Wandering around is hard work <Fire Nation>

[narishma]

The water lay still in the small pond, despite the winds that whisped around the basin. He had been traveling the desserts for three days now. Travelling the wilderness for three months. Left home four months ago. Searching, searching for way too long. There were many times when he thought of giving up, but clues kept popping up here and there. Rumors and whispers that gave him hope. Hope was the only fuel that drove him.

At only 13 years old, he had left home in search of some kind of purpose. All he had ever known and believed in had been shattered and made new by one man. Jeong Jeong.

Narishma was just a kid. He had no idea what he was doing, but he knew that he could never go back and surrender himself to the Army. Still, he refused to start any kind of life, search any other path until he found Jeong Jeong. Narishma didn't know why he had to speak with him, but something in his gut told him it was the only way. And his gut feeling was usually right.

Now, he leapt into positions from side to side, out across the oasis. Fire spat every which way he jumped. He whiped out every firebending move he was ever taught until he could breath no more. Sweat came easily. Not just because of exaustion, but because of the burning sun over head.

Narishma plopped himself down on a rock near the water and kept filling his had with the cool refreshing liquid before slapping it all onto his face. Breathing heavily, narishma wondered how long his life would go on like this.

[themogget]

Birds and various bugs settled down on bushed and trees to perhaps settle down for the night, to be ready to sleep when the time came. Then they scattered as Keiji streaked through, pursued by a large bear-like creature. Keiji took as many twists and turns as he could without tiring himself, but could not lose his pursuer, who was gaining fast. He knew he had to do something, or else become dinner. So he did the most nonsensical thing possible: He turned right around and charged at the bear. Perhaps it was the sheer stupidity of this move, or the surprise that such a tiny creature would attack it, but the bear stopped in its tracks. Keiji brought his right hand up on instinct, forgetting that it wasn't covered. It connected with the bear's jaw, creating a resounding crack and soundly splitting Keiji's knuckles. The bear fell backwards to the earth like a stone as Keiji cursed and jumped from one foot to the other on the spot, trying to nurse his wounded hand.

He used his left hand to draw out one of his butterfly knives, and carefully and methodically sliced a strip of his right sleeve off. He wrapped it around his injured hand, then sheathed his knife again. By this time, the bear was beginning to stir again. Keiji quickly turned and fled through the underbrush.

Maybe I should have stayed in the army, he thought to himself. He was a fugitive, a deserter. He had fled from the army to perhaps find an end to the war, or, at the very least, find something more peaceful to do. He had stolen a canoe and left in the middle of the night, and had been running as soon as he reached the shore. Sighing, he slipped his glove on over his hand, and brushed some dirt off his pants. Perhaps he should have thought over his plan a bit more before setting out. Suddenly, he heard a noise he recognized. Someone was firebending in the vicinity.

Keiji carefully stalked through the forest until he came upon an open space with a pond in the center. An exhausted-looking teenager was sitting near the edge. The smell of burnt characoal pointed to the child as the firebender. Keiji considered his options, then decided that he should approach. After all, children were more trusting than adults...But still, Keiji kept a hand on the edge of his manriki chain just in case. He stood and walked over to the youth slowly, saying, "Hello there. If you don't mind, could you tell me where we are?"

[narishma]

Narishma was startled by the figure that slowly prowled towards him. He stood up immediately, still a little out of breath and weak in the knees. The person asked where this place was.

What kind of question is that? Isn't it obvious he's in the middle of nowhere! It's the dessert for cryin' out loud! This might turn out to be a distraction. Yeah I know what he's doing, he's trying to calm me just so my guard'll be down. Well, that won't work on me, no one takes me down without a fight!

Narishma stood in a defensive position for good measure and stared him down with a stern face as if to say "If you're expecting an easy fight, you won't be getting one".
Still trying to look ready for anything, Narishma answered curtly, "This is an oasis in the desserts just off the western coast of the Fire Nation."

As an afterthought, he looked up and added, "If you want more answers or anything, you're going to have to back away and put down your weapons. I don't sit casually with blades around."
A wise decision to set these boundaries in Narishma's eyes. The young man looked well armed and able.

[themogget]

Keiji clenched his fists for a moment angrily. He didn't like being unarmed; it was uncomfortable knowing he wouldn't be able to defend himself. But then again..."All right," Keiji murmured, strapping off his butterfly knives and setting them on the ground. "No blades." Keiji took a few steps backwards and sat down. After a moment's silence, he asked, "You're a renegade, aren't you? Running from the soldiers and the law, like myself." Before the boy could answer, he continued, "You're a pretty good firebender. Can't imagine why they'd be after you..."

[narishma]

Narishma breathed a bit easier without those knives at his side. He seemed alright, not particularly a nice guy, but a fair one just the same. Narishma let his hands fall to his sides, releasing his defensive stance, and sat himself in a crouched position on a rock. The young man assumed he was a renegade, running away.
Running? No soldiers are chasing after me. No law has a price for my head...but if I were to ever go back, the army would have me for sure. Firebenders are their top recruiting priority...Am I running?

Narishma spat at the ground and rubbed the back of his hand over his mouth.
"I'm not running." he stated with a simple matter-of-fact tone.
I'm searching.

[themogget]

The youth seemed to relax as Keiji was separated from his blades, so he replied with a nonchalant look, "Well, I'm running." Am I? What am I doing out here, anyway. Shrugging his doubts away, he queried, "If you're not being pusued, why are you alone? You're really just a child, you know...Shouldn't you be home with your mother or father?...What's your name, anyway?"

[yumi]

It was pretty quiet in the woodlands. A pretty normal day. Yumi walked along the desert, still searching. Ever since she was 19 she was searching for someone. Someone that was supposed to be in her life when she was young. Her father. Yumi ever knew her father. She only knew his name; Ukanto. Her mother, Mai never explained or even mentioned her father to her or her brother, Jinsei. Yumi never really wondered about him when she was little. She was always training or busy with other errands.

