Avatar Rp: Book One: Earth (Closed/Started)

[Redryhno]

BOOK ONE: EARTH

The sun rose up out of the East, three days since the loss of the Avatar, and the few that knew of his demise were halfway across the world. The Temple in the foothills to the NorthWest dedicated to the Earth Kingdoms Avatars glowed a deep red in the innermost chambers, as it had for the last few days slowly turned a deep purple before changing to a bright blue, lightening even more to the purest white before the effigy of Roku was somehow moved, and replaced with a new statue, this one marked with the distinctive tattoos of the Air Nomads. Now was the time. The four strongest benders of each of the four great nations, as well as the resident member of the White Lotus, an ancient organization dating back to before the time of the Avatar, but tasked long ago with the duty of finding and protecting the new Avatar from a previous, long-forgotten Airbending Avatar. The five figures sat in front of the new statue, awaiting the first of them to speak, all of them with at least one tear in their eyes.

"It would appear that we can no longer hide the fact that Roku has perished from the general populace, can we Atar?" The man in the garb of the Fire Nation announced to the Air Nomad to his right.

"No, it would appear we cannot, Ping. But we can't continue to build our walls whilst we should be building the windmills to usher in the new Avatar. There is something in the air, something Avatar Roku hinted at often, but never spoke of in entirety. We may not have very much time this cycle." The elderly man spoke in a whistling voice, body reed-thin and eyes long lost to the world.

A woman dressed in the armor of the Earth Kingdom stood and with hands behind his back, looking up first at the almost lifelike statue of Roku, and then the new statue, staring at the featureless block of marble, almost appearing to be trying to decipher any clues as to who the next Avatar would look like. Someone that didn't know her well would be confident in her stubbornness to will the stone to change.

A second member of the group stood, this one dressed in overlapping robes of black, white, and rose red, a White Lotus medallion hanging from a necklace of beads. The figure sighed once before bowing to the new statue and heading for the doors.

"It is my duty to announce the hunt for the Avatar. Allow me to find persons of trustworthy natures, as the White Lotus's doctrine demands, Avatar Roku, we promise to follow your previous incarnations orders, and we have not wavered, allow us to find them before this change occurs."

"It is time, my friends. The beacon must be lit, and we are the only ones with the privilege to light it."

The five figures all stood in unison and went to the back of the room, where four holes in the wall and a single Lotus-shaped gear in the center of the lock holding the gigantic doors closed. Each of the five took their positions and simultaneously bent the elements into them. A pillar of earth slammed outwards of one, two tornados of air and fire, and a deluge of water was pulled from the mechanism within the door, each opening their own locks as well as moving the medallion in the center. The two doors swung outwards, and the five figures walked through, the Airbender led forward by both the Water and Fire benders. Each went through and smiled as tears of both joy and loss streamed down their cheeks. Roku was lost to them, but the promise of his reincarnation being found again was a comfort despite that.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, far south of the Avatar Temple, the sun finally peaked over the walls of Ba Sing Se, flooding the city with golden light, many rays reflecting off the various buildings, statues, and alleyways. It was a beautiful city, inhabited by peoples of various backgrounds, merchants from the Fire Nation, hunter of the Water tribes, Air Nomads wandering the world, and even a few(few)) Earth Kingdom cabbage farmers. Our story begins here, each of the 11 individuals summoned to a meeting in the Inner Ring of the city, to a tea house named the Jade Platypusbear.

Spoiler: OOC

Each of you can do whatever you wish, but each of your posts need to end with you arriving at the tea house. Have fun, we've begun.

 

[Redryhno]

Character Sheets:

Spoiler: Kuma(Shadowstar)

Name: Tsung Kuma

Gender: Male

Age: 18

Concept: Waterbender from the Northern Water tribe.

Appearance: Kuma has hazel brown eyes and scruffy black hair, which is always tied back with a black bandana. There is one, long scar running from the top of the left side of his forehead to below his eye. He wears dark purple pants with a matching purple tunic and a black sash. A black and gold captain?s jacket and gold colored sandals complete his outfit.

