The Gypsy Caravan <Wilderness, Earth Kingdom>

[kura]

“Oh…” said Akio, and looked at the twins once more. The little boy grinned at them, and then returned his gaze to the woman. “So that’s why there are two of them,” he said conclusively.

Kura strode over to Akio, increasingly aware of the influence of Fire Nation culture on the campsite. Amaya looked back once more at the smoke rising out of the forest, then quickly followed her mother.

“I’m so sorry,” said Kura to the two young men, feeling slightly sheepish. “He’s never seen twins before,” she explained.

“We’re very sheltered,” piped in Amaya, coming out from behind her mother. “This is our first time leaving Omashu.”

“Amaya, that’s enough,” murmured Kura. She didn’t want to be revealing anything to complete strangers.

Kura gazed down at the twins and their female companion, and noticed that the young woman’s shirt was ripped. ‘Poor thing,’ thought Kura. She then noticed the baby in her arms. It looked so young…and the young woman seemed so drained. Looking at her, all the fears Kura had about the Fire Nation were replaced with concern.

“I’m sorry to ask this, Miss,” said Kura, her motherly instincts kicking in, “but are you alright?”

[blackcrow]

Li-Wu stood, a hand at his smooth chin and smiled sweetly. Both twins had inherited their father's smooth face, no beards or even the faintest hint. His other hand lifted in a peaceful manner at the newest woman to stumble into the caravan with her children. "Do not worry.. Our Mothe-.." He stopped and both twins turned at exactly the same time to gaze behind them.

Juning, the dark haired matriach of the the gypsys stood behind her boys, golden eyes narrowed. Her plump lips were curled into a smile, so sickenly sweetly it stung the twins. "You two are behaving aren't you?'' Her arms were loaded down with blankets and extra clothes, which as she passed between the boys. She began to lay out on the log which Xia sat. She had taken notice of Kura and went right about her business, taking her and her children into consideration.
"Now both of you young women need a bit of tender care and Your.." Juning turned and pointed at Kura's children.. "little ones look exhuasted. The hog is finished roasting and you are all welcome to indulge yourselves. I can watch the wee ones for you while you both take a break."

Juning then turned back to the pile of clothes and blanket and handed a folden up bundle of scarlet and gold clothing to Xia, which also included a baby's swaddle. "Here, dear. I'll try to mend what you have, but right now.. the boys don't need to see such." With a beaming face of rosy cheeks, she turned to Kura and her children. "And these are for you and your little ones. Now all of you can go change in one of the wagons and then go eat or you can go eat first. Whatever you like."

Juning turned to her boys, who stood beside her looking sheepish instead of like the smooth, young men they had been acting like before. She put her hands on her plump hips, looking at the two scolding. "And of course, as these two said.. you are all welcome to stay with us and accompany us to our preformance tonight."

[The Lion Turtle]

Xia Feng looked at Kura, then and got up to change in the wagon. She was a bit shy, but she was shyer about her ripped clothes, and so clamoured into the wagon quickly, Tarak in her arms. She undressed, glad to take the dirty clothes off. She was so unclean -- she wondered if there was a river near-by to bath in. Tarak was a bit young to bath yet, but he could sleep while she washed.

Never the less, Xia pulled on the garments given to her. They were worn very soft, and she could not identify the fabric. It was a deep crimson with gold trims and toggles. She even had a gold sash to tie around her waist. There were no patterns, so she suspected it had been made by these people themselves, not a professional seamstress. The dress, although big, touched her feet, and it pleased her. She had always been made to wear shorter kimonos as a child (as was custom), and was deathly delighted that she could wear full skirts as a married woman.

But, she thought with a pang, I'm not married anymore, am I?

She sighed and dressed Tarak as well. Tears sung her eyes as she realized that he would never know his father. Jing would have been a great father, as she always had thought. And he certainly had been enthusiatic about it. Salty tears ran down her cheeks and dropped onto baby Tarak's face. It looked like he was weeping as well.

[kura]

Kura watched Xia Feng walk towards the wagon to change, but she wasn’t so sure how she felt about wearing red clothes. She was from the Earth Kingdom, not the Fire Nation, and Kura felt uncomfortable wearing clothing that wasn’t from her homeland.

But then again…Kura fingered her travel-worn clothing; the edges were frayed, and it was ripped in a few places. The woman bit her lip, unsure what she should do. Kura looked up to see Amaya holding a red dress against herself in admiration.

Kura sighed; she was being foolish. These people were only trying to help, and here she was being stubborn. Besides, they needed a place to spend the night, and she wouldn’t want it to be in the woods.

“Come on you two,” she said, picking up the bundle of clothes. With her children following, Kura entered the wagon where she had seen Xia Feng go earlier.

Xia Feng, her back towards Kura, was in the process of changing her child. “I hope you don’t mind if we come in,” said Kura.

[whitecrow]

Juning turned back to both her boys, that rosy cheek smile vanishing as she reached out and grabbed both by their ears. With the force of a woman her size, she yanked both young men down to her height. That sickeningly sweet smiled return to her wrinkled face as she looked from wincing boy to wincing boy.

