Starting towards Ba Sing Se (by invitation only)

Beginner Posts : 52 Age : 30 Join date : 2012-07-02

Xune Coal
Appearance: Hair: Reddish brown hair, curly. Dark hazel eyes. 5'8", thin and fit. Earth nation descent. Young (17)
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Wearing: Kimono and a "workers" umanori made of cotton. Thin material. Traditional Earth Nation colors of tan and dark greens. Leather Heko Obi. Leather cuirass over top kimono. Has a twelve inch symbol for "traveler" painted in red on the back.
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"Gaaaaah! Son of a platabear!"

The yelling broke the peaceful silence, sending flocks of birds into a panic out of the tree line and out to the open sky, the flapping of wings and the shrill screams nearly as loud as his frustrated cry. Xune plopped down on a large root and sighed, looking around at the environment that he couldn't seem to find his way out of. Being this far North during the spring, the forest had resurrected from winter and brimming with new life. Rabbits skittered along the ground, crunching leaves and small foliage beneath their feet. Occasionally, Xune would spot a deer or other passive animals, but so far, he had no problem with the wildlife.

Now, on the other hand, there was a reason his pack, sheath knife, and coin purse were all gone. Only two days into the forest, and he had been robbed. To add insult to injury, just before he was mugged one of the men pointed out that Xune's new "silk" kimono and clothing were actually cotton. Cotton. Oh, he was going to find them, and take back what little possessions he had. And when he was done with those thieves, he was going to find that swindling merchant. But first he had to figure out where in the world he was. His plan had been to just head South-East until he hit the river that lead to the Earth Kingdom. Simple, right? Unfortunately,

"I'm underage and can't go anywhere without the permission of my parents" Xune muttered to himself, answering his own question as to why he didn't just follow the road. He didn't regret his decision to leave his home town in search of adventure, but it didn't make it any less frustrating. It's difficult to feel like a hero when you have no food, no weapons, no water or money, and a case of the

Grrrrwwwl. "Shut up, I don't have any food" he commanded as he clutched at his stomach.

Make that two cases of the grumbles. One of the mouth, one of the abdomen. Still, it could've been worse. He looked up at the tree line as that familiar orangish light started to mix with the dark green of the foliage above. It told him that even though he couldn't actually see the sun, it was still getting later on in the day. He stretched a bit, his sore feet giving him an unnecessary reminder of his unsuccessful trek thus far.

"Bah, this is only a minor setback! If my grandfather Ordan could keep a smile when he was lost in the Earth Kingdom mines, I can keep a smile here!" Oh, that was one of his FAVORITE stories. He reviewed the details in his mind as he stood up, starting to recite it over to himself. This was partially to keep his memory of it fresh. More importantly though, he needed encouragement as he started to walk what he assumed (and hoped) was South-East.

"Grandfather had gone running to the mine when all the workers started screaming. No one there even knew his name, but it didn't stop him from clearing the entrance up in a matter of minutes. But by fixing the first collapse he triggered the second, and grandfather fell down into the mine with the workers. All they could do was grumble and moan about their predicament, but grandfather just kept on smiling the entire time and told'm that they'd be back topside before the sun even set"

Just remembering the story, Xune couldn't help but have a bit of bounce to his step, climbing over downed trees, using his walking stick to remove brush, crossing small brooks. It all seemed like a great adventure to him, regardless of its importance to anyone else. Before he knew it, the sun had set on the world, and he was cast into darkness. It seemed rather burdensome at the time, but perhaps later he would recognize the great blessing. Had he not seen the lights in the distance, he may have kept wandering endlessly through the woods, bringing his adventure to a short and tragic end. However, as it would so happen, it was night, and he did spot the lights of an Inn a short ways off, which meant that he had found the South Bound Road.

