On the way to Tachi Dai <Wildernes, Earth Kingdom>

[taka]

Taka opened his eyes, blinked them, and squinted. The sun was bright this morning. It had been two days since they left the 'Marching River'. He groaned, pushing off the ground and sitting up. They were in the middle of a small clearing in the forest, the remains of last night's fire still smoking. Taka tossed his blanked off him, and crawled over to his bag, folding it up, and stuffing it inside. He then checked around until he found breakfast: biscuits. Yay.

He sighed. Only another half day until he was back home. Yasu was probably going to stay at the Inn with he and his family. He pulled out 4 biscuits, which, he thought, should be enough. He usually ate 2, and Yasu could eat about that much. He sat down and crossed his legs, looking around. The sunlight had filtered through the trees, and the air was still. That was welcome. He enjoyed warm mornings. The sun DID have it's place, he conceded in his thoughts.

He looked over at Yasu. She was at peace for once, and she loooked... vulnerable. Almost cute. He felt himself smile. She'd apparently gotten over her shock of the battle, and the past two days had gone well, though they hadn't spoken much. There wasn't much to talk about.

Taka got up and walked over to her. He knelt down, grabbed her shoulder, and shook her gently. "Yasu, it's morning," he said quietly. He held out two biscuits. "Breakfast?" he asked witha smirk. He knew she was getting tired of these biscuits, as was he. He couldn't wait to be home; his mother was a wonderful cook.

[yasu]

Yasu was sitting at a camp fire, poking at it with a stick. The forest clearing she was in was unusual...the trees a strange red-orange color...and the grass that could be seen looked as if it had been scorched by flames. It was night. And she was alone. So utterly alone. She heard something crack behind her and she turned her head that way. Nothing was there. Just red trees and scorched grass. Hesitant, she stood and began walking toward the tree line but stopped short when the clearing suddenly changed. Now, instead of being in a forest, she was inside a sort-of cafeteria like room. The flooring was wood, the walls wood, the tables wood. And there was food.

For some reason, Yasu was thankful that it wasn't biscuits. Instead, it was fried chicken-hog and milk-butter with roasted cow-ducks on a platter. And the drinks looked good, too. Everything looked so delicious. Looked so wonderfully delicious. And then suddenly someone else was there with her. And holding out a biscuit. And Yasu realized, that this person was a young man. He seemed familiar. And as he came closer, she realized, he was Taka. 'What are you doing here?' she asked.

She felt something shake her slightly. 'Yasu, its morning,' Taka said, as he held up a platter filled to the top with biscuits. The food behind her on the tables began to dissipate into dust, and the area around her along with it, leaving only her and Taka. 'Breakfast'...

Yasu shot up bolt right. It hadn't been a nightmare, in fact, the food had looked absolutely real. Yasu looked at Taka, who was knelt down beside her holding out two biscuits with a stupid little smirk on his face. Yasu had a sudden inkling to just slap that smirk right off his face. But instead she grimaced. "Thank you," she said softly as she took the biscuits from him. She looked at him closely. They had been traveling two days now. Together. It hadn't been so bad. But then again, they had hardly said anything to each other sense leaving the 'Marching River'.

With a defeated sigh she looked down at the biscuit with scrutiny. But she shrugged and bit into the biscuit, after swallowing, she looked back at Taka. "How much farther, do you think?" If she had any arrows, she would have been able to kill something about now and cook it over the fires they had at night. But no, her arrows were gone. And she was practically defenseless.

She hated that feeling.

[taka]

He looked ahead down the road, and sighed. She was a bit angry with him...he probably should have just let her wake up on her own. Oh well.

"About another half day. Then we can eat something other than week-old biscuits." he sighed, and bit into one of his discontentedly. It didn't taste bad; he was used to eating these. To him, when he was traveling, food was food.

But this wasn't... food. It was... something else.

And whatever it was, he was tired of it. When he got home, his mother would cook him up a nice big duck-cow, and marinate it, with maybe some fried rice on the side, and even some vegetables in that... and then some nice pie for dessert...

His stomach grumbled thinking about it. He flushed, embarrased, and murmured, "Sorry..."