That changed when she was 19 though. She started to feel empty inside, and depressed. Seeing this, Yumi started to wonder who her father was. It never came in mind before but, now it did. She was on a mission to find him and find out another side of her life.

She was jobless. Yumi would hustle money from any street fight she could get in. Any bar brawl, any arm wrestling or drinking contest, she would do just for the money. Not out of greed but, for survival.

Now at the age of 20, she still was on her journey. Still searching for her father. Yumi never gave up hope, never stopped searching. She was always determined to find him no matter what.

Yumi grew tired of walking and sat down by a rock and tried staying out of the sun. She laid down on her back and covered her eyes with her right arm to protect her eyes from the suns rays. Yumi placed her left hand on her sai that was tucked into her belt on the side of her left hip and gripped the hilt tightly, just in case anyone came by.

[narishma]

Narishma only shot him a stern look, eyebrows furrowed and licking his lips. He kept his eyes dormant and unexpressive. For a while he said nothing, then looked back down at the pond.

"That's enough questions." he said with a curt nod. Narishma didn't feel like socializing as of now. There was sudden rustle of leaves and the sound of footsteps. Narishma looked over at the young man, distrust and accusation showed clearly on his face. I knew this guy wasn't alone.

Narishma breathed tightly and conjured a ball of fire in between his hands. If any funny business started, he'd be ready. I'm no easy meat for the slaughter.

"Is there...someone you forgot to mention out there? Huh! If you wanna fight, you've found one. Get it over with now and call out your friends so I can get going!" he taunted.

[yumi]

Yumi suddenly heard voices, not so far away but not so close either. She rose up to a sitting position and then looked around. She got onto her feet and gripped her 2 foots sais tightly and looked around cautiously. Yumi started to walk around slowly and quietly, trying to find where the voices were coming from.

She soon spotted 2 young men, one that was at least 13 to 14 years of age and the other older than the other boy, near a pond. She hid quietly, not making a sound and watched them closely, to see if they were a threat. Yumi held her sais ready and warmed her hands up a bit, in case she needed to use her fire bending.

[themogget]

"Friends? I have no friends; the only friends that I have are my blades and chain..." Keiji murmured softly, oddly calm for a man standing before a youth with a ball of fire in his hand. "But I think you have a point about the noise."

He turned his head slowly, surveying the brush carefully, looking for any sort of trace of a person. When he failed, Keiji stood, and leaned down to touch his toes to stretch. Abruptly, he straightened again, and with a swift tug, pulled his manriki chain out of its pouch and began to swing it in a wide figure-eight with one swift motion. "Forgive me," he said with an almost apologetic face, "But I don't trust anyone. Not even a youth such as yourself." And with that, he drew one of the ends in and shot out it like a whip towards the teen across from him.

[narishma]

[OOC: Apologies dude. A lot of erratic events happenin', but it's cool now. I like where you're going with this though ]

IC:

The boy made to stretch for his toes and suddenly lifted his weapons and tossed them at Narishma in one quick motion. He said something before taking the offensice, but Narishma was too distracted by dividing his focus between the boy and the sounds from out in the thicket.

There was no time to think. This is what he'd been practicing to fight against. Narishma ducked while leaping to the side and the sharp metal nicked his right arm. He stood up despite the sudden sting of pain coarsing through his arm, and put the fireball he'd summoned to use by tossing it in the air. When the ball descended, Narishma hopped up with his leg stratching outward used his firebending to 'kick' the fire towards the young rouge's left side.

"GRRR! YOU'LL REGRET THIS!"

[yumi]

Yumi's eyes widened and she started to step back a bit. Just when her right heel hit the ground, she stopped moving. She looked at both the youth and the older man. Even though she wouldn't help people most of the time, she felt like she needed to help out the young boy. She gripped her sais a bit harder and started to walk a bit slowly to them but, stopped again.

Yumi jumped up a tree quickly, without making a sound and then watched them again. She raised her sais to her face and then started to spin them slowly but, then started spinning them even quicker. She threw the sai in her right hand at the older man but, it barley missed him and it hit a tree. Yumi jumped down from the tree she was in and landed on her feet, looking at the two with cold and serious eyes. "Need some help?" Yumi said sounding a bit sarcastic yet, serious.

[themogget]

OOC: M'kay...But just so you know, a Manriki chain doesn't have any edges on it, so Keiji hasn't violated the temporary truce. A manriki chain is, well, just a chain with the ends weighted down.

---

The youth was angered by the attack; Keiji could see that written on his face. And, of course, it could also be inferred by his actions. "GRRR! YOU'LL REGRET THIS!" he yelled, as he "kicked" a fireball at Keiji. Keiji was about to twist deftly aside and let it breeze by harmlessly...But then a sudden movement in the forest made him jump forward, towards the ball of fire, and with good reason. A sai flew past, so close to hitting him that he could feel the wind on the back of his neck. Unfortunately, this put him in the line of fire...Literally. Almost immediately after the sai whirled past, the fireball slammed into his chest. It was indeed lucky that he had jumped; otherwise, the fireball would have hit him in the face. But even so, the force of the fire sent him flying backwards into a tree. With a yell, Keiji fell to the ground and began to roll, attempting to put out the fire. It left a searing, blackened hole in his shirt (and his skin, though there was no hole), which he regarded with an expression of anger and pain as he clutched a tree and struggled to rise. For a moment, he merely stood and stared sullenly at his two adversaries. "The crow calls the raven black," he finally managed to quip. "You chastise me of keeping hidden friends, yet you have a hidden one yourself. Is this your idea of fair?"