"Alright, I can probably resupply here and get my bearings, get some sleep, and continue on in the morning" he grumbled to himself, happy he had found the Inn, but annoyed he'd gotten lost in the first place. Looking down at the from the ten foot or so incline that he was on, he could see torches scattered around the structure, and he could faintly hear the clattering of dishes and the cheering of patrons in the distance, though he couldn't see the structure itself very well. "Not much of a moon" he noted, looking up at the open sky for the first time since he'd left home. Only a tiny slither of silver was in the air to mark the cloudless sky above, which needless to say didn't help visibility. Regardless, he started carefully down the slope, keeping a mental note. Next time, he would keep on the outskirts of the road.

He decided this late at night, nobody was bound to notice him, let alone bother asking his age. The voices of the crowd inside grew louder as he approached. With his experience at Inns, he figured it was probably around forty or fifty people. And from all the yipping and excitement, they served alcohol. He nodded to himself, pleased with his own vast amount of knowledge. He decided to play it safe, and as an older, larger man entered the Inn, he slipped in behind him and pretended to be the man's shadow...well ok, maybe maybe he wasn't his shadow , but the mans massive frame still covered his entrance. He dashed for a corner and sat down at a small, rickety table with a few dusty looking chairs. Probably the reason why no one had claimed the spot. Sitting back with a content sight, he started to take in his surroundings.

Xune had made a reasonable estimate of the crowd. Around forty or so people occupied the Inn. With all the travelers he had met, Xune could tell almost everyone here was Earth Nation, more than likely merchants heading to the Northern Air Temple and the surrounding villages. Many of the patrons kept quiet, talking with their neighbor about their travels or conversing with their caravan about future plans. Some of them, however, were quite excited, and songs would almost randomly burst into existence amongst one of the tables with the swinging of cups and booming of voices.

The usual things were here. Tables, chairs, a wooden bar, lanterns and torches along the walls. A set of stairs ascended to a second floor (and most likely rooms for rent). All the things a tavern needed, complete with a thin sheet of grey smoke in the air. One of the things that Xune didn't recognize however was a large metal cat behind the bar. It was painted black, and was in a dignified pose, licking one of its front paws. "The Black Cat" it was dubbed, with the proud title displaye above and below it. Of course, he could only assume that was the name of the tavern. He stayed quiet in the corner, chin resting on his bamboo pole listening to some of the local chatter. At first he figured he should probably "stay low", but he had come to two conclusions. First off (and he wished he'd recognized this sooner), now that he was farther away from home, he realised no one here would turn him in. If a patrol or something stopped by, there was the slight possibility of trouble, but he highly doubted it. Second (and more importantly), Xune was in a new, unexplored place. Caution be darned, he soaked in all of the new people and sights, practically kneeling on top of his chair to get a look at everyone and everything (which earned him a couple of strange looks from nearby patrons).

| Mae "Taz" Sumeré |

Starting towards Ba Sing Se (by invitation only) Mae11

Mae loved the Air Temples. They were nice. Breezy, you know? Mae, however, loved the Northern and Southern Air Temples especially, for these air temples housed the male monks. The boys. And these were the Air Temples her father and uncles lived. Being separated from family was the usual way of the monks, and Mae did not mind; she liked visiting her relatives. In fact, it was her current occupation. Getting from temple to temple typically took days. By the time she, her sister, and her mother arrived, two days before, it was dark, and they'd been rooming at this inn ever since.

Mae woke to a hand practically slapping her in her face. Her sister had rolled over, throwing her arm haphazardly to the side and striking her younger, much younger sibling across the eyes.

"Mom!" Mae complained, wriggling away.

"Oh hush, Taz," Mother complained. She pulled her comforter over her face.

A few minutes passed, during which Mae steamed. She hated their room. She and her sister Nitorra had to share a bed. Mother should have known how disastrous that would've been!

Her mother shifted somewhat. Mae raised a brow. Then, the woman grumbled something so low, so faint, Mae had to strain her ears to catch it.

"Go buy me a drink."

Silence. Then, "But --" The pixie-like girl protested. Seriously? Her mom was just going to send her downstairs to the bar to buy a drink? What kind of security did this place have that let them do that?

"I like the cedar kind," the woman mumbled.