He quickly ate the rest of his first biscuit, and then began to think about the path ahead. There was only one road, and it was fairly wide from here on out. They were bound to meet travelers who were a bit less forgiving to Yasu than most people were. He'd need to find a way to keep her eyes out of sight... but then again, she'd make the trek once, right? It would probably be fine.

Unless they ran into some earthbenders who were trying to make themselves feel important, but that was another story. He chuckled to himself, and took another bite. This wasn't going to be all that bad.

After he finished his biscuit, he got up, and shouldered his bag. "Ready?" he asked Yasu.

[yasu]

It hadn't occurred to Yasu that she was being a bit rude, but she was so hungry. And she was so tired. She thought she deserved a good rest. But she knew that she would get anything but rest and good food when they reached Tachi Dai. She'd most likely meet up with the head of her small Rebel group, and then be sent to head-quarters for questioning. She hadn't been the wisest--or the calmest--when she had been captured. She had told the Water Tribesmen about the Rebellion. Of course, they might have heard about it either way...but still...it would have been a slim chance. The Rebellion was big on secrecy.

"About another half day. Then we can eat something other than week-old biscuits." Her mouth watered slightly at the thought of real food, and her mind was brought back to her dream. Why had it been Taka carrying the biscuits? Probably because he was the one with the food in the first place, Yasu thought dryly.

She was lost in thought of marvelous roasted chicken and banana custard pie when Taka's stomach growled and his murmured words brought her back. "Hmm?" she looked at him curiously, on her last biscuit already. She was becoming such a pig. She self-consciously readjusted herself, eying the biscuits dejectedly.

She knew what was bound to come on the road, and just as Taka was considering the possibilities, as was she. She had kept well off the roads when she was tracking that small Fire Nation army. As were they. But, hey, she would have attracted some attention! (As they would have). She kept to trees at night. And kept to tall bushes during the day. She had been tracking for some time, if she remembered correctly. It had become habit to just hide in brush and such. And she was a good climber. Being out in the open like this...it was...an old habit coming anew.

"Ready?" She looked up at him and stood with the ease of a drunk earth-bender. She stumbled slightly, caught herself, and then her face broke out into a tired smile. "Sorry," she said as she swung her bow over her shoulder. And with that, she was walking. She glanced back at Taka and waved slightly to him, as if to say, 'Well, you're too slow so I'm going now.' She realized her hair must be a mess, and she frowned as she slowly untied her low ponytail, letting the black strands fall from the entanglement.

As quickly as the hair was down, it was back up again, this time in a higher ponytail. She couldn't wait to get to the Inn in Tachi Dai. They have baths there, right? she sighed hopefully. She still felt the blood from the fight on her cheek. She wanted a real bath to get it off.

[taka]

He smiled and started walking himself. He had plenty to look forward to... the soccer game was coming up soon, and his mothers cooking. His friends would be waiting for him, and he had plenty of catching up to do with Arai. They'd need to discuss strategy for the game against their rivals, Tachi Dai Northwest. Taka's team, Tachi Dai North, was undefeated so far, at 2-0. They'd need to keep good for the game against the team from Northwest; they were also undefeated.

He scuffed his feet along the ground, imagining himself kicking the ball in the goal. The games were all played by non-benders, at least in Tachi Dai. He'd heard rumors that in Ba Seng Sei, there were earthbenders who played it. But there weren't here, and that's what mattered.

He took a deep breath. He still had half a day with Yasu. But he had so much to look forward to.

Life would be pretty good. At least for him.

What about Yasu?

"Hey Yasu?" he called. "What will you do once we get back? To Tachi Dai, I mean."

[yasu]

She heard the scuffing of feet from behind and knew he was following. Of course he was. Where else would he go? His life was probably in Tachi Dai. She crossed her arms over her cheset in thought, tilting her head slightly downward. Yeah, he was probably born and raised there. Lucky him. She couldn't help but feel a bit of bitterness toward that--he could actually live where he grew up. She, on the other hand, had no choice but to stay away from her family. They were in a whole different Nation. A Nation she was fighting to free. She couldn't put her friends and family from way-back-when in danger. She couldn't stand to see them.

So she walked to the only place she knew she'd be slightly welcomed: Tachi Dai. Sure, she was a traveler. But she mostly stayed within her Rebellion group, and kept herself separated from the others. A Rebel life wasn't all what it was couped up to be. It was hard getting along.

