Silent Curiosity || OPEN

Tamaki Okinawa sat stiff and rigidly on a rock, taking in the subtle breeze and misty atmosphere as he observed his surroundings. As a veteran member of the Earth Kingdom Rescue Squad, he was assigned multiple tasks and duties on a daily basis. Today, he was fulfilling one of them, by traveling to the Northern Water Tribe, his birthplace, on another supply gathering. Put up with the task of acquiring the necessary medicines and other materials, the light-blue haired boy found his assignment leaning more towards the easier side. Finishing the hunt and boarding the supplies onto the ship, the rescuer found himself with spare time on his hands, thus resulting in his curious exploration to the Northern Water Shrine.

Journeying ways out into the tundra of the nation by a polar bear dog he was given to by the squad while he was in the area to travel, as a child, he heard the stories of the Water Spirit living within the stone walls of the shrine, and the majestic, glistening waterfall nearby it. He didn't know why it seemed as if it was drawing him, or why the notion of the shrine even popped into his mind in the first place, but he continued the mildly long travel there, anyway. He was given two days to finish up his job, and finishing it all impeccably in the first seven hours after nonstop effort, he saw no harm in his plans that sun-setting afternoon.

An easily disinterested boy, he needed something to keep him satisfied, and exploration, accompanied by new experiences were just that. And so, there he was, slowly leaning back to lay down against a cold, rough rock, with his bare feet dipped into the frigid, yet serene water of the shrine. He debated venturing into the actual stone structure, but decided against the notion for the time being.

Feeling at peace, it was such soothing place that he couldn't leave so quickly. With not a soul in his presence, or anything heard but the roar of the waterfall on the left side to the entrance of the shrine itself, Tamaki put his hands behind his head and closed his ocean-blue eyes, taking the opportunity to relax and allow the sun to beam down upon him. However, his relaxation was cut short when the faint sound of undressed, fragments of stone fall against the large boulders surrounding the area, as if another was making their appearance.

Twitching an eyebrow at the subtle, and more noticeable noise, the blue-haired boy was instantly on guard as he began opening his eyes and propping his elbows in a slow, relaxed movement. With a cant of his head towards the direction of the falling pebbles, he scrutinized for the instigator, waiting for a figure to come into the light.

Kassidy was in another one of her visits to he shrine. It was always a calm place, and she enjoyed coming there to meditate, to enjoy life in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. She would usually be alone, but now it appears she has company.

"Hello! It's so nice to have company!" the teen said to the boy.

"Isn't this place simply wonderful? I love it here- it's relaxing."

She walked closer to the boy, and noticed his odd colour of hair.

"I really like your hair- it's really unique. So, what brings you to the shrine?"

Raising an eyebrow suspiciously at his instigator, Tamaki furrowed his eyebrows at the sight of a young girl, with a blatant, upbeat attitude. Mentally labeling her as the talkative, perky type, he hated to come across as rude, or impudent depending her ranking, but the serenity and peace of the shrine seemed to slowly fade out of his grip with each word spoken by the one roughly his age, if not younger. Initially coming here to see what the Northern Water Tribe Shrine would bring his way, the peace of it all was a lovely bonus that he felt as if he wasn't regaining anytime with her around. He was always a bit quick to judge, because of his rough background.

Merely giving a subtle nod at her words, he found himself beginning to scoot over ever so slightly to the side as she neared him, due to a force of habit, and not necessarily being fond of people getting close to him, in the slightest. The blue-haired boy then curiously widened his eyes when she appeared to be noting his unique hair color, and held the type of surprised expression upon his face if as if wasn't expected her to stay.

Lifting a small strand of his straight locks, and looking as if to see what she meant, Tamaki finally let out a word, in a soft-spoken voice as he brought his hand back down to his side, propping it up yet again, "Thanks." With a small cant of his head to see the girl standing beside him, he then bluntly answered, "Curiosity." Not one for starting up conversation, or even continuing it for that matter, he then continued to be lapsed in a silence - a way of living he was undoubtedly used to.