United; We Stand![CLOSED]

[Vincent Uchiha96]

Butler Siyu of the Fire Nation/ Earth Kingdom/ Lighting and Combustion Bender

The man's food arrived just as the woman he took notice of began to leave. He knew he had to follow her, but he hadn't eaten all day. Knowing this could be his only lead, he took a few bites of the scalding hot noodles and threw down some money to cover it. There would be plenty of opportunities to eat once he returned the princess to her parents.

Butler waited for the woman to leave before following her outside. When he had first set off to find the Princess, he thought she had been abducted for ransom money, but it seems she was just off by herself, adventuring. Of course, this didn't bother Butler at all, he was just concerned with the large reward offered to him.

He waited for the woman to walk away from the noodle shop before quickening his pace and matching her speed, "Excuse me miss," he spoke up, eyeing what he thought was movement in her bag, though he dismissed it. "I'm looking for a friend and I was hoping you could help me find her. Have you met anyone named Mahiru lately?" he carried an innocent tone though he was certain the question would rattle her if she was really who he was looking for. Butler watched her expression, attempting to read anything he could.  

[Mahiru Zion]

Princess Mahiru of the Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom/Fire Bender

Mahiru stopped and turned toward the voice she heard calling after her. It was a man a couple years older then her. She looked up at him.
"I will be happy to help in anyway I can, I am not from around here though. So I have no idea how helpful I will actually be." She smiled up at the young man.

His next question caught her off guard. She took a half step back from him. "Mahiru you said...? Uh. No. I do not recall meeting anyone with that name here." She took another small step back and pointed toward the seamstress' shop.
"Perhaps....you should ask about. The seamstress might be a good start. Sorry I could not be more help." She turned away. She forced herself to walk away as calmly as possible and for break into a run. Her little legs would not get her fair before he easily caught up to her.

She hoped the man would believe her and just go ask around. She only needed a few minutes then she was sure she could get lost enough that she would not run into him again. She quickened her pace, hoping to put plenty of distance between the man and herself.  

[Vincent Uchiha96]

Butler Siyu of the Fire Nation/ Earth Kingdom/ Lighting and Combustion Bender

The woman's reaction told Butler everything he needed to know, he had to stop himself from laughing at how easily he made her flustered. With a slight grin, he looked towards the seamstress's shop before turning back to the woman. "I don't think that will be necessary...princess." The last word was spoken smugly, almost insultingly.

The Fire Lord had informed him that his daughter had no formal combat training, so Butler didn't expect much from the small woman. He grabbed her arm gently to prevent bruising, increasing his speed to walk beside her. "Your parents are worried sick about you, it's time to come home Mahiru," the man's tone was light, he didn't want to try and intimidate her, but instead, convince her to return. If she didn't struggle, it would be a lot easier to transport her.

Hell, if he could even convince her to come back, it would be the easiest money he would ever earn. "I don't want this to be difficult, I've heard you're very sweet, so why don't you just help me, help you?"  

[Mahiru Zion]

Princess Mahiru of the Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom/Fire Bender

Mahiru sighed and tried to pull her arm away from the larger man. "I don't want to go back!" She did not understand why they would not just leave her be! She was nearly 18, in 3 short months she would be free to walk out of the palace and never return. Though she knew they would never allow that.

She really hated to do this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She sucked in as much air as she could and then screamed at the top of her lungs.
"HELP! HELP! HE IS TRYING TO ROB ME!" She kept screaming until several men came over to intervene.

If this man was only after the reward he would not tell the other men who she was. There was no way he would want to slip the reward. No matter who much the reward was, no one would want to split it four ways.

The first man but his hand on Butler's shoulder. He was large and looked like a genuine good man. Currently he was frowning.
"Sir...I am going to have to ask you to let the child go please." The second man took Mahiru's other arm.
"Are you okay Miss?" He asked. The third man looked at Butler.
"Why would you want to rob a child? That is just awful!"

Sometimes being such a petite person came in handy. Like right now, the villagers would have been hesitant to get involved in what would have looked like a lovers' quarrel if she actually looked her age. Since she looked younger then what she was, many due to her size, the men had felt compiled to help what they thought was a young teen.  

