect such things from one who was prone to abusing her unexpected wealth in such a way.
After she dropped her hands to her side, she looked over to see Nasrin looking at her with those usual listless eyes. Manju said nothing in reply to her stairing, instead looking back at Muqali, who was probably bickering with the third sand person of the quartet. Once she heard a general outline of Muqali's plan, she hopped off her seat and impulsively said, "I have an idea. Why dun' we all go wit' 'im?" She then turned her head to Nasrin and, with a definite mocking tone of voice, said, "After all, it's sooooo boring 'ere in dis pub..."
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Post by mulaqi on May 7, 2007 21:52:54 GMT -5
Muqali laughed at the strange woman’s response to his offer. She really did seem like a child, the way she drawled “sooooo boring” when she spoke most especially. This in mind, it seemed very unlikely to Muqali that she would be able to convince her companions to go with him. After all, they seemed more like chaperones to her at this point, meaning they dictated where they were going. Not that it mattered in the end, his actions would remain the same with or without them. He’d head to the northern district and find Yu Mei and deliver the letters, just like he promised. A lack of help wasn’t going to make him break his word.
Rising from his seat, he shook his head at the strange woman, “I don’t think your friends are too keen on that idea. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try and ask, though.” With a shrug, Muqali made for the exit, casually raising a hand in farewell without turning around. “Thanks for the help, anyway. Good luck with your trading.”
With that, Muqali exited the bar and started walking down the streets of Omashu. Based on the Sun’s position in the sky, he was able to figure out which way was north, and started heading in that direction. Without his acquaintances to distract him as he walked, this time he was able to take in the sights unhindered. Up above the main roads seemed to be a whole maze of bridges, long in distance but small in width, that wound their way throughout the city. What kind of people used roads like these? They looked too steep to use in parts, and no one seemed to be on them. It was peculiar, but interesting.
***
Muqali saw several other odd things as he made his way to the northern district, among them something called a “barber shop” (which was especially odd since Muqali had never heard of barbers, much less a whole shop dedicated to them), but by the time the sun had moved down another notch in the sky, he had made it. It was a residential district, full of small, blocky houses that looked to be in decent condition. The streets were still unusually empty, but Muqali figured it must be mealtime or something. After all, he had no idea when people in Omashu would eat. Maybe they had four meals in Omashu. That would be neat, having four meals…
“Hey, sand rat!” a voice called out sharply, breaking Muqali out of his odd musings.
Muqali turned to see three Fire Nation soldiers approaching him, two with spears in their hands and another with a jian at his hip. This could only be trouble, and Muqali knew it. Praying they could be charmed away, Muqali turned on his smile and greeted them warmly.
“Why hello there, guardians of the peace! What can I do for you?”
“Well for starters, you can tell us why you’re so far away from your little rat pack all alone,” the one with the jian answered before scoffing. “Actually, don’t even bother. Chang, search him.”
As one of the spear wielding warriors moved forward, Muqali’s mind raced. They’d find the letters without a doubt. That couldn’t happen. Yunchang had told him about the cruelty of the Fire Nation, what they might do to the families of Earth Kingdom soldiers were they found out. It would be the fate of Yu Mei and more than twenty other families if they got a hold on those letters it couldn’t happen.
So, as the guard reached out for Muqali, he decided to take action. The twin iron tonfa whipped up out of Muqali’s makeshift sheathes, spinning rapidly and knocking away the man’s hand with a sharp crack. Before the wounded soldier could get a grip, Muqali’s right tonfa spun into the side of his helmet, denting it and sending the man crashing to the ground. The second warrior with the spear advanced, thrusting his weapon at Muqali. The left tonfa blocked it on the shaft, sending it above the Sand Nomad’s head as he ducked to avoid the blow and rushed forward. Using the right tonfa like an iron knuckle, Muqali finished the second soldier with a sharp blow to the gut, just below his chest plate.