"Now you two need to stop horsing around. These two ladies and their children look half passed starved and the roast is finish. When they come back out, Bring them over to the fire pit and let them get some food." A few of the men of the caravan, clad in bright red and gold and a few in the softer greens, were hacking away at a huge pig that had been cooking on a bed of coals.
"Let them know that a few of the other women and I will look of their little ones while they eat and relax a bit. And after that.. you two need to go get prepared for the preformance. We won't have time for you two to change at the Camp."

Both Bai-wu and Li-Wu groaned, looking from their mother with rolling eyes to each other. Both started mumbling, their indentical voices mixing with eachother to create nothing but jibberish.

Mama Juning jerked their ears, lifting an eyebrow "What was that, my little crows?"

And in unison the twins repeated. "Yes, Mama. Of course."

[The Lion Turtle]

Xia Feng looked at Kura. "Not at all," she replied softly. She hoped she didn't look too upset. Tarak gurgled at the new people, soft locks of brown framing his chubby face.

"I'm Xia Feng," she said. "It was rude of me not to introduce myself eariler. Please forgive me." She bowed as low as her stiff body would allow her. "And this is my son, Tarak." Tarak giggled, a belly-laugh that made Xia Feng want to laugh and cry at the same time.

"You don't have to worry," she whispered softly. "I'm from the Earth Kingdom, too. My parents are from Zhy, and I lived in Hiroshi until it was raided." She tried to put on what she thought was a sweet smile, but it probably looked like a grimmace.

Tarak, however, looked at the little boy -- Xia Feng thought she heard the mother call him Akio -- and reached out a tiny, chubby hand, grinning like and idiot. "I guess Tarak's really friendly," Xia Feng thought aloud.

[blackcrow]

"Now off with you!" Juning laughed softly at her boys, flinging them forward and releasing their ears. After 24 years of putting up with the antics of the two twins, the woman had learned to keep them in their place. Her round face beamed, framed by her dark hair. Juning turned back towards the firepit, where members of the caravan were gathering for their meals. Tsking, she wiped her hands on her white apron and began to approach the crowd, immediately delgating out orders.

The twin ran through the camp, laughing at eachother and teasing eachother like brothers often did. They came their own wagon, which was covered with bright paint and silk ribbons. It spoke loudly of the twins' personalities.. with numerous empty bottles lying about. Again, laughing, the two shoved and fought their way through the door into the bachelor pad, Bai-Wu leading the way.

At the preformance tonight for the soliders in the nearby village, the twins were going to preform an Agni-Kai. Purely ceremonial.. but they never skimped. All the way exchanging converstation, Bai and Li both stripped down, exchanging their silk vests and billowing pants for the garments of an Agni-Kai warrior. Thick pants with a wide band of scarlet at the waist and arm bands of scarlet. There feet were bare, as was their chests and hands. Both kept their golden bandanas though and quickly, covered up with scarlet robes, edged in gold.

[The Lion Turtle]

After she was dressed, Xia Feng clamored out of the wagon and into the campgrounds once again. The smell of many different foods greeted her nose, and the warmth of nearby fires (and Firebenders) filled the relatively cool Earth Kingdom air. Tarak gurgled appreciatively at their surroundings, also looking around curiously.

The people of the caravan, as Xia Feng now noticed, were a mixed lot. Many seemed of Fire Nation origin, but there were hints of Earth Kingdom traits in the physical aspects and both Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes in the objects they possessed. It was a beautiful sight to be hold, with the collage of the three nations invested in these people. Xia Feng felt at peace all at once in the light of this realization: though Firebenders, they were not at all like the other Firebenders, but it seemed as if they belonged to no nation.

She took in a deep breath as Tarak nuzzled into her bosom and curled his fingers in her dirty brown hair that lay across her shoulder. She could not spot the Twins nor their mother Juning, and so, at a loss, sat on the edge of the camp, watching all of the activity around her.

[whitecrow]

They stood next to eachother for a moment, their golden eyes sparkling as they compared themselves. Some twins wanted to be thought of as seperate individuals. Li-Wu and Bai-Wu didn't mind being thought of as one. They dressed the same, wore their hair the same, and were always together. Their personalities was were they differed. Li-Wu was quiet, a thinker. Bai-wu was all action, often running about.
Both twins would grin, their lips moving at the same time and in sync with one another. That was another thing.. they shared a bond that was unique to them and them alone.

Bai-wu left the wagon first, followed by Li-wu. They had taken time to brush out their long hair, which shone in the sun on each twin. Bai-wu, the twin with the mole under his right eye, lifted his arms up above his head, cracking his knuckles. The long sleeves of his robe fell down to his shoulders, his arms lean but toned.
Li-wu continued walking, the quiet swish-swish of the robe calming as he neared the firepit.
There was their mother, waving her wooden spoon at their father and no doubt giving him a peice of her mind. But where were the ladies?

[The Lion Turtle]

Xia Feng spotted the twin Firebenders from her spot. They were certainly very handsome to her, but one of them (she wasn't sure which) caught her attention. He was quite a bit more livelier than his brother, and she seemed drawn to him no matter where she looked. Tarak spotted the boys too, and shrieked loudly to them. He had been quite taken with their mirrored appearance at first sight, and was delighted to see them again. He stretched his chubby hands to them, blue eyes alight.

