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Post by jialingjin on Jul 20, 2006 0:53:43 GMT -5
Jialing sat near the bow of the Kai's ship. Her back was against the wooden railings, her arms curled through the pillars. Her head was cast downward, some of her light colored hair blowing against her face. Jin was sprawled at her feet, Jia's legs piled over his golden body. The smell of salt hovered in the air. They had a long trip back to the Earth Kingdom. She didn't even know where they were going.. where Reed's home town was. She wondered.. was it anywhere near her own hometown Lochan? A quirky smile crossed her lips. Jialing's intended, the young man her parents were trying to arrange something with, was from a nearby village. What if it had been Reed?
Reality hit Jialing like a sack of ostrich horse eggs and her head shot up. What was she doing thinking these things?! Her head dipped again with a growl.. and she picked more at the severed rope in her hand.
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Post by reed on Jul 20, 2006 10:28:43 GMT -5
Kai was walking past Reed up to the wheel as he tossed a role of gauss to Reed. "Might want to clean your self up," Kai offered taking his place at the wheel. Reed looked at the palm of his hand. They were still cut up and blistered. Reed sat on the stairs ( the ones to get to the platform where the wheel is) and stated to unravel so gauss. He had washed off his hands before and cleaned them up with a cotton ball, so now he just wrapped gauss around he palm of his hands. The first one was easy, but the other one came with slight difficulties. Though Reed eventual got it and his hand were wrapped. Reed stood up and began to walk below deck, "Medic room?" He asked holding the Gauss. Kai nodded and Reed walked below deck to reurn the Gauss to its original place.
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Post by jialingjin on Jul 20, 2006 12:46:30 GMT -5
The rope lay in threads around her, Jin having rolled on to his back long ago as he lay dreaming. His tongue rolled out of his mouth, paws twitching in the air occasionally as he dreamt of chasing rabbits or something. Jialing's head had rolled back, resting agianst the railing of the the ship deck. She peered through the decorative bow, a mermaid carved into the front. Wow.. this.. was boring. With the sails trimmed and the boat moving at fine speed, the young woman could not swing from shroud to shround and scurry along the booms. However, she could go find and harasse a crew member.. Jialing pulled herself to her feet with a grunt, stepping over the long body of Jin, scolding the pup for his lazy carefree attitude as he slept under her breath. Jialing swayed from side to side on the ship, regaining her sealegs in a moment and enough balance to walk straight.
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Post by reed on Jul 21, 2006 0:56:13 GMT -5
Reed had set the gauss back in to its original place. Reed walked back up the stairs to the deck and up to Kai. “Is there anything I can do?” Reed said letting his patience get the best of him. Kai pondered the question for a moment, “Not. . Really. . . .” He said leaning against the wheel, “ My crew has every thing taken care of.” A large sigh escaped Reed’s lips. Nothing to do. Reed thought. Kai leaned up again, “Oh, well you could feed the ostrich-horse. They’re probably a little lonely,” He said looking over out on his deck to Jialing, “You can take her too if ya want,” Kai said gestering towards the young woman, “ ’Ey! Jialing, why don’ cha’ go feed some ostrich-horse with Reed!” He hollered over the distance.
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Post by jialingjin on Jul 21, 2006 1:25:20 GMT -5
She lifted her head and while Jialing gave Kai a look of massive disgust, inside she was delighted at the thought of Ostrich-Horses. It seems, Jialing was not as taken with Kai as she had been when they first met. Perhaps it was his attitude, the circumstances they had met under again, either way the hand gesture she flashed him was far from a "Hey! Thanks!".
Jialing neared the two men, and stopped short of them, looking up where they stood on another deck level. She crossed her arms over her dull green tunic, the chest peice folded over and held with fake golden clasps. Her weight shifted to one foot, her bony hip protruding opposite of it. "So, boys.. Ostrich horses it is then." She gave them a wave over her head, bowing her head forward as she stepped forward and disappeared into a stairwell that led down to the levels below the main deck. The Ostrich-horses would be housed in the middle of the ship, on one of the lower levels, among the food stores probably.