Unfortunately, the element of surprise was now gone by the time he got to the last soldier, who stood ready with his jian drawn in one hand. What’s more, his off hand seemed to be on fire. This man was a firebender. Muqali was brave, and had seen a lot of things, but firebending was a whole new animal. Plus, he probably didn't have much time. Surely the scuffle had been noticed by now, and reinforcements were on the way. With the situation getting worse by the moment, Muqali hesitated for a moment, took a step forward, and the turned tail, fleeing through the streets and alleyways.
“Sound the alert!” he could hear behind him as he fled the scene. “The sand rat’s a spy! He’s attacked two guards! Don’t let any of them out of the city!”
Cursing to himself, Muqali kept running. Hopefully those other Sand Nomads wouldn’t get caught up in this, too. He would have an awfully hard time forgiving himself if that happened…
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Post by nasrin on May 7, 2007 23:19:08 GMT -5
Nasrin's eyes followed Muqali as he walked out the door, and they lingered on the portal for a short while after he'd gone. Beside her the other sandbender of the group mumbled something of a farewell and then turned back toward the bartender. Fishing out a few coins, he placed them on the counter and requested another drink.
Well, so much for that brief alteration in schedule. Nasrin hefted a light sigh and swung her feet back around to face the bar. As much as her passionless expression and apathetic tone might indicate that she was competely bored with the world, there was still a small part of her that hoped for some kind of excitement. A strange thing, really, that so quiet a woman would yearn for an adventure. Perhaps that's why she loved her liquour so much.
Nasrin's mouth curled into a slight smirk. She'd been down that road of thought before and had often come to the same conclusion. Beside her, her comrade had gotten his hands on a second shot glass and downed its contents in a single throw.
The trio remained around the area for a little while longer, not really doing much but enjoying the shade and a few more drinks before it was decided that they should get check on the caravan. At the prodding of her comrade, Nasrin tore herself from the bar and started toward the door behind the elder bender. However, not three steps out onto the street did she hear the calls of Fire Nation soldiers echoing down the street. She wasn't paying attention and missed the majority of the message.
"Huh...?" the male sandbender asked, turning toward the source of the noise. Apparently he hadn't heard clearly either. However, a few moments later several Fire Nation soldiers stepped out of a nearby alley. There were four spearmen and two skull-masked firebenders in waiting. Apparently, they'd been keeping an eye on the sandbenders and Manju, and apparently they'd gotten the message that Nasrin had missed.
"Stop right there!" one of the soldiers called, pointing menacingly at the trio with a flaming hand. Nasrin's eyes widened slightly as sheglanced at her companion. He seemed to be equally surprised, but he quickly decided on a course of action.
"Lets get out of here," he said, his voice low. He took a slow step back before breaking into a run. Nasrin wasted no time in following at his heels and she didn't wait for Manju to make up her mind about following. The sandbenders were running down the road to rejoin the rest of the caravan.
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Post by manju on May 10, 2007 15:23:17 GMT -5
Manju sighed when the weird sand nomad guy Muqali made his way out of the place. The man's reaction to her sarcasm was lovely, but he hadn't stayed around long enough for Manju to tease him to her full potential. Quickly, though, she got over it. Nasrin and her partner soon got up and left the bar, too, and Manju consequently followed a few steps behind them. But not long after the trio stepped out of the building, they were 'greeted' by six Fire Nation soldiers, the majority of whom had pointy weapons at their disposal.
The two sandbenders in her company ran with all their might, and Manju followed them moments later. The Fire Nation soldier's call was intimidating, not to mention the flames emanating from his hand. Firebending was a rarity on Manju's home island, so any display of firebending she had seen since her arrival was met with a sort of reverential awe. This moment, however, was not one for such a reaction, but a time for escaping.
Manju ran after the sandbenders, quickly catching up with them, then passing them both with her gazelle-like strides. After passing Nasrin's fellow sandbender, though, she started giggling. After all, his way of running was the funniest thing she had seen all day...
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