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Post by mulaqi on Nov 14, 2008 1:54:04 GMT -5
As Manju, thankfully removed herself from him, Muqali slowly sat up, cracking his neck before getting back into his chair. She was as enthusiastic as ever, that was for sure. As he finally returned to his previous position, Manju asked a question. Well, maybe. He couldn’t tell if she was serious or just making a really, really bad joke. The three sand nomad men just starred at her blankly. Muqali blinking as though the sentence were a mirage.
“You are strange,” Askaa said finally, breaking the silence.
Soon after, Nasrin spoke up, "I don't suppose my luck's improved enough that you boys rode into town on a sand sailor..."
Before anyone got the chance to reply, a waitress came and Nasrin placed an order, and an expensive one. Ice wasn’t exactly easy to make in the desert. Naturally, though, Muqali was unconcerned with such a thing, nor observant enough to see the look of caution that Gansukh was giving him.
“Actually, yeah, we do,” Muqali answered. “Gansukh here is a sandbender.”
He thumbed over to Gansukh, who seemed to look none too pleased about Muqali’s frank attitude. Muqali didn’t know why he was always so paranoid, even around people Muqali knew. What was the harm in giving them a ride?
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Post by manju on Nov 19, 2008 17:07:42 GMT -5
Fortuitous. It seemed the large one, first recipient of Manju's terror, was a sandbender. Curious, Manju wondered why the man simply didn't use his bending to keep the strange Igni at a safe distance. She knew that if she was born with the ability to bend fire, she'd use it for any given reason - just think how much more handy something more tangible like earth could be? She'd never have to walk across a room to get something ever again if she were able to slide the ground below closer to her - assuming her floors were made of dirt, sand, or something else bendable. So much time saved for when she made cookies!
Manju didn't understand why Gansukh seemed so concerned when Muqali mentioned his sandbending ability, as well as their mode of transportation through the desert. It was a conundrum indeed, but probably more of one if Manju cared more greatly.
But now wasn't the time to worry about anything, rather than sitting to wait patiently while everyone finished their drinks. Manju still opted out of getting any sort of alcohol in her system, lest one of those inevitable bar fights occur while she were there and drunkenness cause her to lose one or more appendages. It was strange how much her seperation from the Igni Islands (where no one was concerned about the state of their life aside from enjoying it to the full) was making her a more cautious individual. It was like a new dimension was slowly adding itself to a once shallow existence.
She hadn't changed that much since her arrival, as would soon become obvious. She had noted since the beginning that there were no more chairs, no place for her to sit, but it wasn't too much of a problem the more creatively she thought - and by 'creative'...
"Got a nice lap 'ere, Big Mulaqi," Manju smiled right at Gansukh directly after she fell into his lap without any sort of warning. She was being more cautious than one may think, though; she knew he could probably hurt her and may very well attempt it. However, the trick up her nonexistent sleeve rest in the ponytailed sand nomad who served as her traveling companion for a good while. He seemed quite able to quell the large one's anger if he saw fit. 'Mulaqi One' would be a fine mediator between 'Big Mulaqi' and 'Mulaqi Two', and Manju would take full advantage.
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Post by nasrin on Nov 20, 2008 17:05:37 GMT -5
Nasrin was glad to hear that her semi-acquainted company had access to a sand sailor. Truth be told, she was tired of walking from one end of the Earth Kingdom to the other. Even if she had to power the sailor herself, if would be better than trying to cross the whole of the Si Wong by foot.
"Good," Nasrin mumbled quitely to herself. For a moment she simply let her head droop until her forehead rested against her forearms. It might have been considered rude to simply lay her head down and ignore the rest of those involved in the conversation, but doubtlessly Manju would feel compelled to fill any void of silence. In the meantime she just breathed a heavy sigh of both relief and anxiety.