Xia Feng watched the twins, entrapt as well. They moved almost insync with one another, complimenting each other. Although twins, they had quite different personalities, Xia Feng discovered. It was like yin and yang -- almost to a tee. She sighed, thinking that they must be gods...

[whitecrow]

Bai-wu's golden eyes shifted to the side, his lips curling up into a smile. His arms were still above his head, but not for long. His left arm came swinging down as he drew his right one in. Stopping in his tracks, Bai-Wu sucked in a deep breath of air, and thrusted his fist at his Brother's face. Whisps of flame grew and swirled around his bare arm, gathering in a flaming extension of his limb.
Li-Wu, not one to fall for his brother's tricks, would strike a backflip. His hands soared over his head as his feet pushed him away from the bonds of earth. The robe fell away from his body to reveal a curving arch of muscle. The young man would then spring from his hands back to his feet, his fists at the ready as the robe fell back in place.

The two brothers stood there for a moment, deeply intent at staring at eachother. Then Bai-wu's lips broke into a smile and he straighten. Li-wu straightened as well. The two laughed at each other.

[The Lion Turtle]

Xia Feng smiled softly at the twins' antics. She stood up, straightening her dress kissing Tarak's plump cheeks. He was still intently watching the twins himself, and had given his infectious belly laugh at their performance. Xia Feng couldn't help but laugh with him.

She walked across the campgrounds to the twins, still giggling. Tarak laughed harder as she neared, making her laugh even harder. "You're talented," she said to them. "Erm... not to seem rude, but I'm afraid that I do not know which one of you is which."

Meanwhile, Tarak reached out with one plump hand to tug on one of the boys' long raven hair gently. He sqealed with delight at the touch of the silky smoothness, and attempted to stuff it into his drooling mouth.

[blackcrow]

The two young men were laughing at eachother, shaking eachother's hands as they moved forward.
"Never do that again, Brother or I may be forced --" Li-Wu paused in speech, his laughter stopping. His brother's eyes followed his, a look of mild surprise overtaking his own face before settling into a smile matching his brothers.

Both brothers dipped in shallow bows, their long hair falling from behind their shoulders to brush up against their cheeks. There was an air of playful mockery around the brothers and their movements, and even as they straightened, they did not lose those playful smiles. Together, they spoke as one "Hello there, Miss Feng." Bai-Wus voice was just a note higher than his brothers, and the two blended strangely.

At her question, the brothers looked at eachother, lifting the opposite eyebrow. Then, their gaze returned to Xia and both lifted a finger to an eye. Bai-Wu to his right eye (Left to the viewer) and Li-Wu to his left eye (Right to the Viewer). Each twin had a mole under their corresponding eye. "This is the most obvious difference, and one of the most easiest way to tell us apart for most people." Bai-Wu spoke with a grin. "Not that we want to be able to tell us apart." Li-Wu quirped in.

"Bai-Wu is the taller one too, by less than an inch."
"Li-Wu is the quieter twin."
"Bai-Wu has a scar on his stomach from a horse"
"Li-Wu's hands usually smell like metal due to his painting and the minerals he uses."
"Everything on Bai-Wu's clothing is associated with his Right Side."
"Everything on Li-Wu's clothing is associated with his Left Side."

The twins then looked back at eachother, both of their brows as furrowed as if they were trying to think of one more difference. Both their eyes lit up and they turned back to Xia once again.
"The braids."

"Right side, black bead for Bai-Wu."
"Left side, white Bead for Li-Wu."

Together again: "Does that help clear it up?"

[The Lion Turtle]

Xia Feng looked between the boys, quite amused. They were funny creatures and she gave them an amused grin, her green eyes full of laughter.

"I suppose when you put it that way, it is obvious," she replied, voice soft and quiet, especially compared to the twins'. Tarak squealed with delight and he reached out for one of them -- Xia Feng was pretty sure it was Bai-Wu -- with his plump, soft hands. "I guess baby Tarak likes you boys, too," she said, kissing Tarak's mahogany crown. She also blushed a bit at her own words, but she looked once again at the mirrored brothers before her.

"I don't suppose you'd like to hold him and give me a break?" she asked, looking hopefully between the two. Tarak curled his fingers in his mother's brown hair, still watching the twins with great delight.

[whitecrow]

Their eyebrows lifted and both twins's smiles vanished. Infact.. they looked a little perplexed at the offer. Their golden eyes turned towards eachother and then back to Xia. Both of them lifted their hands out, palms facing outward to Xia and gave indentical weak smiles.
"..We're not too good with kids.." Li-Wu chuckled softly.
"..Yeah, Mother would be more than happy to.." Bai-Wu responded, jerking his head towards the firepit.

Both twins would step up to Xia, crossing their arms behind her back and they turned her towards the crowd. "She'll watch Tarak while you have some food." The young man gave sparkling smiles to Xia, before Li-wu lifted a hand to draw the attention of their mother. It was true.. neither man was good with children... and neither wanted to be.