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Post by Zukosfire5 on Jan 23, 2008 15:02:51 GMT -5
Fen smiled. "Thanks so much." she said, beginning to gather the now dried branches. She carefully pulled out her flint and, after arranging the smaller twigs in a pile, coaxed a few sparks from the rock and lit a small fire. She quickly added a few of the thicker branches so the fire wouldn't die. Fen then pulled out her small bundle of medicinal herbs to make sure the rain hadn't ruined them too much. Once she was satisfied they were okay, she grabbed her blanket and hung it up to dry.
Fen then turned to Horyo and the other woman. Noticing Horyo had dried himself, she directed her words to their recent arrival: "Why don't you come over here and warm yourself? Wet clothes will only make you colder" She looked over at Horyo. "And you can't be much warmer, even though you already dried yourself." she said.
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Post by The Blank Magician on Jan 23, 2008 16:15:27 GMT -5
"Oh, um, my name is Sho," she said, her response directed at both of them. She thought it might be rude if she didn't introduce herself after the man had. She watched with interest as the waterbender drew the water out of the wet logs, her head cocked to one side. She hadn't seen a waterbender before, much less one actually use the skill of waterbending. As the fire was starting, she tried to squeeze out as much water as she could from her clothes and inched closer to the warmth.
"Thanks," she said and smiled at the woman. Standing closer to the fire, her deep brown eyes surveyed the surrounding trees and ground. Her eyes flicked over to the man and woman, then to the ground, then back again. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it, hesitant to say anything. She shivered slightly, then decided to ask.
"Do you want me to make some walls? It'll keep the cold out at least, if you want..."
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Post by Zukosfire5 on Jan 23, 2008 18:52:04 GMT -5
Fen turned back to Sho. "I don't mind. Actually, go ahead and do it." Fen smiled again. "It is getting pretty chilly with this rain."
Sitting down, Fen wrung the final bit of water out of her hair, and edged closer to the fire, feeding more branches to it so it wouldn't go out.
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Horyo
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Post by Horyo on Jan 23, 2008 21:05:30 GMT -5
After the new-comer, Sho, had introduced herself, Horyo turned his attention towards Fen who had struck the flint to make a small fire. The flame seemed so warm, so inviting, but it truly was dry and suffocating. The thick black smoke produced from the fire made him want to put it out; partly annoyed that he was in such a situation, and in a sour mood, Horyo stayed quiet.
The stress just crinkled his brow, and shut his eyes. He had no desire to speak at this moment, since he was in his foulest disposition. He then accepted the invitation to join Fen near the flame, seeing as how he had no alternative. Horyo huddled by the woman with a flickering fire burning in front of them.
And to his surprise, the woman Sho suggested making a wall.
"Are you an Earthbender?" He asked, not concealing any of his surprise. He had been accustomed to being alone and living alone in the later months of his travels, but he finally smiled at the feeling of being with another bender, and a doctor. So he waited for her reply.
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Post by The Blank Magician on Jan 24, 2008 16:43:27 GMT -5
Sho shrugged her shoulders slightly in reply to the man's question.
"Yes," she said quietly, eyes flickering between the fire, the man, and the woman. "But my technique is not very...refined, I guess you could say. I haven't been able to train with a teacher." She paused as she thought for a second. "Well, a good teacher."
Sho found a low hanging branch of a tree and hung her bag on it; she didn't want to drop it in the mud. As she was began to pull the earth up form the ground to make a wall, another idea sprung into her head. But first, she made a deft movement with her hands and spread her feet, drawing up a thick slab of earth. It blocked off some of the wind and rain, but still making it possible to see the road; just in case. Sho turned her head to the other two and smiled slightly.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to make a platform so we're not in the mud..." She trailed off and moved swiftly from the first set of positions to the next, using the palms of her hands to push the section of earth they were on up a few inches, leaving the mud below them and keeping the ground they were standing on dry. It took only a few seconds. Sho glanced over at the other two.
"Sorry, I should have warned you."