"Mom," she said slowly, trying to rouse the woman awake. Her mom had a temper to match the gods, and normally the tone she was using at the moment would be deemed 'disrespectful', and Mom would be awake and wailing on her in minutes. "They're not going to let me buy you a drink."

"Oh, go be a gentleman," her mother pleaded, sounding more and more drowsy by the minute. "Go do it."

Since when did she talk in her sleep? Mae pondered, before shaking her head irritably. She stole some money from her mother's purse and ventured downstairs.

Everyone in the bar area was several feet taller than her, unsurprisingly. She grumbled to herself as she ordered a non-alcoholic beverage and swept the crowd with her eyes, making sure to steer clear away of the more drunken people.

Finally her eyes landed on a boy sitting in a corner. He was around her age, if not older, and seemed hilariously paranoid.

How cute! she thought to herself, heart fluttering by the mere sight of him. Brown, curly hair. Dark eyes. Tall. Tall, dark and handsome! It was as if this moment was out of a fairy tale!

Girl eyes boy from across the room, their eyes meet, and she winks seductively, she thought. Or maybe we can start off as friends, and it takes a near death experience for us to finally hook up. Oh, how romantic!

The gears were turning in her head crazily now. She had no other choice; Mae got to her feet and went over to the boy, extremely conscious that her head was barely taller than the tables. Like, what the hell? Was this trashy inn/bear only made for tall people?

Up close, he seemed even more amazing! "H-hi," she stuttered. "So I noticed we're both pretty young. Earth Nation folk are pretty unruly aren't they?"

As she said this, a trio nearby broke into a heated argument, complete with plenty of profanity and unnecessary hand gestures.

Amused with the timing, Mae extended her right hand with a flourish. "Name's Mae. Mae Sumeré!"

Beginner Posts : 52 Age : 30 Join date : 2012-07-02

Xune Coal
Appearance: Hair: Reddish brown hair, curly. Dark hazel eyes. 5'8", thin and fit. Earth nation descent. Young (17)
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Wearing: Kimono and a "workers" umanori made of cotton. Thin material. Traditional Earth Nation colors of tan and dark greens. Leather Heko Obi. Leather cuirass over top kimono. Has a twelve inch symbol for "traveler" painted in red on the back.
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Xune didn't initially notice the younger girl enter from the stairs. He had been far too busy listening to all the nearby conversations, the most interesting of which was an argument that was starting to build up at one of the tables nearest to him. He couldn't quite catch all of it, what with all the other noises that crowded the the air. But he did manage to grasp the gist of it.

Apparently, two of them were employees for the third, and they weren't happy about the way the caravan was being run. To put it bluntly (which was the recurng theme for the conversation), it was a coup. Was just starting to get good when he heard a small, timid voice. At first, he thought for sure it was his mother.

"H-hi"

Their voices were rather similar, with that fair amount of uncertainty when they spoke. He started to spin in his chair to face her, thoughts like a pack of wild moose lions.

"I got lost!"
"They kidnapped me!"
"Mom, you'll never believe what happened, this wild emu stole your-"

These excuses all flooded his mind at once, but...there was no one there...

"So I noticed we're both pretty young. Earth Nation folk are pretty unruly aren't they?"
There it was again...

He tilted his vision down a bit. Oh, oh there she was. That most certainly was NOT his mother.

It was around that time something at his favorite table must have gone even worse, because they all stood up and began yelling at each other with the usual hand signs and over exaggerated body motions.

It reminded him so much of home.

"Name's Mae. Mae Sumeré!"
With that, his attention was finally caught with the small person in front of him. Now he gave her a more proper look, turning in his seat to actually face her and sitting down properly.

Oh, hello! What was this? He hadn't seen a pretty girl around his age in....well, A couple of days! This truly was a good adventure thus far! Much more fruitful than his usual visits to the woods.

Trying to hide a coy grin, he lightly placed his walking stick on her shoulder. She wouldn't mind, right? He started to snake the bamboo around her neck, trying to pull her closer to him. He knew what the results would be. He had tried this back home many times, but it always ended the same way.

