Northern Water Tribe :: Amethyst (NiyNiy) [Topic of the Month August 2012 To Be Moved Once Closed]

| Prince Castiel |

Northern Water Tribe :: Amethyst (NiyNiy) [Topic of the Month August 2012 **To Be Moved Once Closed**] - Page 2 Yuu.Kanda.240.179152

He sniffed somewhat, feigning disappointment. "I'm so upset that you think my looks aren't quite up to par with Emperor Owlan and Earth Kingdom wrestlers, but it's interesting to know you fancy older men." He held his chin high. "Perhaps my father would have been more to your liking."

Castiel listened patiently as the girl, Laura, went on about receiving a tour. He had to smile; she was quite assertive, but she tended to jump to conclusions a lot, a trait he'd seen often in the eyes of Anuk. "Whoa there. I never said I had any problem with showing you around. Are you afraid that I dislike you?" he teased. Castiel moved to the other side of the chamber, where a long corridor stretched against a pathway of ice. "I will be happy to give you the grand tour of this wonderful city, provided you don't question my every act of kindness. We can start with the royal palace grounds itself. The entrance and exit and I use is located there."

He turned back around to face her and winked. "Who knows? Maybe you'll get to see some of those handsome older men you like so much."

Moderator Posts : 268 Age : 29 Join date : 2012-05-24

Laura smiled, this boy new how to banter; she admired that. If all things went well, she wouldn't need an older man. "Well, unless they're between the ages of 30 to 40, and have white hair like mine, I suppose I'll have to settle for you," jested Laura. Banter was her trait, and her main form of flirting, if the boy could return it as well as she saw fit, then she would be more than willing to consider him dateable.

So far, however, few boys had passed this test. Castiel, the prince, was one of the lucky few. "So, you lived here a while?" asked Laura sarcastically, "Or have you moved here recently?" As she stepped through the small wooden door that led to the city, Laura noticed that this place was more ice than she had seen when entering. Infact the only thing that wasn't ice was the waterfalls and alleys that filed between houses.

"I find this....water very disturbing..." she whispered, almost to herself, not even realizing she had spoken out loud. Laura blushed, but quickly hid it, and acted as if she never spoke those words. "So, where is this palace you want to show me? Is it that small icicle of a building right there? Nothing compared to the Earth King's Palace or Imperial Palace's."

| Prince Castiel |

Northern Water Tribe :: Amethyst (NiyNiy) [Topic of the Month August 2012 **To Be Moved Once Closed**] - Page 2 Yuu.Kanda.240.179152

Ahead of Laura, Castiel's face brightened, and he was thankful the girl couldn't see the bit of happiness coloring his expression. He'd been in need of company for a while, and even simply finding someone to spend precious hours with was a great blessing to him.

"Actually, believe it or not, I spent a year or so in the Earth Kingdom. I've only returned to the Tribe for my eighteenth birthday, and I've been here ever since, helping with the war." He glanced over his shoulder as they walked, hearing her whisper, faint though it was. "Don't worry; I'll protect you," he assuaged, giving her a somewhat teasing, but not unkind smile. A smile meant to make her relax, and he gestured ahead of them to the courtyard.

"This 'small icicle' is only half of the building, actually. And yes, the Vermilion Empire and Earth Kingdoms' main palaces may be larger, but ours are prettier," he smirked slyly. "The rest of this palace, the imperial residence, is underground to prevent collapse in case the surrounding areas melt. The a palace, itself, however is made out of permanent ice. Only icebenders or master waterbenders can melt it. Far below, the palace is connected to the oasis via a series of water pathways and currents. As far as most people know, it is the only route to get there and extremely dangerous, so trying it equals a death wish."

He led Laura over to a canal. It was imperial, with a single conductor waiting by a series of ferryboats.

"Hello, Your Highness!" the man called, waving enthusiastically. "And who is this fine young lady?"

Castiel gestured Laura's way. "Laura, this is Taqqiq. Taqqiq, this is Laura. Very charming. Laura, Taqqiq is going to be our gondolier for the day and the evening. Say 'hello'." He thoroughly enjoyed teasing the girl. Her personality was magnetic. She was a far cry from the usual.

Taqqiq hurried to ready their seats, making sure they were comfortable. The water level in the canal started to rise, and the ice barrier sectioning them off from the other canal systems lowered, letting the ferry float gently in the water. Castiel stepped inside and reached for Laura's hand.