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Horyo
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Post by Horyo on Jan 25, 2008 4:36:15 GMT -5
Horyo watched Sho as she heaved, and he felt quite impressed. Even though he had not seen many Earth Benders, he felt her to be quite skilled. After the rough sound of rocks sliding against each other, he stared at the large wall. The shape and form seemed very nice and the surface was smooth, almost as if she chiseled it for days and days until it reached perfection.
The environment became more comfortable, as the harsh weather ravaged against the slab and trees rather than their skin and bodies. For a moment, he wondered how long the rain would keep pouring down, and a funny thought of their small camp being washed away to see floated in his mind.
But her action interrupted his thinking, and the ground rose up. Horyo slipped a bit and fell flat on his butt, striking hard against the dried ground -- well, at least it was hard and not muddy and soft.
Through the branches and leaves of the trees, small drops of water trickled down onto them. He frowned, with annoyance crawling back into him. Regardless of what they did the water still got through! The leaves must have collected the rain-water and dripped it off slowly. Not very many drops fell, however, giving them a slight reprieve.
"I think we need to find a sturdier shelter soon." Horyo finally spoke, as he gazed up to the trees.
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Post by Zukosfire5 on Jan 25, 2008 16:24:07 GMT -5
Fen couldn't help but giggle a little when Horyo fell. With help from Sho they now had a nice little shelter...despite the few drops from the trees overhead. Feeling rather dry now, Fen pulled her hair into its customary bun to keep it out of the way.
Leaning against the walls that Sho had made, Fen turned her head to the girl and said, "These walls are great. Thanks for making them." She smiled and then closed her eyes. Even though it couldn't have been later than noon, the gloom brought on by the rain was making her feel a bit drowsy. However, her eyes snapped open when Horyo mentioned finding better shelter.
"Well, I don't know if we'll get far in this rain." she remarked. "As soon as we get out from under the trees, we'll be soaked to the skin. And anyways," she continued, "the nearest villages are a mile or more away."
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Post by The Blank Magician on Jan 25, 2008 21:22:37 GMT -5
Sho looked back and forth between the couple and smiled at the remark that Fen had made about her walls.
"Yes, well, it's one of the first things you learn."
She looked up at the branches of the trees and was rewarded with a sprinkling of water droplets on her face. She let out a long sigh and wiped the water away from her face with the damp edge of her sleeve. She glanced over at Horyo with her intense brown eyes.
"I wish I could make a roof from the rain, but I don't trust this earth. Too soft, you see. I would need another earthbender to make the earth dense enough to withstand the rain. But, as it is, the roof would crumble after a few minutes because of the water." She placed a hand on one of the walls she had made and rubbed it. A few grains of dirt fell from the side and onto her foot.
"These will be okay until the rain stops, though, so don't worry." She smiled slightly, eyes wandering up to the branches again.
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Horyo
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Post by Horyo on Jan 25, 2008 21:36:47 GMT -5
"Here, I have an idea." Horyo said as he raised his arms, elbows bent. He took in a deep breath and blew out the air he held in. The sound of a winter chill rushed out as his palms moved in a stiff way. The leaves twitched slightly from the weak breeze he blew out, then they stopped moving, and hung stiff and rigid. The water collecting around ont he leaves turned to ice, heavy ice which pulled the leaf downwards.
The leaves froze! At least their water droplets stopped moving. However, drips from the treetops still danced down on him, not quite as much as before, but some drops came through. The icy water splattered across his face and passed on their cool touch, a sort of refreshing icy touch that he missed terribly.
He then snapped back to reality as a roar pounded across the sky, and a fast streak of light zipped in the clouds.
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Post by The Blank Magician on Jan 31, 2008 18:26:55 GMT -5
Sho's eyes widened at Horyo's display of waterbending. She liked how the leaves froze instantly, the water frozen in mid-drip, like tiny teardrop crystals.
"Wow..." She breathed inaudibly. Suddenly, lightening ripped across the sky and Sho jumped in surprise. She grinned feebly at the other two.
"I don't want to be rude," she started out apologetically. "But what are you two doing out here in the rain in the first place?" She looked pointedly at Horyo. "It doesn't look as if you are from around here. Are you visiting someone? Or are you just here to enjoy the wonderous view?"
