Reunion (Wolfie and Lyss)

((So, to avoid any kind of plot confusion, i'm just saying this takes place before Yami trains with Konoe. Besides, it's much more fun to roleplay as an uncontrollable demon.))

Yami stared uncomprehensively at the map in her hands. She might have been holding it upside down, or sideways, or diagonally. She couldn't tell. North, South, East, whatever, she couldn't figure it out. The only thing she knew was that she was somewhere in Vermilion Empire territory. Where, she had no idea. The map was no help. She didn't know why she even tried. She looked up at the sky. The sun was setting. The sun sets in the east...right? Yami flipped the map around to match up with that direction. Still, it felt wrong.

Yami gave a slight growl before incinerating the map out of frustration. She watched the ashes disappear into the evening light. Oh, good. You managed to destroy your only hope of ever figuring out where you are. Great job, you idiotic child. Yami internally glared at Kokuo. Oh, like you're any help. You've just been sitting there laughing at me this whole time! Kokuo's deep, guttural chuckle sent chills down Yami's spine. Don't forget who's in charge here. Remember, unless you somehow figure out how to control me... Kokuo paused for a moment, then grinned. I OWN you.

You feel as though you're in control, like you have a great power in just having some great spirit in you. But with great power comes great responsibility, something you obviously lack. Do not forget your place. You'll never tame me. Yami was shivering, even though she never got cold. Her face was pale and she felt sick to her stomach. Stand up to me again, and you'll regret it. Kokuo's voice fell silent and Yami felt normal again. Sweat beaded her forehead and her breathing was faster than usual. The same could be said for her heart rate.

Yami followed the sunset, hoping to reach some kind of town or outpost where she could find information on where she was. She didn't expect to find the Light Nation Capital. Or was it still a state? Yami shrugged. She didn't have much access to modern goings on in the empire, and she didn't really care as much as she probably should have. But if she were in the capital...she smiled. She knew whose home town this was.

Drago looked at the twilight sun, and watched it start to sink low over the horizon.  It really was a beautiful, beautiful sight.  It made him remember someone very special to him.  Yami Sentoki.  They were dating after all, but between her being a Jinchuriki and having to train and control that power, and Drago's work as a bounty hunter and part time blacksmith, he had his own stress and work to worry about.

When he wasn't being cooped up in a forge for days on end, he was travelling the Six Nations searching for his mark, in exchange for a fair bit of pay.  It wasn't enough for him to retire early, but it was definitely enough to support him and Potara and a relatively comfortable lifestyle.  Drago sipped his tea and sighed with relaxation. He had a few moments of peace right now.

No targets to hunt, no weapons or armour to make. Just him, his tea, and the sunset on his back porch. Drago closed his eyes, letting his body relax and rest, and thought of Yami. He had been thinking of her very often lately. It'd been way too long since they last spoke to one another. Too too long. Drago missed her, but they were both busy.

She had to travel around, trying to master her tailed beast. He had his work. Such was life. Drago felt himself slowly drift off to sleep, as he remembered the kiss he and Yami shared, and the time they spent together. The feel of her hair in his hands. How it felt to hug her. The look in her eyes. She was his dream, literally now.

Yami walked into the familiar town. She had spent more time here than in other places, and she was starting to see familiar faces. The healer who saved her life. The innkeeper she always rented from. The baker who gave her a free loaf of bread on every visit. This was the middle-class district of the city, where people were friendly and everyone knew each other. In the upper-class, people were too snotty to pay attention to their neighbors. The slums were so crowded, it would be impossible to remember which face belonged to which mugger, gang member, or street rat.

But here, people helped each other out and talked to each other. Mothers would get together for quilting bees, soldiers drank together, elders took regular trips to the shrine in large groups. Even the town drunks were friendly, at least when they were sober. Yami nodded to each familiar face. Some of them even remembered her name, smiling and greeting her as they passed. Yami would have stayed in the inn that night, but had ultimately decided against it as the sun set. The stars shone brightly. With the moon having waned completely, there was no sign of it anywhere in the night sky, giving the stars their time to shine. It was breathtaking. Yami would sleep under the stars that night.

A parcel of land had been set aside as campground years before. It was often used as a picnic area during the day, and when youth wanted to get together, they'd spend the night there. Anyone in the community could use it for a small fee, about equal to the price of a small room in the inn. Yami paid up and found an empty area, where she wrapped herself in her cloak, resting her head on her bag to make sure nothing would be stolen while she slept. Tomorrow, she figured, she would pay Drago a visit, provided he was in the city.

