Dispatched <Zhy, Earth Kingdom>

[luxuan]

After being dropped off by the soldiers that escorted him to Zhy, Lu Xuan reviewed his map as well as his notes.
"So this is Zhy." He said softly to himself.
The bustling city consisted of numerous shops and street vendors that can be found around every cornor. Nowhere did he see any soldiers other than the ones that escorted him. Xuan was rather nervous at travelling on his own. He was not used to the crowded and rather "lowly" style of this city. The years he has spent in the castle and the upper ring in Ba Sing Se has definitely sculpted his perception of thinking.
"So... you guys aren't going to come along, are you?" Lu Xuan turned to the two soldiers who hopped aboard their ostrich horse.
"Sorry kid. Our orders were to take you here and return to the capital. Escorts will arrive in a months time to take you back." One of the soldiers responded.
"One month? Had I known I would have to wait a month, I would've brought some books with me."
"Sorry. If you don't want to wait, then walk back yourself. Orders are orders." The soldier kicked his ostrich horse; he and his partner rode off with the carriage and was out of sight.

Lu Xuan was alone in this city. Although there are many people here and there, he can't help but feel totally lost. Without any time to waste, Lu Xuan proceeded towards the marketplace to begin his search for information.

[kio]

Lai Fao stepped to the side as the two ostrich-horse riding soldiers went by the road. She kept her head low as they went by, her sakkat straw hat hiding her eyes. It's not like anyone would recognize her... she was no one in the Earth Kingdom, and even in the Fire Nation, she wasn't anyone that important... just the daughter of a nameless hero, and a noble, but none of that mattered here.

Lai Fao kept on her way to Zhy, it was just another location on her way... her goal was Ba Sing Se. It had been two months since she arrived in the Earth Kingdom, and it would probably be a while longer before she reached her destination... and even longer before she could make her mark in the Earth Kingdom's greatest city. This didn't bother Lai Fao... it was what she had trained her entire life to do. Even if she was working without specific orders at the moment, it was still an honor to her.

As she arrived at the city limits, she walked past Lu Xuan, noticing the man looked rather lost. She stopped, raising the front of her straw hat slightly so she could look at his eyes without interruptions, "Hey... you seem kind of lost." she smiled and chuckled, "I'm lost too! My father always said that the best way to travel into the unknown is with someone else, even if it's a stranger..." she shook her head slightly, "but before I even suggest walking into this city together, I'd rather present myself. My name is Lai Fao Yuu." she half bowed, "and who might you be, sir?"

[luxuan]

Lu Xuan stumbled as he saw a girl stop in front of him. He was rather nervous, having no experience with conversations. All he talked to was the book keeper and, if he was lucky, his master. He smiled towards the stranger who introduced herself as Lai Fao.

"I'm Lu Xuan. It's nice to know that I'm not the only person who is completely lost. I haven't been here before. I'm just trying to get used to the place since I'm apparently going to spend a month here. Are you, by any chance, looking for something?"

He scratched his head as he was talking, trying to take in the fact that he was not in the upper ring anymore. He pointed towards the bustling bazaar that practically the whole populace was drawn to.

"Perhaps we should start walking in the bazaar?"

[kio]

Lai Fao shook her head, "not really looking for anything. I'm just on my way to Ba Sing Se... my home town was destroyed by the Fire Nation." she sighed softly, but then shook her head again, "...but, nothing bad happens without a reason... it's lead me to an adventure. Not like I had that many belongings to loose anyway." she laughed.

"Don't feel too bad, this is my first time here too." she looked over to the bazaar, then nodded, "yeah, we should probably head over. It's a good place to find out what's where. Personally I'm going to need to find the cheapest inn... I'm dying to sleep in a real bed after days of camping."

[luxuan]

"Isn't it convenient? I was dispatched from a checkpoint belonging to Ba Sing Se; I'm here on duty. If you need some help getting to Ba Sing Se, escorts will be coming around a month to take me back. You are welcome to come along then."

Lu Xuan began walking alongside Lai Fao towards the bazaar. He was surprised at how packed the bazaar was up close and had trouble squeezing through the crowd.

"An inn? A cheap in?" Lu Xuan thought. He has never stayed in a place so trivial and so out of loop that he thought it was just awkward for one to even find a cheap inn comfortable. "You must let me provide you with a place to stay. Surely you don't find a cheap in comfortable!"

Lu Xuan had no idea where the best inns were or even where he was for that matter. He looked around for any signs of a potential place to sleep and spotted a rather well-sized building with beautiful pots of flowers placed alongside the doors. A sign was placed in front of the door that convenietly said "Guests welcomed". He spotted a few more places located around the same area, but none as comfortable looking as the one with flowers.

[kio]

"A month here?" she looked about, "...I was thinking of making this more of a passage... but I suppose an escort would be alright. Otherwise it would take me about a month to get there." she chuckled softly.
As Lu Xuan offered, or rather politely insisted, in getting her a room in a decent inn, Yun Fei blinked. She actually blushed faintly, "Oh! No, no... I would hate to be such a bother. All I need is a roof and a good hay stack and I'll be fine." the invitation was indeed quite welcoming, though.
"...though if you insist... I'd hate to offend you by denying your offer." she bowed, "But if I am to accept your offer, I shall work for my stay. While in your duty here in Zhy, I shall help you in any way I can, in exchange for the room bill." she smiles at him, "you must understand it is a matter of honor. If I am to accept your kindness, then I should offer my own help and insist upon it."

[luxuan]

Lu Xuan was quite puzzled. People in the upper ring would've jumped at the opportunity to free load off someone else, yet, this girl didn't.

"Um... if that's how you feel. I honestly cannot see someone staying in a cheap place because they can't afford to. We should go into that one over there and rent a room. I also need to purchase a few things while I am here. You don't have to come of course. I'm sure you'll be bored, although, I have no idea where the bookstore could possibly be."

Lu Xuan gave a little smile before he began walking towards the inn. The inn itself is rather nice and down-to-earth. He liked the fact that the inn did not have too many people, but it had enough so that people don't feel alone. He rented two rooms and gave Lai Fao a key.

[kio]

Lai Fao nodded and smiled. She followed Lu Xuan into the inn, and bowed slightly when the key was handed to her. She pocketed the key, "well, I'm going to drop this bag in my room... would it be a bother to ask you to wait for me? I don't know this town either, and I'd like to explore... might as well do it together, that is, if it's not a bother to you." she smiled.

Lai Fao's manners where indeed those of a warrior and a noble mixed together... showing both grace and honor. They where the perfect mask for her true intentions... though Lu Xuan was easy on the eyes, which made this entire situation easy on her.

[luxuan]

"Sure." Lu Xuan replied politely, not noticing anything suspicious. He was, after all, pretty much clueless in the outside world. As he waited for Lai Fao, he turned to the innkeeper and asked for directions to different areas of the town. Lu Xuan figured that it would be easy for him to take note of the population first as well as economical data. He had to get the boring things out of the way first.

He drew the directions the innkeeper gave him on a scroll and thanked the innkeeper for his service. Lu Xuan decided that it would be better if he read while waiting. He took out a scroll, nicely named Guide to Economy, and began reading. His eyes moved very quickly across the scroll and his eyebrows scrunched in concentration. To him, this is light reading.