Her vacation was at an end it seemed. And while many times she longed for the day when she could put the less favorable days her travels behind her, the fact still remained that she would have to eventually face her employer; the man who had sent her and another sandbender to look after a merchant caravan to Omashu. She figured that if he didn't think she was dead, then he would at least demand a very good explanation why she hadn't come back sooner. Nasrin had been cooking up an alibi for her misplaed time for a while now, adding little details here and there in her spare time in order to come up with something believable and that would incur as little wrath as possible. Hopefully her boss would buy it...
Nasrin glanced up from her musings after several long seconds and immeditely sighted Manju violating Muqali's friend's personal space. Ignoring that completely, she looked over towards Muqali himself and asked, "Any chance I can bum a ride to the next oasis? I'll provide the bending unless you want some money..."
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Post by mulaqi on Nov 27, 2008 0:17:18 GMT -5
Gansukh was beyond irritated at the Igni girl, but fortunately, being the rational one of the group, he didn’t take rash action. Instead, he simply stood up, giving the girl no lap to sit on.
“I’m gonna go grab us some fresh water,” he said. “Meet you at the sailor.”
Muqali sighed and shook his head as the larger man took his leave. Gansukh was always on edge, and someone like Manju didn’t help that. Sometimes he wondered has sane the young woman was. Nasrin, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. Calm, quiet, tending not to show any emotion at all. Maybe that was why the two got on so well.
"Any chance I can bum a ride to the next oasis? I'll provide the bending unless you want some money..."
Muqali waved off Nasrin’s offer of payment, “Sure, it’s no problem. If you help we may go faster, but if you don’t mind going a little slower, than don’t worry about it. We’ve got plenty of extra supplies, right Askaa?”
Askaa nodded and Muqali smiled. He took a sip of his drink and then realized something. That had been a singular request, or rather, Nasrin had been asking for a ride for just one person: herself. Setting down his glass, Muqali glanced from Nasrin to Manju. Were the pair finally going their separate ways?
“So, will you be needing a ride too, Manju?” he asked curiously.
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Post by manju on Nov 27, 2008 2:00:39 GMT -5
Manju had gotten what she wanted anyway; a seat, whether or not it was on the large sand nomad's lap or not. In either case, she now had a comfortable place to sit while they waited for whatever verdict they came up with, and watch for any potential bar fights to start out of nowhere - although, she was growing very doubtful that would happen. All things considered, she couldn't help but grin smugly as Big Mulaqi walked out the door and over to his sailer.
It seemed the trio of Mulaqis, now reduced to a pair, were agreeable about taking Nasrin where she needed to go. Manju, on the other hand, was left without any clear path, yet didn't quite take well to that idea. She sighed, thinking just how lost she'd be now, especially in those dismal yellow flatlands devoid of the lovely things she called 'trees' and 'plants'. Was she to go with Nasrin or go off by herself? She'd considered either, but knew the person she'd latched onto close to her Earth Kingdom beginning wouldn't give insight one way or another into the situation. Probably just a 'meh' and shrug of her shoulders, not helping one way or another. Although recently, the sandbender had surprised her by growing more verbal. It was as if the two were changing to become more like each other every day.
When Mulaqi One asked just where she'd be, she came up with the first reply that came to her mind. She was a born and bred Igni after all, and they were renowned across the world (at least as far as Manju knew) as living for the moment. She was no exception at this point - and it wasn't like she had anything better to do. "Sure, I'll go," she shrugged her shoulders, next referring to the affectionate collective term for Si Wong Nomads she just thought up, "I'd love t' see where all jou Mulaqis live."
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Post by nasrin on Nov 27, 2008 13:30:08 GMT -5
Nasrin offered a half-shrug, half-hum in response to Muqali. For anyone who had been around the apathetic sandbender long enough, it might have been interpreted as an acceptance of his answer while still holding onto the offer of payment for the ride. In some ways, as little as Nasrin truly cared for making friends, she would truly be lost without the people who knew her well.
She cast a glance over her shoulder as Gansukh fled the cantina, and commiserated with the man's annoyance, but her drink order arrived at that moment and diverted all of her attention. The waitress placed it down on the table in front of her, and Nasrin sifted through her pockets. "How much, again?" she asked, hoping this particular cantina didn't overprice their drinks.
