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 Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:32 am
Ina stood at the bow of the ship, the wind blowing her hair about. She liked the feeling of it whipping at her cheeks and her eyes, though it was sometimes annoying because it made it more difficult to see when she was trying to actually -do- things on the ship.
When she was just enjoying the ship itself, though, that was another story.
The ship was docked, though, and she found herself being pulled away.
"Ina, quickly, come here," her mother indicated that the girl was to get off the ship and head onto the docks themselves,
"We have a few errands we'd like you to run."
The girl nodded, taking the list her mother offered and heading off into the city proper to look for the items on it.
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:06 am
Avani darted through the streets, clutching the last of the coins that Tsai Shen had given her in the small pouch. She was trying to find an inexpensive comb for Lei. Her hair was starting to get longer and she didn't want to cut it again, but it was always in the little girl's face.
Up ahead, a girl just about her age had entered the square, dressed in bright reds. The dark haired girl tilted her head and peered closer. She wasn't from the Earth Kingdom, that wasn't possible. She had the look of...but what would a Fire Nation girl be doing here?
Avani edged closer, watching the girl curiously.
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:10 am
Ina stopped at a nearby vendor, admiring some of the products there. She was just wondering if she could ask the shopowner for a story when she realized someone was watching her. Turning, she saw the girl and gave her a smile and a wave,
"Aren't they pretty?" she motioned to the various bits of jewelry and hair decorations she'd been admiring.
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:22 am
The young bender stumbled back a little, at being caught and put her hands behind her back and nodded, turning a little pink.
"Uh, yeah, theyre...they're really pretty."
She clenched the pouch tightly and made herself busy, looking at the ornaments in front of her.
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:24 am
Ina smiled,
"I don't suppose..." she looked at the girl, trying to assess before she asked. But, this girl looked like she'd had rough times, to say the least. Maybe she did have some good stories.
"Do you..have any stories? I collect them, you see. And Earth Kingdom stories are always fun. If you do, I'll repay you for them!"
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:31 am
"Stories?" Avani asked, puzzled. "Do you mean like...tales that parents tell their children before bed or things like something that has happened to me?"
And just how did one 'collect' stories, exactly?
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:37 am
Ina giggled,
"Oh, hold on. Let me back up a bit. I'm Ina. My parents have a ship, and we go all over the place...and I get stories from people. All sorts of stories. So, I was wondering if you had any. You looked like you might..."
She had forgotten about the shopkeeper. He wouldn't be going anywhere, if she returned to this port she'd be able to get a story from him easily enough. This girl, though, she might not see again.
"And I'll get you something if you give me one or two."
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:00 am
Avani dipped in a small bow. "I'm Avani," she said smiling sweetly. "It's nice to meet you."
She paused, thinking. "Well, my mother told me a few stories, I guess...before she left." She wracked her brain. "But, that was a long time ago, so I might not remember the whole story."
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:01 am
Ina shrugged,
"Well, tell me what you know. Maybe it won't be a story I know already."
She grinned. That would be great. She needed some new stories. She was going to write them all down someday, to make sure she'd remember every one of them.
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:19 am
"Well...brother could probably tell it better, but..." She trailed off and thought. "Have you ever been to Omashu?" She continued without waiting for a response.
"They met on top of the mountain that divided their two villages. The villages were enemies so they could not be together. But their love was strong and they found a way. The two lovers learned earthbending from the badger moles. They became the first earthbenders." Avani paused here, smiling knowingly to herself.
"They built elaborate tunnels so they could meet secretly. Anyone who tried to follow them would be lost forever in the labyrinth." Her voice changed her, sounding sad. "But one day the man didn’t come. He died in the war between their two villages."
Avani's eyes flashed. "Devastated, the woman unleashed a terrible display of her earthbending power. She could have destroyed them all. But instead she declared the war over. Both villages helped her build a new city where they would live together in peace. The woman’s name was Oma and the man’s name was Shu. The great city was named Omashu as a monument to their love."
The little bender's voice dropped to a soft whisper. "Love is brightest in the dark."
She blushed as she finished. "Well...that's how my brother used to tell it."
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:24 am
Ina smiled. She'd heard the story before, of course, but it was sweet the way Avani had told it,
"What a nice story!" she clapped her hands together,
"What do you want for that? You can pick anything here, don't worry about the price I've got plenty-- my parents sent me on errands and they gave me more than enough, but they won't care if I spend the extra."
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:39 am
Avani felt funny about two random strangers in a row giving her things. She felt like she was taking advantage of them and also that she was being pitied for being poor. She didn't like the idea of either, so tried to convice herself that she had preformed services in both cases to earn it.
She pointed at a small comb. Just looking at the choice, one could tell it wasn't for her, or if it was, it was a bad choice. The deep colors probably wouldn't even show up in Avani's hair and the comb was so small, her hair wouldn't have been held up by it. It was a deep mahogany color, with a small bit of bright blue gem in the middle of it. The blue would set of Lei's robes and the color of the comb itself would look pretty in Lei's fairer hair.
"That one," she said at last.
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:43 am
Ina tilted her head,
"Why, that doesn't look like it'd even fit you!" she said, shaking her head. Instead, she picked up a set of combs-- including the small one Avani'd indicated, and offered them to her,
"Here, you can have these and I'll take these two," she took a couple out of the set,
"They're all pretty, but I think these two are the only ones that work for me. You can find someone to give the other to, right?"
She didn't like getting just one of anything, really. Particularly with as good a deal as the shopkeeper was giving out for these,
"It's a really good deal, anyhow, so we might as well get them all."
She paid the shopkeeper and looked around,
"Hey, would you like to see something really neat?"
She had plenty of time to do the errands, really, and she rarely met up with people her own age...might as well have a little bit of fun with her while she had her.
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 11:01 am
Avani smiled politely and nodded, tucking the couple combs into her pouch.
Avani glanced up at the sky. It was still fairly light out, which meant it was relativly early in the day. She imagined her father was still hours from arriving home.
"Umm, sure," she said hesitantly. Was it smart to just follow this girl? She doubted the girl could overpower her, but still...
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 11:05 am
Ina clapped her hands together excitedly,
"Lovely! I never have any other kids to hang about with, it'll be nice," she explained to the other. She really wasn't much good with relating to others. She was on her own too much. Still, she could have fun with this other girl!
"I have found the most -beautiful- little cave..." She headed off towards the water, skipping along and holding onto her hat to make sure that it didn't fall off in the process- forget that it was tied on perfectly, sometimes it fell off anyhow.
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