"Hey Yasu?" she paused and glanced back at him, to see him scuffing his feet on the ground. She recognized the movement. She had a few times watched some of the Rebellion boys play a game called soccer, that came from the Earth Nation. He was moving as if a ball were in front of him. She thought he looked like a goof. "What will you do once we get back? To Tachi Dai, I mean."

She stopped walking completely and waited for him to catch up to her as she thought. After a moment, she continued walking once more and spoke, "Rest, I guess. Rest and wait. I...well...you know...told them about the Rebellion..." Yasu crossed her arms over her chest once more as she looked at the path bellow her feet, "I'm sure there will be some sort of consequence. But...I'll probably just get a bunch of heck from my group leader. So, I guess all I'm going to be doing is sitting and waiting at Tachi Dai...until they give me something else to do." She looked back at him. She had only been to Tachi Dai once or twice.

"And you? What will you do?"

[taka]

Yasu stopped a moment, then kept going. "Rest, I guess. Rest and wait. I...well...you know...told them about the Rebellion...I'm sure there will be some sort of consequence. But...I'll probably just get a bunch of heck from my group leader. So, I guess all I'm going to be doing is sitting and waiting at Tachi Dai...until they give me something else to do."

At that moment, his brain finally clicked, and he remembered that he was supposed to tell Yasu something. But just as he was about to, she began to speak again. "And you? What will you do?"

He decided to answer that first. "Well, I'll probably help my Dad around the Inn. You've been there, right? It's the biggest one on the north side. Since you're staying there, you could help too, if you wanted." He continued scuffing his feet. "Oh yeah! And then the big game against Northwest is in a few days! Come and watch us win, will you?" He grinned at her.

"Oh yeah... and I forgot to tell you! My dad's our new group leader. He probably won't give you too much crap, so don't worry about it."

He continued to move around like he had a ball at his feet. He knew he looked stupid, but there was just nothing else to do. And he loved the game so much.

He continued walking just behind her, and then chuckled. "Have you ever seen soccer before?" he asked.

[yasu]

As she walked, she listened. She was good at listening. He was still scuffling his feet, she noticed. It was probably because he was bored, as she was. "Well, I'll probably help my Dad around the Inn. You've been there, right? It's the biggest one on the north side. Since you're staying there, you could help too, if you wanted. Oh yeah! And then the big game against Northwest is in a few days! Come and watch us win, will you?" She looked at him wide-eyed; he was an optimist, wasn't he? It wasn't a question, per se. More like a decision. He must be an optimist; he was just so full of energy. How can he be like that on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere?

But his grin was enough to make her smile slightly as well. But before she could answer his question, he went on. "Oh yeah... and I forgot to tell you! My dad's our new group leader. He probably won't give you too much crap, so don't worry about it." Her eyes widened further. His father...was their group leader? That...was... Well, lucky would be an understatement because their last group leader had been a donkey (metaphorically speaking, of course).

He was walking just behind her, and she thought that perhaps he was waiting for a reaction to what he had said. So as she opened her mouth to speak once more, he was already talking again, a little chuckle in his voice. "Have you ever seen soccer before?" he asked.

She turned around and walked backward, watching him as he moved his body as if there were a ball on the ground to kick around. "Only once or twice...but it was when I was younger...my first years at the Rebellion." She frowned in thought, and then smiled slightly, "There's no soccer in the Fire Nation, I'm pretty sure. It seemed like a fun game. I can't wait to watch you all play. How long have you been playing soccer?" She wanted to keep conversation going, which was unlike her. Just today...she felt the need to get to know him. If she was going to be in Tachi-Dai, she would have to know someone there, right?

[taka]

She turned around, and walked backwards, watching him. "Only once or twice...but it was when I was younger...my first years at the Rebellion." She frowned, seemingly in thought, and then smiled again. "There's no soccer in the Fire Nation, I'm pretty sure. It seemed like a fun game. I can't wait to watch you all play. How long have you been playing soccer?"

How long had he been playing? Easy answer! "All my life!" he answered quickly. He was happy they were finally talking about something. It was nice to have something to talk about. "When I first played, it wasn't such a big deal in Tachi Dai. But then some people came through from Ba Seng Sei who could play, and everyone loved it. And we still play it all the time. There's about 10 teams in the city, with mostly kids, since we're the ones that learned it first." He wanted to tell her the whole story, so he started it out right.