That rush started, the one he always got when he fliirted. That shortage of breath, like the oxygen had been sucked straight from his lungs. It made you want to yawn, except for that splash of adrenaline that came with it, which made his mouth move but the mind go numb. Like most of the things Xune did, he really didn't know what he was doing. But that didnn't stop him from enjoying every second of it, the fear of rejection making his pulse speed up.

Heck, maybe the possibility of rejection is what made it so much fun!

"Hey, names Xune Coal" he said as sly as possible. Oh how he loved the chase.

Last edited by LadyKura on Tue Jul 10, 2012 10:18 am; edited 1 time in total

| Mae "Taz" Sumeré |

Starting towards Ba Sing Se (by invitation only) Mae11

Mae blushed, blinking rapidly as she lay her hand on the bamboo roping her slowly but surely forward. Xune Coal, huh? Interesting name for an interesting and handsome fellow. She put a finger to her lip, wondering if she'd heard the name before, but when nothing came to mind, she let her arm fall.

"S-so, um .." Crap! You stuttered! her mind screamed, but outwardly her face was laid over with a shaky calm. "Are you native to the temples? Traveling alone .. ?"

Oh a lone wanderer! How romantic would that be! She imagined they could steal off in the night together, and entwine hands under a romantic sunset. Maybe, oh maybe they could kiss and play around like little kids! What if he was trying to escape a dastardly pursuer? Perhaps he was banished, and was searching for the one maiden to make his life meaningful again? The romance, the romance! Mae was growing lightheaded from all this.

Beginner Posts : 52 Age : 30 Join date : 2012-07-02

Xune Coal
Appearance: Hair: Reddish brown hair, curly. Dark hazel eyes. 5'8", thin and fit. Earth nation descent. Young (17)
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Wearing: Kimono and a "workers" umanori made of cotton. Thin material. Traditional Earth Nation colors of tan and dark greens. Leather Heko Obi. Leather cuirass over top kimono. Has a twelve inch symbol for "traveler" painted in red on the back.
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Xune watched her expressions, and for a moment was a bit taken aback. Most girls (especially strangers) had at a minimum taken a step back or pushed off the quick advance. Was she actually getting closer?

Age old instincts kicked in. "Fight or flight". That was the saying, right? Or was it a proverb? Better yet, why did that matter at the moment? His attention phased back in to the scene at hand as he tried to bring himself back to first person. All of the sudden, his mind wasn't numb. It was racing.

Ok, so what now?
Pull her closer
Back off, give her some room
Say something clever
Give her a compliment!
No, be subtle

The voices all clattered together like canidates at a political debate, each one trying to best get his attention. Maybe some bit of advice was stowed away, waiting for just an oppurtunity such as this! Let's see, what was it dad always said?

"Just smile and nod son, just smile and nod"

Well, girls liked smiling, right? So that's what he did, he just smiled and nodded....before it struck him that she actually asked him a question.

"Oh, er"

He cleared his throat as if doing so would cover up the high pitch his voice just managed to hit.

"Ah, yeah. I was born at the temple with the Monks. I'm trying to get to Ba Sing Se right now. You?"

Smooth! Get her to talk so you don't have to!

And with that, all the little voices clicked together, happy with the overall decision to get her to talk instead.

And with that, he grabbed the other end of the bamboo pole so that he could look her dead in the eyes, feeling a newfound confidence in himself.

| Mae "Taz" Sumeré |

Starting towards Ba Sing Se (by invitation only) Mae11

Mae was surprised; most boys, especially the handsome ones, normally made up an excuse to leave by then. This boy was actually sticking around and desired to hear what she had to say! Mae looked up into his eyes and blushed. That was one advantage to her size: she could gaze up at her men. How romantic!

Mae stood on her tiptoes, soon feeling ridiculously dwarfed by the other boy, however. She, realizing her attempts were futile, simply dragged over a chair and sat on that, snuggling to be more comfortable.

Oh right, he'd asked her a question.