Moderator Posts : 268 Age : 29 Join date : 2012-05-24

Laura frowned, "I don't need protection." she said adamantly, "I'm a firebender, that's why I'm not too fond of the water." Laura walked ahead of Castiel, she liked the boy, but as sweet and well meaning he was, he was pigheaded and chauvanistic. She was a ronin, she could take care of herself, she didn't need someone to protect her. Just someone to stand by her, maybe she was wrong about him...

Laura examined the ice of the palace as Castiel spoke, trying to forget his one, poorly worded comment about her needing protection, "It's quite nice to be honest," she said smiling, returning to her sarcastic saunter, "But I'd still rather put the ice in my drink than live in it. Thank goodness Owlan's colonies have brick homes." Laura then looked down at the city, her body seemed to grow goosebumps as she looked at the water. She HATED water, and as a firebender--as she had previously explained--she had a right to be unnerved by it, but she held her own, and maintained her calm.

As she followed Castiel down to the main city, Laura scanned the people, and they all scanned her in return. And in all fairness, Laura was an outsider, and not to mention walking with the Prince. The ideas the people must've gotten; it made Laura smirk beneath her straw hat, if Laura got her way, they may be right.

Castiel introduced Tiqqiq--to whom she bowed respectfully to--the gondolier who would ferry them around town through the ice-water cannals of freezing water, which flowed between the houses--made of even more ice and snow. Laura looked at Castiel's hand, dumbstruck, she debated taking it. If she did, she could give a tip off to the boy, but at the same time, it would negate what she had said earlier. "I will take it on the condition that you promise not to do it often," said Laura, "And as long as you understand that I am doing this out of kindness and respect for your gesture. I don't need to be helped because I am a woman."

Laura then took Castiel's hand, and sat next to him on the bench of the gondola. Allbeit it was nice, despite all of the ice...and snow....and more ice. "All this white," said Laura, "Doesn't it make your eyes hurt? How do you get used to all of this ice and snow? I can only imagine how it must make you feel, to return from Ba Sing Se, where all of this stone and green terracotta roofs are, and have to readjust to all of this. If it were me I would have stayed in Ba Sing Se, home or not, this place is dreary and cold."

Last edited by LadyKura on Mon Sep 03, 2012 12:42 am; edited 1 time in total

| Prince Castiel |

Northern Water Tribe :: Amethyst (NiyNiy) [Topic of the Month August 2012 **To Be Moved Once Closed**] - Page 2 Yuu.Kanda.240.179152

Castiel frowned, as an optimist and gentleman by nature, he felt a bit put-off by the girl's cynicism. "You've proven well enough that you are capable of taking care of yourself," he said. "I apologize if my teasing has upset you. I practice chivalry automatically. It has nothing to do with sexism; it is the way I was raised, and considered polite, but I will stop, since it makes you uncomfortable."

The tribe's downtown was a myriad of elegant buildings, sweeping arches, music, and tribal patterns etched in each nook and cranny, all bearing shades of blue, lavender, gray and white. Crystals and pearls adorned the shutters of businesses, and the bridges and pathways were clean swept. As Taqqiq coasted the gondola along with the canal system's currents, smaller ferries flanking them here or there, Castiel folded his hands together and listened to Laura's laments with a single, inquisitively raised brow.

"Honestly? As a waterbender, I suppose it is only natural for me to feel right at home here. It was the Earth Kingdom that made me very depressed. It was true that the land was beautiful, and all the colors all at once were mystical. But it was all also overwhelming and annoying. The unrest, unruliness, inelegance and constant activity of Ba Sing Se made me dizzy, and I absolutely hated the heat. I've also never seen trees so big!" He laughed at that, enjoying his own private joke.

He sighed lightly. "Of course, some of these experiences could stem from aa simple, introverted prince being wrenched away from his usual life of peace and pompadour to a fast-paced world kilometers from where he once lived. It was my father's scheme to make me less naive, and to get me to adjust to other terrains. I imagine you don't plan to be in the tribe for very long?"