"We first made the team TD North because we wanted a team all to the rebellion. And, as a matter of fact," he said, grinning, "We chose the color red. Most people thought we were crazy, but we knew what it was about, and it was just a different color. We first played against Northwest that year... about 10 years ago? And we beat them 3-1. But they injured Arai, one of my best friends, because they sucker punched him. That's when the rivalry started. Every year since then has been tight games. They've been playing up the next game like crazy. It's between the only two undefeated teams, so it's understandable. We beat Northeast 1-0 and Southeast 2-1, so we're pretty hot right now, but Northwest smashed West 10-0, and beat East 3-0, so we're up against a good team."

But he was still smiling. "But we can take em!" He pumped his fist, laughing.

[yasu]

The answer to her question came swift and easy. All his life. All his life. Must be nice to have a hobbie like that. He seemed so dedicated too, as he seemed happy to even be talking about the sport. "When I first played," he said, "it wasn't such a big deal in Tachi Dai. But then some people came through from Ba Seng Sei who could play, and everyone loved it. And we still play it all the time. There's about 10 teams in the city, with mostly kids, since we're the ones that learned it first." Yasu nodded, still walking backward. She was eager for any conversation they could come up with. She had realized that Taka was different from most Earth Kingdom citizens. He seemed not to mind too much that she was Fire Nation. She was relaxed by that thought. She was tired of being pin-pointed because of her ethnicity.

As he continued on with the story of how soccer came to Tachi Dai, she listened full-heartedly. Interested in the game, interested in how he and his team starte, interested in anything, really. She found herself nodding in approvement as he spoke of how they were on their winning-streak, and she really did find herself eager to see the game against their rival team. "We beat Northeast 1-0 and Southeast 2-1, so we're pretty hot right now, but Northwest smashed West 10-0, and beat East 3-0, so we're up against a good team," Taka said eagerly, and, still smiling, he said, "But we can take em!"

When he pumped his fists in the air, Yasu found herself laughing along with him and she swung back around, walking normal now but with her arms behind her back and a small smile on her face. It was a clear day, and with the morning sun shinning, she was in a good mood. She glanced back at him, "It all sounds so intense. I can't wait!" She wanted to know more about soccer, but was unsure on how to ask. In the end, however, she did. "So what about the game? Is it true that you can only use feet?"

[taka]

"It all sounds so intense. I can't wait! So what about the game? Is it true that you can only use feet?"

He bobbed his head back and forth, as if trying to decide between two equally appetizing entrees. "Well, yes and no. You can only use your feet to move the ball, but you can use any other part of your body, except your arms and hands of course, to move the ball. It's common to use your head when the ball is in the air. But most of the time, we just use our feet." He smiled up at her. "My friend Arai is really good at using his head. In this one game, I crossed it-... er... that means that I kicked it into the air...

...

After another few hours of conversations, they were still on soccer. Yasu had wanted to know everything about it, and they were currently talking about the different ways to attack a flat defensive line.

"The best way is a through ball. You pass it between the defenders, into space, and then a forward can run onto it... WE'RE HOME! OH YEAH!" He jumped up and down, grinning. They were really home. The city loomed in the distance, just a short distance, and he quickly sprinted ahead. "Last one there's a rotten ostrich horse egg!" he yelled.

~::Taka has left for Tachi Dai::~

[yasu]

Hours had passed, but it felt like only a few minutes. She had been so engrossed in their conversation! And it was about a sport! Soccer! And she was actually talking to a boy! Without blushing! She felt somewhat accomplished by this fact and the smile that graced her lips proved it. She was proud of herself. And the conversation kept her mind off of other, more important things. She was still doubtful of how she would be welcomed byt e group leader. Secrecay was a big thing in the Rebellion. Taka knew his father, but she didn't. She was pretty sure she had never met the owner of that Inn. She was pretty sure.

And before she could get another thought through her head, someone yelled and she looked up. "Last one there's a rotten ostrich horse egg!" he yelled as he took off running. Yasu frowned; she would have to be the rotten egg, then, because she was still hesitant on going to Tachi Dai. But her feet wouldn't listen to reason, and she was running behind him, laughing.