[Vincent Uchiha96]

Butler Siyu of the Fire Nation/ Earth Kingdom/ Lighting and Combustion Bender

The look on Butler's face was one of both surprise and annoyance; this princess was going to be a lot of trouble, he could tell. The three men came to intervene, with the largest of the three placing his hand on Butler's shoulder. Of course he wouldn't want to reveal who the woman or himself were so he had to figure out another way out of this.

"I know she may look young, but this woman is 17! If you would kindly-" Butler was cut off as the man's grasp on his shoulder tightened.

"Around here, we don't take very kindly to thieves, let go of the child." The man sounded more serious than Butler would've liked. Looking back at the woman, he realised he didn't have many options. "Fine, have it your way," he said to her.

Quickly, he turned, releasing his grasp on the girl and wrapping both hands around the biggest man's neck. He brought his knees to his own chest, placing his feet on the man's stomach and kicking off as hard as he could. Butler twisted his body and landed on his feet, while the other man was pushed back, doubling over for a second before recovering.

The third man used his earth bending to lift the ground underneath Butler's feet, launching him further down the road. The assassin was able to recover quickly, looking up in time to see a large mass of Earth being flung at him. Realizing he had no choice, he flung off his scarf, revealing the tattoo underneath. Sucking in a quick breath, Butler yelled out, "BOOM!" The air cracked as a blast of energy escaped his tattoo and blasted the rock, exploding on impact and sending debris flying.  

[Mahiru Zion]

Princess Mahiru of the Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom/Fire Bender

Mahiru had been knocked down in the chaos that had quickly unfolded. Though ever the scrappy girl, she was up and running. She stopped only when she heard the loud BOOM. She turned back and watched for a moment. The bounty hunter had removed his scarf.

She could not really make sense of everything that was happening. There was bits of Earth being flung. The air was clouded with dirt and rock debris, and of course what smelled like smoke.

She pulled her hood up, and hurried into a crowd that had formed. Several small crowds were forming and she was traveling from group to group. Slowly working her way into a group that was not heading out of town. Clearly these people lived even further out.

This was fine with Mahiru, she would travel with them as long as she could. If she traveled with the group she would just look like a member of their family. Hopefully the man would still be looking for a single person, as opposed to a girl with a family.  

[Vincent Uchiha96]

Butler Siyu of the Fire Nation/ Earth Kingdom/ Lighting and Combustion Bender

Butler dodged out of the way of another massive rock before aiming for the ground in between his two opponents. "BOOM!" The sound reverberated off of the buildings in town as the air once more crackled. The ground where Butler had been aiming exploded, sending the two men flying in different directions. Quickly, he looked around, trying to find his prey.

He had finally noticed the crowd that gathered around him as he pulled his scarf once more around his neck. A quick scan of the area revealed his princess used the opportunity to run away. As annoyed as he was, Butler was almost glad to have a break from the monotonous jobs he had been taking.

There were whispers all around as the people looked on, parting as Butler worked his way through them.
"Did you see that?"
"...exploded, didn't even touch it."
"Was that firebending?"
"...thought he was just a common thief."

Butler hurried on, looking frantically around for his runaway princess. But where could she have gone?  

[Mahiru Zion]

Princess Mahiru of the Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom/Fire Bender

The Princess wandered along with the family for a while. She eventually broke off and strolled along a main road. It was getting very dark, and rather cool out. She had to decide whether she wanted to continue putting distance between herself and the man now hunting her. Or if she wanted to rest for the night, if she planned to rest she really should set up camp.

She walked for maybe twenty more minutes before a family traveling in a cart spotted her. They offered her a ride to the next town and she took it. It beat wandering in the dark and cold all night. Or sleeping outside somewhere.

That was one thing she hated about her travels. She hated sleeping outside, and she hated how much time she spent alone. It was a very lonely way to live. Going from place to place, trying to make sure people did not discover who you were, and still see whatever it was had brought you there.

Once arriving at the next town the family set up camp just outside of town. They were there to trade some grains for a few things they needed. They had no problem allowing Mahiru set up camp with them.