"I'm here with my mother and sister. They're upstairs actually, and they're both annoying. They are not important, so I'm just going to leave it at that. I can keep telling you what I am up to at this moment, or I can tell you what I'm going to have you do."

She leaned in slightly, raising her voice an octave to speak over the din of the bar. Was there a late night special or something. "You," she tapped him on the chest with her pointer finger. "Are going to take me to Ba Sing Se with you."

She crossed her arms, resolute, and stared at him with deep blue eyes, waiting for a reply.

Beginner Posts : 52 Age : 30 Join date : 2012-07-02

Xune Coal
Appearance: Hair: Reddish brown hair, curly. Dark hazel eyes. 5'8", thin and fit. Earth nation descent. Young (17)
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Wearing: Kimono and a "workers" umanori made of cotton. Thin material. Traditional Earth Nation colors of tan and dark greens. Leather Heko Obi. Leather cuirass over top kimono. Has a twelve inch symbol for "traveler" painted in red on the back.
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Xune just watched her for a moment, trying to remember exactly what was going on. This was moving awefully fast. After a moment of silence, she finally grabbed a chair of her own, and he quickly released the bamboo pole, throwing it back to his side, the old friend quickly forgotten at his most recent good fortune.

Heh, grandfather would be so proud!

by now, he had quite forgotten by then he had ever even asked a question or where in the world he was.

"I'm here with my mother and sister. They're upstairs actually, and they're both annoying. They are not important, so I'm just going to leave it at that. I can keep telling you what I am up to at this moment, or I can tell you what I'm going to do"

Huhhhhhh!! He realised he had been holding his breath, and he tried to subtly hide this (tried being the operative word), by nodding his head and taking deep breaths through the nose.

"You"

She tapped his chest, his mind starting to revert back to a numb state

"Are going to take me to Ba Sing Se with you."

Xune thought about this for a moment silently. So, she was here with her mother. If he took her with him, that was..kidnapping, right? Than again, he wasn't supposed to be out and about like this in the first place himself. Grandfather always said "if you're going to do something stupid, might as well do it right".

Grandfather hadn't failed him yet, so he gave a light nod, trying to smile. He all of a sudden had become quite self concious over the fact he hadn't properly bathed (creeks not withstanding) after his three day trek. The rest of the travels finally caught up with him, in the form of a familiar rumbling sound.

"Rrrhhhhhlll"

He would probably have to steal some food later....oh, lo and behold!

The table next to theirs had finally broken out into a physical skirmish, and some fists were being thrown. Normally, he would try to intervene. But this wasn't his Inn, so what did he care? Rather refreshing, not having to throw himself into a bunch of drunken brawlers. More importantly though, they'd left their meals only have finished, a couple of bowls of cheap stew and some buttered bread sitting idly by at their table.

Would be a true crime to leave such perfectly good food to waste, right?

| Mae "Taz" Sumeré |

Starting towards Ba Sing Se (by invitation only) Mae11

Mae followed Xune's eyes, wondering what the hell he was staring so intently at. At first she thought he was watching the fight happening behind her (Mae didn't turn around; she wasn't interesting in adult men), but as it turned out he was eyeing their abandoned food with an almost wolfish gaze.

She giggled to herself and slid out of her seat. Going over to the table, she removed their plates and placed them daintily in front of her new crush. She hadn't known he was so ravenous.

"I have money," she offered. "So while you pig out I guess I can order something for the both of us." She wouldn't dare order only something for him; dudes hated feeling inadequate in any way. Having a girl pay for them was just going to be an insult to them.

The inn was shabby, so naturally it had some of the shabbiest foods Mae had ever seen. She settled on a large order of grilled salmon and carried the steaming tray back to hers and Xune's table, skillfully avoiding the myriad of legs surrounding her. She placed the aromatic fish on the table, before climbing once more in her seat.

"I bet you're wondering how we're going to get away without my mum finding out," she told him. She pulled out a huge napkin -- huge for her, really -- and secured it in her shirt. Then she cut at the fish, careful to set some scraps out for Xune when he finished his *ahem* leftovers.