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Post by reed on Jul 21, 2006 1:38:47 GMT -5
Reed followed Jialing down. Aw the good times. Leaving Kai to his thoughts about what he had done wrong, how he could have prevented this moment and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Kai blew a strand of his shaggy, shoulder length, dark hair. “Well…!” He said pausing a slight second. “. . .You would..” Reed followed jailing through to the center of the ship. It’s like she knew where everything was. Reed had stopped at a near by room to pick up some rags in case of the ostrich-horse needed a good brush off. The two entered the room and to find what: nine ostrich horses, three pig-cows, a lot of hay and some feed over to the right. . . . It's like having a farm in a ship. Being at sea, and at land at the same time.
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Post by jialingjin on Jul 21, 2006 11:10:10 GMT -5
When you had been on one ship, you've been on them all. Layouts were so similiar between vessels, it was simple to figure out where to go. Plus the reeking smell of pig-cows.. and well it was easy to find. Jialing took a deep breath of the mold-filled air, the ship was waterlogged, and moist. She scrunched up her face and sighed heavily, hands on her hips. "The Fire Nation ships are sooooooo much better.." Jialing mumbled. Indeed, she had been on a few Fire Nation vessels, two to be exact. That had been interesting. All metal ships, no wood.. they were baren and stark, the only decorations tapestries and things hung on the wall. They had none of the rich wood carvings some of the more orante Earth Kingdom ships did.. not that Kai's ship was one of them. She turned to Reed and reached out a hand. "Grab a few brushes too. We wipe the feathers with the rags, brush the fur with the brushes. .. My brother had an Ostrich-horse.."
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Post by reed on Jul 21, 2006 11:49:19 GMT -5
Reed did as he was told and took some brushes as well he usually just used towels but what ever. "I didn't know you had a brother," Reed said a few feet behind Jialing. Once they were in Reed opened one of the gates to the ostrich-horse pens. Clipping the sides of the reins to the ropes going across the area, Reed took out a handful of feed and lay his hand out palm up as the ostrich-horse gobble it up. "So want the feather half or the fur half . . . .?" Reed asked after he made sure the knots were strong so the bird creature couldn't wriggle out of it.
Reed could hear the sails fluttering in the wind as if they were amazingly large flags. By the looks of it, they were making good time with the weather. Hopefully through the whole trip. . .
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Post by jialingjin on Jul 21, 2006 12:04:01 GMT -5
"..I have two brothers. Daichi and Goro." Jialing confessed with a scowl as she lifted the brush from Reed's hand. She turned quickly and stepped around to the front of the Ostrich-horse they were tending to. With a gentle and soft touch, she slipped an arm under his beak and began to brush the dirt and grime away from the soft cooing creature's eyes. "Mother's pride and joy.. all because they settled themselves nicely into marriages with well to do village girls and continued to work on the farm." Jialing's expression grew harsh at the memories of her 'perfect' brothers. Oh yeah, they were always perfect, despite teaching her how to run and play like a boy, when Mother would much rather keep her locked up and seated at a loom. "Goro taught me how to shoot, and Daichi taught me to never trust a male."
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Post by reed on Jul 21, 2006 12:23:58 GMT -5
Reed let the brush slide out of his hands as Jialing grabbed it. "righhtt. . . . I wanted to feathers anyway," Reed muttered as he continued to listen to Jialing turning harsh tone.
"Well I'm sure you guys probably had a load of good times," Reed started, "I didn't have any brothers or sisters growing up. Just , once in a while, some really weird cousins, crazy aunts, and my mom and dad." He thought, "And Kai. . . . He was kinda like an older brother I guess, being a couple years older than me."
Reed listened to the last few sentences Jialing had said.Never trust a male? Oh yeah. . . Those are great life lessons. Reed thought sarcastically. so I'm guessing I'm not very trusted.. . . .Reed thought once more. Reed began to wipe the feathers softly, getting rid of loose feathers and such.