Moderator Posts : 268 Age : 29 Join date : 2012-05-24

"Well, you see," began Laura in an interested, delighted and eve conservative tone, "Even I, Imperial born and partially raised, truly feel at home in not only the Crimson Capitol** but also in the beautiful, Ba Sing Se. The large city with all of its activity, its simply alluring and ensnaring. But I suppose to each his own, however one could say that is your weakness as a leader. A sign of a good leader is one who can adapt and adjust to a new circumstance at moments notice."

"And though I doubt your self imposed excursion to Ba Sing Se was spur of the moment, it was most certainly a new environment. Therefore as a future leader of this tribe, and of one of the Six Great Nations nonetheless, you should be willing and able to adjust to a the slightest thing such as moving to a new city. Otherwise how can you expect yourself to adjust to a random situation in politics or on the field of battle. Perhaps your should take lessons from your father, or even yourr fellow leaders? I hear Owlan is searching for a protege. Even Earth King Onao is a good example to follow."

Laura chuckled, "Forgive me," she said with the superfluous flick of her wrist, "I get rather into things such as leadership and politics. Your comment seemed to have spurred somethingoff in me. However, in regards to your later questiion, I have no idea how long I will be staying here--" Laura winked at Castiel "--all depends on how long it will take for someone to invite me to stay longer, or convince me that I should for that matter."

Despite some of this boys flaws which annoyed Laura for obvious reasons, Laura really WAS having a good time with him. And all though she wouldn't mind staying longer, she knew sooner or later she would need to leave. Be it to return to Owlan's Northern Water Tribe Colonies or Ba Sing Se was still unknown, Laura would need to go. Perhaps she could ask the prince to accompany her? It would definitely give the two of them more time to get accquainted. And it would give Laura more time to sink her hooks into him...or perhaps it was the other way around? Regardless! Laura was preparing a plan.

((**Another name for Vermilion City, Capitol of the Empire.))

| Prince Castiel |

Northern Water Tribe :: Amethyst (NiyNiy) [Topic of the Month August 2012 **To Be Moved Once Closed**] - Page 2 Yuu.Kanda.240.179152

Castiel shrugged, an oddly un-princely gesture he'd picked up from Cassian. He was not at all perturbed regarding the girl's negative views of his potential leadership. He'd been truthful, and so had she. Except, he found nothing very wrong with his character.

The prince smiled. "You seem to stray majorly to either the good or bad aspects of things. I personally like to find beauty in each and everything. Thank you for your criticism, by the way; I did mention that the excursion was all a part of my training. By the time I left Ba Sing Se, I had found a few things there I was able to grow very fond of. The many plants and the different animals, for one thing. It was absolutely enchanting."

The young prince paused for a moment to regard a large building with great interest, not forgetting the girl's supposed tour. "We are passing the main art museum. Fabulous sculptures and other pieces of both modern and classical art are exhibited here. Only it is hardly the place for active entertainment, so we'll be moving on."

He waited a brief second, and then leaped back into their prior discussion, "Well, since you find it so imperative that a well-rounded leader should adjust all sorts of surroundings, I'll make a deal. If I don't convince you that the tribe is beautiful and wonderful by the end of this tour, you can hightail it out of here whenever you like. But if I manage to give you a reason to stay, you can keep me company for a few of these long, dreary days"--Castiel let a playful, exaggerated groan color his tone--"or at least until my next exploration in the winter."

Moderator Posts : 268 Age : 29 Join date : 2012-05-24

Laura cracked her knuckles as she stretched her hands out infront of her. "A bet is it?" Laura laughed, "Oh please, trying to make a bet with me...alright, fine. I'll take you up on your offer. Of course you have to offer something up in return. A bet isn't as much fun if we're not both risking something." Laura thought for a moment, and tapped her finger on her chin, as if she was really thinking about what she was going to make Castiel do if he was wrong. She already knew.

"If I'm not convinced that this place is amazing by the end of this little tour that the Northern Water Tribe is fascinating," she said, "You will have to accompany me on my travels for an entire month. Wherever I go, you go. Maybe travelling will do you some good, put some color into your pale skin and give you a wider scope of the world."