"Three silver," the lady responded, and Nasrin contained a small hiss of pain.
Still, after some determined rooting through lint and change,m she scrounged up two silver coins and an equivalent number of bronze. The waitress counted the pay and then wandered off, leaving them to their business.
Nasrin quickly scooped up her drink, looking fondly at the glass of mud-like liquid and ice. She usually didn't bother with such expensive drinks, especially for such little volume, but she figured she could take one last luxury for herself to cap off this journey. She sipped at the cup and then lowered it back down to the table, letting the flavor sit on her palette for a while so she could savor each sip.
But while she enjoyed her vice, she also heard Manju saying that she would be joining them. And while initially surprised that the jungle girl would even consider traversing the desert, Nasrin couldn't help but wonder if her presence might play to her advantage in some way. After all, she had gone this whole time plotting to tell her boss some made-up story about why she left the caravan and where she had been all this time. If she had told him the truth about having some crazy, pierced and tattooed wild girl from some remote island in the Fire Nation traveling with her the whole time, he'd have probably had her caned. But with Manju actually around to lend some credence to the story... maybe she could just tell the truth?
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Post by mulaqi on Dec 5, 2008 4:05:57 GMT -5
Once everyone had finished their drinks and had their fill of the…lovely atmosphere of the run down bar, the group made their way to the sand sailor. Muqali had left it on the fringe of town, far enough away that it was isolated but close enough so that no one could approach it without someone seeing. Gansukh was waiting for them, having brought more water as promised. A few moments later, they were off, Gansukh powering the sand sailor with his bending while Muqali and Askaa lounged around the front of the sailor. It took about a minute for Askaa to fall asleep, as he was prone to do when riding in Sand Sailors, essentially leaving Muqali with Nasrin and Manju. Stretched out with his head resting on a bag of supplies, Muqali folded his arms behind his head and gazed upward.
“So, where did you guys go after I left?” he asked, unable to hide his curiosity. “See anything exciting?”
He couldn’t help but ask. It was impossible for him to pretend to be content in this damned desert. There was so much more to see besides sand. Descriptions of the places they had been would only make him long to leave more, but he asked anyway. He just had to know what was out there, even if he couldn’t see it for himself.
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Post by manju on Dec 6, 2008 17:30:25 GMT -5
Manju was warned repeatedly about "burning to a crisp" by all the Mulaqis, but there really wasn't much she could do about it. Sure, she could don the vest she bought in Gaoling (which she did shortly before boarding the sand-sailer), but there really was no other precaution for her to take. If they told her one more time, Manju would surely have to take the rather complicated 'precaution' of removing their windpipe with her bare hands and crushing it like a ceramic cup. It was that reason that made her feel more irratable when the sun was beating down on her and she sat on the sailer's most secure zone with Mulaqi, Girl Mulaqi (which was Nasrin's new name), and the sleeping Mulaqi Two. When she started to be battered by sand as they flew over the desert wide, the story changed. She was downright pissed.
Thus, when Mulaqi asked her just what they saw, Manju seemed to recall the matter of Nasrin stealing away the guy the Igni found cute as the first and foremost fact between the time where Mulaqi left them and when the trio reunited. The fact that the pitifully bereft landscape was a tad intimidating didn't actually make Manju, who had lived around trees her entire life, any better. Heck, she even had the urge to climb up the mast of the sand-sailer just because she could!
Mulaqi's question would really make the cross-armed Igni reply in a few different ways, other than her most immediate option of simply punching him in the face and calling it a day. "Yep, we sure did." He would hear little more from her side, more than likely.
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Post by nasrin on Dec 6, 2008 19:06:20 GMT -5
Nasrin ended up having to finish her drink quickly and say goodbye to her beloved alcohol once Muqali began to leave. Before long they were all aboard a sand-sailer and speeding along the dunes of the desert. Nasrin found a perch along one of the platforms connecting the pontoons to the central body of the sailer. She faced backward to avoid the sand blowing in her eyes and tried to keep her arms tcke din to her sides.