Drago woke with a start as Potara threw a heavy leather apron and gloves in his lap. Damn. He fell asleep in the crooked wooden chair last night and spend the night on the porch. His body was going to feel it today, that was for sure. Drago rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tousled his hair, trying to rearrange it into something orderly and neat. To no avail unfortunately.

Drago threw on his apron, gloves and tied a strip of cloth around his forehead in order to keep the sweat from his eyes. With a sigh and a yawn, he walked to the forge and used the iron tongs to pull the ingot of steel from the flames. It was red hot and just the right density for hammering now. Picking up his hammer and placing the ingot, still tightly gripped by the tongs, atop the metal anvil.

Hammering rang through the workshop, the yard and the house as Drago hammered away at the soft piece of steel. With each hammer the ingot lost a bit of colour and heat. Drago liked this work. It kept his strong and muscled; in shape for his other job, his mercenary life. It also kept his hands busy when he had down time. It was a living; a decent one at times too.

Drago had finished up with the ingot and put it back in the forge for a bit, pumping the bellows to add wind fuel to the flames. Most people heated the metal with their bending nowadays, but Drago liked doing things the old fashioned way. Most people did it because the smiths in Yu Dao did it, but they only did it because they had Metal, Earth and Fire Benders all working in unison. Their metalwork was legendary and unbeatable. The Hu Xin Provinces was famous for its metallurgy.

Nothing beat a Yu Dao metalsmith. They even started manufacturing firearms and munitions lately. According to the new rifles the military was carrying around in town, the Yu Dao stamps on all the guns and the munitions barrels seemed to indicate that the Empire had moved its fire arms manufacturing offshore to the colonies in Hu Xin. Though the more traditional weapons and vehicles were still produced on Tengu Island; Drago doubted that would ever change.

Yami heard something. Her eyes remained closed and her breathing steady, but her mind was alert. Quietly, feigning sleep, she listened. Someone was approaching...no, more than one, three at most. They were whispering as they walked, but they were at least decently smart and kept lowering their voices as they got closer. Yami could tell now that there were two of them, both men, judging by their clumsy, heavy footfalls. A jangle of metal. One of them must have been armed. They got closer, until it was too close for comfort. Yami heard one kneel on the grass directly behind her, as she was laying on her side. Then she felt strong hands grip her clothes.

Everything happened quickly. Yami snapped into action, twisting and nailing the man in the throat with her elbow. He let go, reeling back as he grabbed at his neck. The second man drew a worn dagger, full of chinks and badly stained. Not much of a weapon. Yami was on her feet now as the first man stood up, still rubbing his neck. Yami should have known something like this would happen if she slept on the free land. Yami lunged at the armed man, deflecting his blade with her own as she pulled it out of its sheath, which she had conveniently left belted on the night before. As her right hand deflected the blade, she jabbed the man in the eyes with the pointer and middle fingers of her left. He yelled out, dropping his knife and grabbing at his eyes as Yami kicked him directly in the groin. He fell to the ground, gasping.

Yami turned to the second man, who just stood there, wide eyed and mouth agape. Yami grinned and took a single step towards him, to which he turned and ran in the opposite direction. Yami considered knocking the remaining man unconscious, but figured that leaving an unmoving body in the middle of the park would not make a good impression. Instead, she grabbed her bag and walked away. She had places to be, after all.

Despite Yami's horrible lack of a sense of direction, she knew the streets of the city well. It didn't take her long to find the blacksmith. She walked through the doors, a bell ringing as the door passed by it. A voice called out from the back, indicating they would be with her momentarily. The foyer felt warm and dry, a good sign that the smiths were at work. An aged man with a thick, gray beard that had clearly been singed in a few places walked out, taking off his gloves as he did so. "The name's Potara. What can I do for yo- Why, if it isn't Yami!" The man smiled, walking around the counter and embracing her. "It's good to see you again, Potara! How have you been?" "These old hands may not be what they used to, but you rest assured that I can fix one of Drago's mistakes in a pinch if necessary. 'Course, his mistakes are becoming less and less frequent. Let me guess, you're here to see him, aren't you?" Yami nodded. "That, and my throwing knife has grown dull. I would have had it sharpened sooner, but I can get better prices here." "If by a better price, you mean free, because we know that you're dirt poor? I'd say you made the right decision!" Yami handed him the knife, and he took it to the back, where Yami heard him call out to Drago and tell him that "someone special" was waiting for him.