Laura winked at Castiel. The truth was she had already made up her mind. Whether or not she was going to like the tour, she was going to stay with Castiel. She liked the boy, and the more time she had with him the better. Besides, she wouldn't be too far away from her current long-term residence in the Colonies. Just a three hour airship ride on the Imperial Airshiplines Service. That was one thing the Empire did well, was make new and good machinery, and share it with the public. Nothing was faster than the Airship lines, much faster than sea or land travel. All Laura would have to do is return to her residence in the colonies, and gather up her things--as well as her payment for this current job--and then return to the Northern Water Tribe. Simple. "So?" she asked, "What do you say?"

| Prince Castiel |

Northern Water Tribe :: Amethyst (NiyNiy) [Topic of the Month August 2012 **To Be Moved Once Closed**] - Page 2 Yuu.Kanda.240.179152

"The entire thing is cliche? Yes. But effective? Also yes. You have a deal." Castiel laughed, the most genuine laugh he'd ever laughed in a long time. For once, he'd never felt so light. Part of his optimism stemmed from his observation that, should he win or lose this bet, he'd end up spending more time with Laura. It was poor bet, really; it will be judged entirely by Laura's opinion alone, but Castiel was determined to get her to at least find some appreciation for his tribe. No, he was not going to leave until she came to love something.

After a few more minutes, Castiel stopped Taqqiq. "You've done well," he told him. Castiel turned to Laura, rising with gusto and moving along with Taqqiq to moor the imperial gondolier on one of the stationary platforms of the canals. He stepped onto the ice, white and sparkled here or there with snow. Taqqiq tipped his hat to them. "What time should I return?"

"Three hours!" Castiel said. Once, Taqqiq would wait in the gondolier for the prince to return, but Castiel imagined this got very boring and would always send the man on his way. He would often be gone for hours at a time, and couldn't stand for the mild-hearted young man to be waiting on him as such.

Taqqiq nodded and coasted away.

Castiel led Laura to a large building. Festive music resonated from inside, sticking primarily to trumpets and drums.

"This is the Grand Arena. Well, it's an amphitheater in its entirety, and it does not have a particular name. Perhaps it did once, but the 'Grand Arena' is what people have taken to calling it, and it has been that way since. As you might imagine, 'grand' performances occur here daily," Castiel explained. "These performances go from circus acts, water shows, fauna exhibits, iceworks, dancing, singing, the like. Even spectators are invited to spar for a bit. They are currently in the middle of a play. The very best of the best."

He smiled, approaching the sleek entrance doors through the small traffic of people. Most people were eager to let him pass, but far younger stragglers preferred to gawk. Obviously they hadn't taken on the idea that the prince frequented the theater. He also insisted to pay, even though he'd normally be graciously allowed in for free.

Moderator Posts : 268 Age : 29 Join date : 2012-05-24

Laura looked at the prince, and the way people gawked at him. "They're not that used to being around you are they?" he asked, "Owlan frequents the streets in his Empire, and so does his family. Everyone seems rather used to them. Perhaps you should institutionalize them to expect to see you? Just a thought." Laura laughed, her suggestion wasn't completely serious. She knew most everyday commoners weren't used to seeing their leader. She remembered the one and only time Earth King Onao paraded through the streets of Ba Sing Se because his royal air balloon was broken, and all of the people were too dumbstruck to do anything...which also contributed to the three hour hold up.

What once took a normal person an hour to walk from the wall to the palace, took the Earth King three. It was all a mess really. Of course, Laura did mean what she said about Owlan. People were used to seeing him, but that was besides the point right now.

Castiel was dragging her into a play, something she wasn't exactly too keen on, but hey, anything to spend some time with this boy in a dark room where no one could see. Of course....it would be disrespectful, and not to mention tasteless, to try anything in this room. There were too many people. Later perhaps.

"So, what is this play about?" asked Laura as her and Castiel found their seats in the dark theatre. To be honest--and this was something she was never going to say to Castiel--this stadium was nice, but it didn't compare to the Imperial Colosseum in Vermilion City, or the Ba Sing Se Grand Arena, or even the Earth Rumble Arena, but still..it was nice. "I don't see many plays, and I'm not exactly versed in the play culture, or the Northern Water Tribe plays or culture for that matter. So a bit of a bail out would be nice."

» Gitta The Rogue Traveler - Northern Water Tribe Visit. [ Closed ]
» Northern Water Tribe :: Northern Water Palace ~ Peace is Shattered
» Northern Water Tribe :: Northern Water Palace ~ Long Time, No See
» Northern Water Tribe :: Northern Water Palace ~ Dutiful Youths
» Northern Water Tribe :: Northern Water Palace ~ Collapse