Personality: Kuma is very laid back. The problems of the world hardly ever affect him. He takes great enjoyment from his personal freedom, and is unlikely to stay in one place for long. When placed in a battle situation, Kuma is overcome with a spark of overconfidence and desire to see the fight to the end. If there?s one thing he will say he hates, it?s leaving anything unfinished or at a stalemate.

Equipment: Kuma carries a cutlass on the left side of his sash. Four medium sized pouches of water are strapped behind his back under his jacket. A bag of smoke pellets and his traditional water tribe dagger are placed on the right side of his sash.

Fighting style: While he has learned traditional water bending in his youth, Kuma developed his own style that focuses on trapping opponents with his water and sweeping in for fatal strikes.

Bio: Kuma grew up in a family of prefects in the northern water tribe. His father believed in hard work, and pushed Kuma to be the best at whatever he did. He hired on advanced tutors, enrolled him in water bending classes at the youngest possible age, and made him work for everything he was given. Kuma eventually became burnt out, and sent more and more time skipping classes and generally slacking off.

At the age of 11, Kuma was sent out with his uncle to the Earth Kingdom to do some trading with the locals and have a chance to see more of the world. On the way to the mainland, the ship Kuma was on was attacked by pirates. Kuma put up a fight but was knocked out by an attacker. He woke up several hours later on their ship, having been taken hostage. He was introduced to Captain Wei, the pirates leader. Though he was frightened of them at first, Kuma began to appreciate the pirates? care free lifestyle, and stayed with them as a full member.

Kuma spent the next six years sharpening his kill with the other benders on board and going on raids with his crew mates. Seven months ago, their ship was tracked by a trio of Earth Kingdom naval vessels. Captain Wei, instead of leading his men on a suicide mission, let the men escape in smaller crafts while he lead the navy away. Before going, Wei gave Kuma his jacket and cutlass as keepsakes. Without a leader, the pirates disbanded and went their seperate ways. Kuma has been traveling alone since then, looking for his next adventure.

Spoiler: Malik(IronRuler)

Name: Malik Najim

Gender & Age: Male, 23

Concept: Fire-Bender, Uses a multitude of colorful fire at different heats. Uses his weapons (a pair of brass knuckles) for helping him to concentrate fire around his fists (Isn't the brightest bender).

Appearance:

Malik stands at around 1.70 meters and weighs approx. 70 kgs. He is nimble and not very muscular, with tanned skin and short hair.

Personality: Friendly and outgoing to others around him, Malik learned he always has to smile to get that extra copper coin. He reveals very little of himself when he meets others and refrains from getting to know many people. He does spill more than expected when he is under the influence, but he remembers to keep certain aspects of his life a secret. Due to his travelling nature, Malik is easy to like at first but later he pushes people away. Malik is a rather disturbed young man who found relative peace in the art of fire and the formation of different colors, painting a picture on a canvas of flames to sooth his temper. He loves his work but he sometimes hopes for a companion he could share his thoughts with.

Equipment: Two brass knuckles, iron shin and arm protectors (small plates tied to the body by leather strips).

Fighting Style: Malik's fighting style is up close and personal. He tends to use his hands more than his feet when he attacks and goes on unrelenting charges that only stop when either opponent is down.

Bio: Born to an affluent family, Malik lived with an older brother and one of his parents at home. His father, being a famous fire-bender in the area was the headmaster of a boarding school dedicated to teaching young fire-benders the art of bending. He rarely came back home to see his wife and two children, burying himself in his work.

When his brother showed signs of fire-bending, his father was overjoyed. Malik's brother then moved to the boarding school and as a result both of them came home more frequently so that Malik's brother could see his family. Growing up besides his mother, Malik grew jealous of his older brother for spending so much time with the father he adored and frequently lashed out at his mother.

Malik received the finest education money could buy and received almost everything he wanted, but he couldn't awaken the fire-bending from within. Fed up with growing up in his small cocoon, Malik ran away from his home and joined a gang in the nearby city. In the gang he absorbed the city culture and learned a fighting style utilized by the gang members. By masking their combat training as simple street games, they managed to avoid the watchful eyes of the city guards and keep an upper hand at the brutal war over territory in the city.