She laid down and just star gazed as she drifted off. She wondered who the man they had sent for her now was. He was not the first one they had sent in search of her. It had been a while since one had actually gotten that close to her, and nearly got her. She would have to be careful. This one may not be as distracted as easily as the others were.  

[Vincent Uchiha96]

Butler Siyu of the Fire Nation/ Earth Kingdom/ Lighting and Combustion Bender

Butler waited just outside of town until most of the commotion died out from his incident. He didn't like having to use his combustion bending unless he needed to, it always drew an unwanted crowd. As the crowd dissipated, Butler once more walked to the spot where the incident had occurred, looking for anything that could give him a clue of where his bounty had gone.

Putting his hood over his head, he took a look around. Most of the citizens had deserted the streets. Kneeling down, Butler made a small fire, illuminating the footprints in the road below. Faintly, he was able to tell around where the scuffle took place, following the small footsteps as they ran. A few different times, he thought he lost her before picking up faint prints again.

Eventually, Butler was able to trace the steps to the main road before they blended in too much with the other steps. Silently, the man cursed to himself. It had taken ages to track her this far and he had let her slip through his hands. Once more, he looked around, making sure he was alone before cupping his hands over his mouth and making a noise similar to that of an owl.

About a minute went by before Butler thought he would need to make the call again. However, he stopped as he heard the familiar wing beats of his trusted Falcon approach. Holding out his arm, the falcon landed, holding his head up to let Butler know he wanted attention. "Yeah, yeah," he said, using his free hand to rub the neck of his companion, "I need you to look around and see if you can find our target."

Reaching into his pocket, Butler pulled out some feed, holding it up for the bird to eat before sending him out searching. If his luck held out, he would be able to find and return the girl before the end of the month. Soon, he thought, walking down the road, Very soon.  

[Mahiru Zion]

Princess Mahiru of the Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom/Fire Bender

The next morning Mahiru thanked the family for their hospitality and companionship before they parted ways. She wandered into town looking for any odd jobs to do, to earn a bit of money. She found two. One was only for a few hours in the early morning, they asked if she would be interested in working for a few hours for the next couple of mornings. She quickly agreed. The second job was from late afternoon to late evening.

They even directed her to a older woman's house who charged a flat fee for room and dinner. So Mahiru hurried to the old woman's house. She actually found she enjoyed the woman's company, and she helped with a couple of chores before the woman insisted Mahiru go relax. She did not have to do chores, that was not part of the agreement.

The next morning Mahiru rose early and went out to work. By 10am she was free, and decided to wander the town. It seemed like some sort of street festival would be taking place soon. She moved down one side of the street, they up the other. Checking out a few shops here and there.

She was feeling better now that she had not seen the man again. She was confident she had lost him, which made her relax a bit. It allowed her to feel like she could go back to exploring and enjoying the wonders of the world.  

[Vincent Uchiha96]

Butler Siyu of the Fire Nation/ Earth Kingdom/ Lighting and Combustion Bender

By the time the sun rose, Butler had already packed up his roadside camp and was continuing on with the minimal supplies he carried. During his training, he was taught how to survive for days on end in constant pursuit. However, without a lead, he had decided to rest for the night, setting his hammock up in a tree near the road.

After walking for only about half an hour, Butler heard the call of his Falcon. Surprised, he held out his arm for the bird to land on. "Well girl, did you find anything?" he asked, reaching into one of his pouches, readying a mouse as a reward for the faithful bird. It responded to the question by pointing its head toward the trees. Well, more accurately, she was pointing through the trees.

"Good girl, here you go," Butler threw the mouse high into the air, letting the bird fly from his arm and catch the rodent in its mouth mid-flight. It circled overhead, keeping an eye on her master. With a groan, Butler began doing a few stretches. The fastest way to the girl was through these trees somewhere and the assassin-turned-bounty hunter wasn't going to let her get far.

After limbering up, Butler climbed the closest tree in a few steps and began jumping through the treetops expertly. While he sometimes wished for combat purposes that he was larger in stature, Butler couldn't help but be thankful for his current size. Any bigger and he would have a lot of trouble with his agility. The fact that at he was so agile at his current size was a feat in itself.