Unlike Manju, she wasn't entirely unprepared for the scorchings desert sun. Nasrin had kept her wrappings for her forearms and her pants were long enough to cover all of her legs. The only thing left exposed were her upper arms, but she had a dark enough complexion that she figured it wouldn't kill her.
After Muqali's inquisition as to their travels, and Manju's rather terse response, Nasrin figured that he deserved a slightly better answer. He was giving them a lift, after all.
"We swung along the South Coast and saw the ocean," she told him, though her usual tone didn't sound much more enthusiastic than Manju's. "It was kinda nice, but that's about all that's worth telling."
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Post by mulaqi on Dec 11, 2008 3:08:41 GMT -5
Muqali smirked a little as he noted Manju’s discomfort. She simply had not come prepared for desert travel. Even with her pouting he couldn’t help but find some satisfaction in the tables being turned on her for once.
“We swung along the South Coast and saw the ocean,” Nasrin said, causing Muqali to instantly perk up. "It was kinda nice, but that's about all that's worth telling."
Muqali didn’t even register the second part of the sentence. The ocean! They’d seen the ocean! The most water Muqali had ever seen in one place was a small lake that he’d passed on the way to Omashu. He could barely begin to comprehend what an ocean must look like. For a moment, he gazed off into space, imagining it, and then turned back to Nasrin.
“What did it look like? Was it big?” Muqali asked, talking faster than he realized. “Could you see anything in it or did it just kind of go on forever? Did you see any waves?”
From his point at the rear of the ship, Gansukh noticed the commotion and sighed. Once you got Muqali curious about something, he was relentless. Poor Nasrin’s effort to be nice was going to get more trouble then she had probably wanted…
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Post by manju on Dec 12, 2008 12:51:31 GMT -5
Manju was too busy being battered by strong sunlight and piercing little grains of sand to care whether or not those scarves and wrappings were hiding Mulaqi's lopsided head, because, she noticed, his reaction was so very stupid. He was acting like an excited little kid and not the grown man he fancied himself to be. Manju wasn't so concerned about that, though, since she didn't want to condemn her own hyperactive nature, but his own ignorance about the ocean was smothering. Couldn't he have just followed them on their journey, rather than using that classic crockery of 'I need to visit my family, derp' just as an excuse? If he was so excited, that is...
So, for some reason, Manju answered him instead of Nasrin. She was an expert on the subject, after all. Shifting in her seat of the quick-moving vehicle a little, Manju stared back at Mulaqi.
"In dis order; deep and blue, yes, yes, and yes," she prattled off as she counted each reply on her fingers. "Nasrin swims like a rock and I showed her 'ow to surf," she said plainly, before realizing he probably had as little an idea as Nasrin, much less anyone in the Earth Kingdom. "Dat's when jou ride de waves on a board...but dis time, I just used my body. It saved a lot of time." The Igni's face, yet to be burned by sun or wind, became a grin.
Predictability be damned!
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Post by nasrin on Dec 17, 2008 22:34:04 GMT -5
From his enthuiasm, Nasrin could tell that she had captured Muqali's imagination. She didn't quite share his excitement for the ocean, even after having been there. And even before seeing the reality of the sea, Nasrin still only ever considered the ocean a sight worth seeing if she was nearby.
Surprisingly (or not so surprisingly, since Manju was always surprising) Manju offered up a sysnopsis of their stop by the shore in an strangely upbeat tone despite her obvious discomfort. Nasrin nodded slightly at the summary, and thought to ammend it with something that would allow Muqali to better understand what it was like.
"Imagine all this..." the sandbender said, sweeping one hand lethargically around them to encompass the dusty horizons in all directions, "But blue... and wet... And that was just about it." t would take some imagination, but it seemed like the easiest way to describe something like the ocean to a Si Wong native. After all, Nasrin own tribe of origin derived its name from a phrase meaning, 'Ocean of Fire.'
Nasrin peered around them, eyes squinting when her face turned toward the direction they were moving. It would probably be a little while until the next stop, and Nasrin felt like taking a well deserved nap after such extensive walking. Now that Muqali and his friends were around, it would take some of the burden off her shoulder of fulfillings Manju's lust for activity.