"Well, I don't have a plan for that," she admitted. "Except to move, and move as fast as we can. But it's too late now. Let's save all the running for the morning."

Beginner Posts : 52 Age : 30 Join date : 2012-07-02

Xune Coal
Appearance: Hair: Reddish brown hair, curly. Dark hazel eyes. 5'8", thin and fit. Earth nation descent. Young (17)
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Wearing: Kimono and a "workers" umanori made of cotton. Thin material. Traditional Earth Nation colors of tan and dark greens. Leather Heko Obi. Leather cuirass over top kimono. Has a twelve inch symbol for "traveler" painted in red on the back.
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Xune had done what he had always done throughout his life. Spotted the objective (the food), asked himself what kinda obstacles could get in his way (the three big men throwing fists and the crowd that was watching the table), and finally if the objective was morally straight and worth the risk (the risks were acceptable, and he desperately needed the food). Once all that was done, he would usually formulate some kind of plan and proceed to carry it out. Andddd...she just walked up and grabbed the food. He could do little but blink as he watched her place the "objective" in front of him casually, his curiousity for this new found strategy of hers almost obvious by the look on his face.

He looked up to ask her a question, but the words died on his lips as he realised she had gone to order something else. He watched her walk away for a moment. In particular, the um *cough* sway of her hips caught his attention, and for a moment he completely forgot about the food. Deciding restraint was the better part of valor, he tore his eyes away before massaging them gently, hoping he didn't just damage his retinas. He began to dine, feeling like the king of his domain as he ate what was considered by most a peasants meal.

***

Xune bolted awake, his short nap interupted by the sound of Mae pulling out her chair. The creaky piece of furniture made the most comftorable bed (he had come to learn that a "good bed" was solely dependent on how tired you were). After clearing his throat and holding back a yawn (which he could've sworn must have escape out his ears because all of the sounds of the world became distorted) he sat up and stretched a bit.

"I bet you're wondering how we're going to get away without my mum finding out,"

His eyes only naturally fell on the fish for a moment, but his attention was drawn back to the woman in front of him. The entire time, he felt like he was in a dream, the entire thing foggy and unnatural...what the hell, he would just run with it for as long as he could. That seemed fair. When he woke up, he would just get to his chores with a spring in his step.

"Well, I don't have a plan for that," she admitted. "Except to move, and move as fast as we can. But it's too late now. Let's save all the running for the morning."

Morning? But neither of them would BE THERE in the morning. He was only dreaming, right? Bah, why spend his time running away when he could just enjoy himself with such a lovely and...eccentric person anyhow. He smiled and nodded silently, all of his thoughts masked beneath his dark hazel eyes.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there". His voice held as much concern for the matter as a simple chore. Something to be done and gotten over with. In truth, he wasn't concerned about it because, from what he figured, he would never actually have to face such a problem.

"Gosh you're beautiful..why go to Ba Sing Se with me?" he asked, truly curious. Maybe this dream had some kind of point? A message, hidden in his subconcious? That's what the monks had always tried to teach him to do, interpret your own dreams. Or maybe this was just a fpleasant antasy. Either way,

he was determined to find out more.

| Mae "Taz" Sumeré |

Starting towards Ba Sing Se (by invitation only) Mae11

The girl didn't even blink when a plate flew past her head and shattered. Apparently once the other gruff guys got kicked out, more people wanted to fight. Alcohol was tremendously useless; why drink something that clouded your judgement? Mae would never know. She crossed her legs and reclined slightly, staring at Xune without really staring at him, and eating her food like a good little girl.

"Gosh you're beautiful," he said suddenly.

Mae felt a fierce blush rise to her face, quite a feat considering her tan complexion.

"Why go to Ba Sing Se with me?" he told her.

For the romance, she thought. "For the adventure," she purred instead. "All the temples look the same to me. I want something different. And I can't just let the whole world go without seeing what I can do." As she finished her sentence, she laid her palm out in front of her and, spinning her fingers, formed a small tornado. The little gusts whipped her short hair somewhat.

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