Finally, after an hour or two, the man emerged on the other side of the trees. From his vantage point in the trees, he saw a road leading into a busy town. With a look towards the sky, Butler saw his Falcon circling over the town ahead. The decorations adorning most of the buildings suggested a festival was the be going on soon, making finding his target a lot harder. Butler took a minute to catch his breath and wipe the sweat from his face before climbing down the tree and making his way into the busy streets. His hand made its way to the scarf around his neck, adjusting it subconsciously as his eyes scanned all the faces he passed.  

[Mahiru Zion]

Princess Mahiru of the Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom/Fire Bender

The Princess was currently down at a small lake. It was very close to the town, so many people walked over to fish. The children in the town often walked over to swim. As odd as it was the Princess was excited about the idea of swimming. She was with a few of the towns people, mainly children and young adults and they were all swimming.

This was her first time swimming. Her Mother had declared it as undignified and inappropriate for a lady of her standing to strip down to such an 'indecent state' and frolic about. So until now Mahiru had never been swimming. Which was sad since it was such a fun activity!

It was a simple pleasure, nothing over the top but she was enjoying it. One of the boys from the town splashed her playfully. He appeared to be around 17-19. She had noticed him watching her before. She splashed him back. Next thing they both knew they were both hit was a wave that appeared out of nowhere. They looked over to the source of loud laughter.

The laughter was coming from a young woman Mahiru had seen with the young man earlier. They had some features that were very similar, she assumed the pair were related. Her assumption was correct because he told her she was the world's most annoying sister when made her smile widely.

Mahiru soon wandered out of the water. She sat herself under the shade of a tree. Her baby Dragon was dozing out in the open. She smiled at his small coiled body. She was a bit envious. She was tired, hungry and a nap sound amazing in her opinion. She gathered her things and started back toward the town.  

[Vincent Uchiha96]

Butler Siyu of the Fire Nation/ Earth Kingdom/ Lighting and Combustion Bender

After searching through the crowd for about half an hour, Butler decided to take a small rest in a bustling tea shop close to the center of the town. He took a seat near the window, making sure to watch the outside for his lost princess.

"Hello sir! What can I get for you?" a young waitress asked, approaching his table with a smile.

"Just a jasmine tea please," he said with a smile. She hurried off and Butler took a moment to stretch his sore limbs. Popping his neck, he looked once more outside, ready to slip off into a nice day dream. But unfortunately, the man wasn't given the luxury as he saw his princess walk by the window wearing a smile. Butler let out a groan before standing from his seat and heading for the door.

Behind him, the young waitress called out, wondering if he wanted his tea. Of course he did, but he had business to attend to. Working his way through the crowd, he managed to sneak his way next to the woman, deciding this time to try a more subtle approach.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," he said, startling the princess, "What made you run from the lap of luxury that is the Royal Palace? The Fire Nation is the greatest place in the world."

 

[Mahiru Zion]

Princess Mahiru of the Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom/Fire Bender

Mahiru turned her attention to the bounty hunter. He had found her again. She was tired of running. Why would they not leave her be? The princess gave a weary sigh.
"You would not understand. You will think I am some dumb spoiled little Princess." She grew silent.

She did not want to explain herself only to be laughed at. Everyone always acted like she was a moron for choosing to leave the palace. Finally she looked at her new living breathing shadow.
"My life was being planned for me. No one asked what I wanted. No one cared. I would have been fine with what they wanted if I had actually done a bit of living. I feel like....I know nothing about the world. Take today for instance, today was the first time I have ever went swimming. It was so much fun! My Mother thinks it is an activity not fit for a Princess."

She stopped walking and looked up at the sky. She intended to go home eventually, she just wanted to have a few adventures to tell her future children about. She just was not ready to go from her parents control, to a husband's.
"I plan on returning someday. I just have a few things I want to fo first. One of the main things is to go to Republic City for the announcement and introduction of the Avatar. That will be historical. I have to be there!"

She turned to the bounty hunter. "Accompany me to republic City. I want to see the Avatar. You go with me, I see the Avatar and then you can take me in. No tricks, no trouble. You can collect your reward for imprisoning me once more and go on your merry little way."