Moving on, Next stop the Earth Kingdom <Open Sea>

[ayame]

Ayame sighed and looked down at her food. So it was their fault, the sailors weren't just badly-tempered. Darnit.

Well, it figures. she thought bitterly.

Ayame then listened to Arazu, and began to feel a little better. At least he doesn't hate us, she thought semi-cheerfully. She then heard him say that it'd only take a few days to get to the Earth Kingdom.

"Only a few days?" she said, surprised, "Shorter than I expected."

Then again, she didn't really want to be stuck with a bunch of guys who hated her guts. She'd had enough of those types, thank-you-very-much. She'd rather be with people who liked her, or at least didn't know her.

Well, she might as well talk to te people that didn't hate her.

"So, Arazu, sir," Ayame said, "I bet you've seen a lot of places with the rest of the crew. Sound exciting to be on a boat."

[namha]

"Aye, lots a places, nearly everywhere 'cept the Fire Nation." Arazu said with enthusiasme as he pushed his empty plate away and leaned back, rubbing his full stomach.
"Arazu, you should tell her a story," Nam said pushing his half empty plate away as well and leaning forward, resting his head on his crossed arms, eyes half open.
"Aye, that wou'd be an excellent idea." He smiled then sat in silence. He looked up at the ceiling and remained silent for what seemed like an hour. Nam was sure Ayame was wondering when he was going to start, but he knew that Arazu always went over his story first. Remembering it, invisioning it, everything.
"It was a long time ago, I was just a swabbie then. It was a cool night near the south of the Earth Kingdom. It was fog and not at all good sailin' weather. But we was to far from the coast to go back, so we layed anchor and waited fro it to pass. But the thing is it didn't we waited for two weeks in that fog, just waiting for it to go away, and every day we waited the fog got thicker. By two weeks we couldn't see two feet in fron' of our noses. We were sure we were gunna die. We were running out of food and fresh water, and we had waited to long and were no longer sure about what direction the Earth Kingdom was. Then on night, we were all out on the boat deck, just laying about, wishing we had some sign of were to go, when we heard the voice of an old man. Bunch of us leaned o'er the deck ledge actually expecting to see something, but we only saw fog. Angry, one of the men threw me over board, like it was my fault. I didn't understand why he had done it then, but now after being out so many times I see that men on boats go a little crazy. To long with your good friends and things are looking grim, men on boats aren't sane men. Anyway, I was splashing arouns down in the fog water, it was cold as hell and I was scared half to death. I was sure I was going to die, either freeze to death of something was gunna eat me. But just as I though it was all over, I heard another splash in the water. I though the man that had pushed me had thrown another over. I looked around furiously to see them, if I was goingto die I didn't wan to die alone. The two cold hands came up behind my, grabbing me around the torso, I screamed like a frightened little girl. No offense. Imagination running away with me and all I thought it was the ghost of a sunking ship or something, comeing to take me down. I balcked out then, but when I woke up I was lying on a couch in an Earth kingdom hut, my captian hovering over me like a worried daddy. He told me everything, apparently it was him how had jumped into the water to get me and only a few hours after the fog had begun to clear up. In a day they made it back to the coast and got me to a docter as soon as possible. He said I would live, but I had him worried good. That was the first time I cried, I was so happy he had saved me I couldn't talk or think, just cry. He understood and he just smiled. It was some adventure it was, some adventure." When Arazu had finished he sat serinly, staring up at the ceiling, remembering every great thing about that day and the days that had followed. Nam just layed on the brink of sleep, smiling at the story he had loved so much as a child retold.

[ayame]

After waiting patiently (or as patiently as she herself could wait) Ayame smiled at Arazu when the story ended.

"That's one amazing near-death experience." she said. Her eyes then widened. "I mean, it's not good that you almost died, just that you.....almost died and lived.....I think that's what I mean....."

Ayame slapped her forehead. I should probably stop talking now. she thought. "Sorry," she said, "I just get a little worked up when I hear stories from people. My grandfather used to tell me things like that all the time."

She then shook her head.

"Sorry I'm going off on tangents. I do that when I'm worked up or..." Ayame yawned, "...tired."

She then looked over at Namha, who hadn't spoken since the prompting of the story. He looked positively sleepy. Ayame smiled; as much as she'd like to stay up, she was getting sleepy as well.

"Tired, Namha?" Ayame said quietly, so not to embarass him.

[namha]

"Ha, it's okay little lady, I understand exactly what you're trying to say," Arazu smiled giving Ayame a slap on the back like she was just one of the guys.
Namha lifted his head a bit when Ayame spoke to him, after a praticularly long yawn he nodded his head then followed it with, "I'm exausted,"
"Aye, i think were all a bit tired after the days events. Okay boys to bed, everyone of you," By everyone of you he meant except for the few that were to stay up and help man the ship for the first part of the night.
"Come on, kids, I had bunks set up in the cabin, somthin' special for my geusts," He gave a big smile then stood, leading the way up the stairs to the deck then through to the captians cabin.
the beds weren't much, they were basically just hamoks with pillows and blankets. there was three in their total, two on the left side and behind a pinned up sheet was a third. The one behind the sheet he was sure was for Ayame.
"There ya go, lets all get a good nights sleep, be nice and refreshed for tommorow." With that he went to one of the beds on the left side and crawled into it fully clothed, Nam followed suite.

[ayame]

Ayame smiled at Arazu, and when he wasn't looking, rubbed the part of her back where he slapped her. Oh well, at least he was nice.

Ayame follwed Arazu and Namha into the cabins. She saw the sheet hung up and giggled. Privacy on a boat, she thought, Definite perks to being a girl.

Ayame took off her parka and boots, and yawned heavily. "G'night Namha, Arazu, sir." And Ayame found it easy to fall asleep.

********

Ayame had always been a morning person. And by that she meant early morning. She wasn't sure what time it was, since there were no windows to indicate the sun. She yawned, and quietly put on her boots.

Ayame walked on deck, seeing some of the men awake and at work. The sun was pretty low, so it had to be pretty early. She walked carefully, not wanting to get in anyone's way. She said casual "good mornings" to people she passed, even though there weren't many replies.

Ayame leaned against the boat as she looked at the sky, which was still looking like the sun was rising. "Beautiful." she sighed.