Malik was injured in a fierce battle against a rival gang which the local city guard had stopped. Those still alive were arrested and put on trial, with punishments ranging from death by hanging to death by boiling being passed around. Malik's father learned of the matter as he was one of the city's most esteemed judges and decided to spare his son's life. Instead of simply returning him to his home, he brought him back to the boarding school so he could keep a more watchful eye on the brat.

Malik's father tried awakening his bender abilities for months, the training often ending with his father standing on top of him with bloody fists and shouting at him for not being like his brother. Malik hated his brother ? he was a better son than what he could ever offer to his father. After several months of constant failures, Malik's father was ready to kick him out and disown his son for being a no good criminal.

What stopped Malik's father was his brother begging him for another chance. His father accepted and allowed Malik to stay under one condition ? that he would defeat his brother in an agni kai. Before the fight ensued, Malik's brother ensured him he will let him win. His father had other plans.

Moments after the fight began, his father interrupted it and informed Malik's brother that if he were to lose against his Malik he would then have to leave the boarding school in shame and never come back to his home. The battle which followed was brutal. Both sides fought against each other for a chance to stay in the boarding school but more importantly, for their father's love and acceptance.

As the fight continued, Malik seemed to be losing. He barely managed to avoid his brother's fire-bending and strike back with his brass knuckles. In the flurry of flames, Malik's hands ignited and hit his brother, landing a fire fist on his face. His father, unable to stop the fight before his son had his face burnt, quickly ended the fight and then went to beat his criminal son for his crimes against his brother.

Malik was exiled in shame and he returned to the city, not as a gangster but as a fire-bending student. He would use his skills to travel the Fire Nation and find suitable tutors to help him learn the true nature of the flame.

The fate of Malik's brother wasn't as grim as death. His face deformed, he was forced to wear a mask over a portion of his face to hide his scarring. He still remembers his brother and his actions, the once strong feelings of love for him turned to hatred for ruining his life.

Malik scoured the lands for more fire-bending masters and stumbled upon a semigly abandoned hut in the wilderness. In the hut, Malik was somehow put under a hypnotic trance, one so strong that the next time Malik returned to reality was a week later. He laid there in the clearing, a hooded figure standing above him. It told him that it had picked him to be its new test subject and that, with Malik's help, he could finally find what he was looking for.

Spoiler: Kara(VuvuZelaMan)

Name: Kara

Gender & Age: Female, 22

Concept: Waterbending healer and swordswoman from the Southern Tribe who walks the earth

Appearance: Kara is 5'4" and has dark brown hair, blue eyes which are darker than average, and tanned skin which is slightly lighter than average for a Southern Tribe member. Unfortunately, her 'occupation' has led to people mistaking her for male all the time, which she is very annoyed by.

Since Kara has been moving around the Earth Kingdom for a while, her clothing is dark brown; however, the tunic she wears is cut more in the manner of the southern tribe's warm climate clothing than the native style. Her hair is tied back, and she keeps her tribe's hair loopies in when possible (which is not as often as she'd like). Kara's arms and legs are wrapped in bandages; often her mouth will be wrapped as well, especially in sandier regions. She often wears a straw hat.

Personality: Normally kindhearted and relaxed, Kara generally isn't one to like fighting for its own sake (preferring to go practice with the sword to calm herself), and when fighting she will delay in delivering a finishing blow if she thinks the fighting can be stopped in another manner.

Equipment: Has a cane sword and a water skin.

Fighting Style: One-sword style. Her fighting style somewhat resembles aikido sword techniques -- deflecting the enemy's attacks, then taking advantage of the opening. She has very little aptitude in using her water bending in battle.

Bio: Kara was born and raised in the Southern Tribe by her father (her mother having gone missing years ago in a particularly severe snowstorm), and showed signs of ability in the tribe's bending art from a young age. A friend of her mother noticed the talent and tried to train Kara in the bending arts, figuring that Kara inherited her mother's ability in the healing abilities of waterbending. However, Kara had very little ability at the time, and soon grew disillusioned with her lack of progress.