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Post by jialingjin on Jul 21, 2006 12:35:58 GMT -5
"Heh.. Good times until they decided they were too old to play with their little sister anymore. Then Mother swooped in and chained me to a loom basically. Day in, Day out, working on tapestries and textiles.." Jialing flicked her brush lightly over the bones of the ostrich-horses face, lifting away dirt, dust and loose hair. Her hand scratched the beak of the creature softly as she continued to scowl, her anger driving her work. "..Then Mother wanted me to marry one of Father's friend's boys from the neighboring village.. Yeah.. I left then. Well before finding out even what his name was." She muttered some rude names under her breath directed towards her nameless betrothed. Jialing finished the creature's face, listening in silent to Reed as they exchanged life-stories. She stepped around behind the Ostrich-horse, keeping a hand on the smooth feathers till she reached the tail, which was hair. She lifted the long lenghts of hair into her arm and began to brush through the tangles.
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Post by reed on Jul 21, 2006 13:10:39 GMT -5
Reed chuckled, " I remember my aunt wanted to set me up with some girl. She tried to talk my parents in to it since I was around six or seven, but they weren't really for it. My aunt was always talking about how to strengthen the family through villages. God, what a nut case. But my aunt was just really anal 'cause she didn't have any kids to arrang people to marry." Reed thought for a moment, "I wonder what happened to the old broad.. . . . . I wonder if she died. . . ." Reed shrugged, "All the more reason to go home and find out. Lots of loose feathers fluttered to the ground from the ostrich horse. He was liking all this attention. Probably was depribed of it, in one way or another. "What about you? You haveany crazy relatives?" Reed asked continuing his work.
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Post by jialingjin on Jul 21, 2006 13:29:29 GMT -5
"Crazy as in clinically cookoo? Or crazy as in I can't stand them?" Jialing lifted a brow as she continued to brush out the tail of the Ostrich-horse. "Not really.. Both sets of Grandparents died early.. and My uncles and aunts live too far away for me to know them." She tore at a particulary hard tangle, her lip curling into a sneer. "My mother is the worst.. I hate her." Jialing dropped the ostrich-horses's tail, having finished with the hair and tail. She straightened, her back cracking and moved outside of the stall. She brushed stray hair from her chest and stomach, wrinkling her nose. "Great.. instead of smelling like salt water.. I'm going to smell like ostrich-horse." She swung around a wood beam to the next stall, offering out a hand to the Ostrich-horse as she slipped in and began to brush the second one's face.
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Post by reed on Jul 21, 2006 16:16:01 GMT -5
Reed found Jialing's words a little hard to beleive. "How can you hate your mother?" He said hanging a rag over his shoulder unclipping the ostrich horse closing the gate behind him moving to the next one Jialing had already started on, then soon continuing the conversation, "It's possible to dislike her, but to hate her? There are a lot of things you can feel from your mom.. . . . . But enough to hate her?" Reed couldn't seem to comprehend this. His mother was like his best friend. well. . .. A little more mom, but that wasn't the point. He couldn't imagine a world when he hated his own mother. "I'm sure that .. . . . . . . ." Reed disided not to say anything. He didn't know the situation and didn't want to affend her in any way.
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Post by jialingjin on Jul 24, 2006 0:05:11 GMT -5
"Easily. When she complains about everything you've ever done, do, and will do." Jialing muttered, though her voice held a sad and disappointing tone. She dropped her head, focusing on her work with the ostrich horse.. her mother wasn't a topic she chose to talk about often. "..Father wasn't much better either. They're why I left..and why I'm stuck on a ship brushing ostrich-horses."
Jialing gave a weak chuckle and shook her head, laughing at the circumstances. "Jin is the only one who has never critized me.."
Lifting her head, she leaned against the neck of the ostrich-horse and glanced towards Reed.
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