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Horyo
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Post by Horyo on Feb 1, 2008 3:08:57 GMT -5
Horyo almost smirked at Sho's ironic statement. "Oh yes, rain is very pleasant." He replied with a light chuckle. He then thought to his days in the Northern Water Tribe, where rain was rare, and snow was plentiful.
He had left his home in order to explore the vast world. He wanted to improve his combat skills, and bending, but he felt that exploration led to new forms and perspectives to understand his potentials.
He flew back to the present and answered in a yawn, "I'm here to explore the Earth Kingdom and fight the Fire Nation too, after what I heard they did to my tribe." He spoke after hearing of the Siege. He remembered the night when he felt so powerless, so weak and empty. His waterbending failed him, and when he gazed into the sky, the shining moon which brought him luminance had vanished.
Thankfully, the Avatar had saved his people.
And his bending.
It was still six months to the day he left, and had he left a few months later, he might have been able to assist his homeland, or die trying.
"The Fire nation attacked my home, and I want to help stop them." He finished in one breath while looking into the crackling orange sparks.
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Post by Zukosfire5 on Feb 1, 2008 11:58:59 GMT -5
Fen looked at Horyo for a long time, hearing the pain in his voice. She then began to talk.
"I grew up in a small village outside of Omashu. Both my brother and my father were in the army and died from disease in a Fire Nation prison camp." She paused. "A-and that's when I knew I wanted to be a doctor. I didn't want people to suffer when they can be helped."
"I lived in Omashu for a while and apprenticed with one of the women doctors there. But," she faltered for a moment, "but the Fire Nation soon overtook the city. I managed to escape soon after that." Although, she thought, just think! If I'd stayed only a little bit longer I would've seen the Avatar!.
Finishing up, she said "And I've been drifting from town to village to town, offering my services to those who are sick." She smiled a bit. "And now I've gotten caught in the rain," she said with a laugh.
Then she turned her eyes on Sho. "What about you?" she asked. "What were you doing out in the rain?"
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Post by The Blank Magician on Feb 1, 2008 22:23:50 GMT -5
Sho listened, eyes wide, at both of the stories. She looked quickly over at Fen and hunched her shoulders.
"I left my village," she replied. "It had been taken over by Fire Nation soldiers. My father was killed trying to rebel and he left my unstable brother in charge of the family. The situation just got worse and worse until my brother decided that I was just one to many to take care of." She let out a small sigh and gazed blankly into the rain.
"So he kicked me out of the house about two days ago. So now I have nowhere to go, nothing to do, and most definitely nothing much to lose."
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Horyo
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Post by Horyo on Feb 4, 2008 2:39:44 GMT -5
Still sitting, Horyo, quiet and still, listened and contemplated the painful past of the two women. Hm, even women can feel the pain men can. He thought, his mind beginning to open up to the world and freeing him from the customs of his culture. Rain poured and dripped down, the droplets colder than before, since they fell from the frozen leaves.
His stomach produced and uncomfortable growl as he turned to pick up his bag which bore some an icy bag, dried nuts, and multicolored berries he had plucked on the way.
The bag was wrapped around five frozen fish, which he had caught and preserved using waterbending.
First, Horyo pulled water away from the frozen fish. He poured it onto a nearby branch and stuck it into the fish then placed them near the fire.
He offered the women the nuts and berries, and said, "We'll wait for the fish to cook, before we can eat them."
Another clash of thunrder roared over the heavens as water drizzled down from outside. Horyo's breath came out in a visible white puff.
It was very cold.
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Post by Zukosfire5 on Feb 6, 2008 20:56:50 GMT -5
Fen accepted the food eagerly and edged closer to the fire. Her tanned skin broke out in goosebumps from the chilly air that was so drastically different from when she had left the village only several hours ago.
Soon the smell of cooking fish rose to her nostrils and Fen's stomach voiced it's impatience for food. With a start, she realized she hadn't eaten for a bit and she certainly had walked a fair amount today. No wonder she was hungry.
Shivering slightly, she looked over at Horyo with a slight smile on her face. "I'm sure you're used to this cold, being from the water tribes and all." She paused for a moment, her eyes trained on his face and hoping he was offended. He seemed the type who has likely to get annoyed at seemingly insignificant comments.
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