Still a curious young girl, Kara soon stumbled upon her father practicing with a whale tooth scimitar, and asked her father about it. Her father showed Kara the blade, but was confused when Kara asked to hold it. He acquiesced so he could supervise her with the blade, and was surprised with how well Kara took to it -- with this, he decided to train her in the forms of the blade. Soon after, Kara's waterbending skill began to improve (mainly in the healing department) but she continued to excel with the scimitar, as odd as it was.

One day, Kara's father had been asked to supervise the ice dodging for the son of a late friend, and Kara had asked to watch while she trained in her waterbending. Her father agreed, and they set off. Since it was summer, they had to head out further to find suitable icebergs, and got caught up in a freak storm. Kara, observing their trouble, tried to call for help, but the waves caught her, sending her out into the sea along with them. All Kara can really remember after that was the rushing of water toward her, a sudden calmness, and then a rushing of water away...

She awoke several days later in the company of an air nomad, who had said he had seen her floating on a small iceberg and had not seen anyone else there. Assuming the worst, Kara ended up staying with the nomad for a short time before ending up in the Earth Kingdom. In the first town she visited, an old man was robbed and she went to assist him, grabbing his discarded cane and disabling the assailant. As thanks, she was given the cane which had a sword concealed inside it, and from there she wandered around, helping who she could.

Spoiler: Senji(ruedyn)

Name: Senji Nakimoto

Age&Gender: 23, Male

Concept: Fire Bender, somewhat known for his fire breath (He can only make it go about 10 ft, and in a very concentrated stream but when he is very angry, it tends to be bit more spread out, but halfed range. Think pistol for regular version, shotgun or angry version.), otherwise entirely average.

Appearance: 5'10, lanky build, medium length messy black hair slicked back and brown eyes. Dark red robes with the left sleeve missing, to show of his tattoo and freer movements, with a lightweight chestplate to protect himslef. He also has black pants and sandals. Has a scar over his nose and cheeks slightly, and has a dragon tattoo on his left arm.

Personality: Brash and short tempered, but is very loyal to friends and a Fire Nation patriot. Dislikes criminals.

Equipment: His armor, has a sun hat but usually wears it on his back.

Bio: Born the son of a common foot soldier in the Fire Nation military and a tea shop owner, his family was rather poor. This was not helped when his father died when Senji was 7. Upon hearing the news, he trained himself how to fight and tried to become the man of the family. He learned his fire breath through history books and trial and error. One day, when some bandits came and tried to make his mother pay them money, among other things, Senji stepped up. The bandits ended up killing his mom and accepting the challenge. Although he was able to take out several, he ended up burning the shop down. He ended up joining the military some time afterwards, and was trained in a more orthodox version of fire bending. After basic training, he found himself in his dads old squad. He has generally enjoyed the experience but finds his tour is almost up.

Spoiler: Hao/Mayuka(Dr. wonderful)

Name: Hao Liu
Mayuka

Gender & Age:
Hao Male, 19
Mayuka Female, 14

Non-Bender (both of them).
Appearance:. He has ragged black hair, green eyes and lightly brown skin. Hao is 5'9 and 189 pounds, Hao main attire consist of a light clothing such as cloths shirt and pants, he often wears sandals as well.
Mayuka has short red model after a bobcat, brown eyes and light skin. Her main attire are cloth shirt and pants, along with a very floppy hat that belonged to her father.


Personality: Hao is a kind, supportive person eager to help out anyone with their problems. He doesn't worry about little things, and is willing to share whatever he have to anyone in need. Hao used to be quite jealous but after close to 9 years as an thief, he learned to appreciate life and all its different assortment of folks. Hao is also kind of an entertainer and never stops to dazzle crowds with flips and kicks (even to earn just a little money) and if he couldn't find a crowd to perfrom for, he usually steals only what he, and Mayuka needs. For combat he is serious and ready to take down his opponent as quickly-and non-lethally- as possible. If all other choices are exhausted though, Hao will kill but he will not like it. Hao is very protective of Mayuka, the young teen that was responsible for taking him out of the circus.