"I'm going to doze off," she informed Muqali as she managed to find a relatively stable section of the sandsailer in which to lean back. "Wake me if your friend needs a break," she said, and casually folder her arms across her stomach and closed her eyes.
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Post by mulaqi on Dec 22, 2008 0:36:32 GMT -5
Muqali blinked and tried to count off Manju’s responses on his hand and then relate them back to his questions. He wasn’t very successful. He didn’t quite understand her explanation of surfing, either. How would you ride a wave on a board…or, for that matter, with your body? Fortunately, Nasrin explained things in terms that was easier to understand.
"Imagine all this…but blue... and wet... And that was just about it.”
“Oh…” Muqali murmured, nodding in understanding, and looking around.
He tried to replace the dunes with rolling waves, the dust clouds with sea spray, the dryness with wetness and the brown with blue…and he sort of understood it. He supposed that made sense. The ocean was probably bigger than the Si Wong, and you couldn’t really see across that. Interesting.
"I'm going to doze off. Wake me if your friend needs a break.”
“Right,” he answered.
He looked out across the dunes. His headwraps were already on, but only now did he put on his goggles to shield his eyes. Still, he only saw an endless world of sand. They had a ways to go yet. He glanced at Manju, still clearly uncomfortable. Standing, he delicately walked over to a bag full of supplies and began to rummage through it before pulling out a small cloth blanket.
“Here,” he said, offering it towards Manju “Face away from the wind and cover yourself with this if you need to.”
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Post by manju on Dec 22, 2008 16:42:17 GMT -5
Wow. Nasrin's description really was rather concise and somewhat naive, but Manju couldn't bring her sand-battered self to mock the female sandbender before Mulaqi so selflessly offered her a blanket for no other reason than to actually help Manju instead of watching her suffer. Here she'd thought sandbenders were just as survival-oriented and cared as little for their fellow man as much as the average Igni. It just went to show how much the power of friendship worked things out, even if said 'friends' were more like a disfunctional family. Manju would be the live-in cousin in slutty, out-of-place clothes who slept all day and partied all night.
"Uh...t'anks," Manju said as she plucked the blanket from his hand, smiling sincerely for just a bit before attempting to wrap herself up like a chrysalis. It wasn't too long before she did just so, leaving open a tiny hole for her eyes and nose, so she could see and breathe, respectively. Their sail over the eternal dunes would no doubt be boring, so falling asleep would be a good way to pass the time, she foresaw. However, it dawned on her that Mulaqi may answer an idle quandry that had weighed upon her mind.
It made more sense that Ignis would stay on their isolated chain of islands, but what about these desert folk? Couldn't they just relocate away from this flat, mind-boggling wasteland? She had to know before she fell asleep, or her nagging and ever-working mind wouldn't let her rest. "So, I gotta ask. Why d'jou sandbenders live 'ere in de desert? Why don'chu just...leave? Dere are no trees, no 'ills...just flatness. Like a nightmare or somet'in'!" She would have been gesturing if here arms weren't presently engaged in battening the blanket around her barely-clad body, but the properly stressed words she spoked expressed her feelings well enough.
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Post by mulaqi on Dec 26, 2008 3:56:10 GMT -5
As Muqali sat back down, he pondered Manju’s question. It was more profound than she probably realized, particularly for Muqali. Why were the Sand Nomads, why was he living in a barren wasteland? He shrugged, not really certain of the answer entirely, or rather just not terribly satisfied with it.
“I guess part of it is that we’ve always been here. Not many people thought to leave, I guess,” he replied. “And it’s safe, well, relatively. We never have to worry about invaders or plague or famine, just the desert. Well, and other nomads…”
But why was Muqali here? It wasn’t for those reasons, certainly. He didn’t know or honestly care all that much about family history, and he didn’t even want to be isolated. Rather, he wanted to experience anything and everything the world had to offer. So why did he stay? Obligation? He wasn’t sure anymore.
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