Mayuka: is loud but a nice girl who simply looking for acceptance. While she is often snarky toward people, she often put in charge of the mini-shows that Hao performs and is the showman of the duo. She is extremely guilty of Hao's abandoning his lifestyle to save her from being killed, even though Hao insists that it was a good thing.

Equipment: Technically speaking, Hao is a pacifist but was well-trained in the art of combat When he was an thief, Hao commonly used escrima sticks as his main weapon of choice. The escrima sticks are long grey metal sticks that are 28 inches long. Hao often makes sure to keep the sticks with him, they are worth a few gold pieces in certain places. He also have a knapsack that holds clothes for him and Mayuka.

Fighting Style: Hao fighting style requires quick, and fluid movement. In combat, he prefers kicking and evading his opponent with bending and contorting his body. He often try to off-balance his opponent by sweeping their legs from underneath them. When he encounters an Bender, Hao will sticks(no pun-intended) with the Escrima-fighting style. Environment plays a huge role in how he fights as well. He is less inclined to inflict more brutal methods out in the wilderness.

Bio: Hao Liu was born into a large earth bending family, composed of four brothers, five sisters eight aunts, 14 uncles and 32 cousins. When Hao was seven, he realized he was incapable of actually bending; all his siblings could bend the earth, why couldn't he? Hao was then considered to be "cursed" by his cousins and avoided at all costs due to their belief they could lose their bending as well. Determined to get his bending back, Hao left his village and set out to end his "curse."
In spite of his very young age, Hao managed to survive on the road(mostly by stealing others food and money) and made it to Omashu (which considering just where Omashu is, this is simply being ridiculous.). During Hao's search for a healer, he encountered the circus that will changed his life.

The circus was maintained by Wei Long, a charismatic showman that convinced Hao that his search would be fruitless; instead, Wei asked that Hao joined his circus as an Acrobat stating, "In here, everyone is Family!"

Hao soon joined Wei's Family Circus and began his training as an Acrobat, it was soon discovered that Hao exceeded at the training and soon put into the actual purpose of Wei's Family: To become an thief. While Wei made money with the circus, his real source of income came from using his acrobats to sneak into areas around a city or village and steal from different individuals. Hao decided that he's better trained hard for it: After all, they're his family.

Close to nine years after his start at the circus, Hao had grew into an excellent performer but an even better thief He learned while performing that people had loved ones: friends, family and connections. Whenever the circus would perform, people would gather all over and pay the paltry fee to see them, despite the circus robbing them blind, Hao enjoyed the attentiom

One night, Hao returned from a raid, Wei was waiting for him. "We have a problem." He said as he escorted Hao towards the storage. The storage was where they place the stolen items from each theft. When Hao reached the back area, he saw tied up and gagged was a teenage girl, sitting on a stool.

"I found her sneaking around earlier tonight, we can't have witnesses to our...activities. I'm sorry, " Wei reached into his jacket and retrieved a curve knife "but we will have to depose of her." Hao eyes widened, and interjected:

"You can't! Someone may come looking for her-"

But Wei interrupted "I interrogated her earlier, she's an orphan and was simply trying to come along with us, but I'm afraid she found our family 's secret first."

"Then why can't we just take her with us? Like you did with me!" Hao pleaded.

"...because she too old to be train like you! Don't you think I want to prevent this!? "

"There must be a way to...what if I leave the circus and take her with me?" Hap reasoned. Wei shaken his head.

"No. You shouldn't have to give up your life here because of this accident!"
"Well, what do you teach me? 'a great thief doesn't kill, but improvise ' I take her with me, that way I prevent the circus being busted while keeping her alive. It's the only thing I can think of right now.

Wei signed, and sat the knife down on an box. "You have till morning to gather your stuff, Hao." Wei turned to the girl, "You should be thankful Mayuka, I'm giving up one of my best performers for someone such as yourself."

That night Wei given Hao a large bag filled with gold pieces, and bid him farewell.

Extra bits: Hao Liu name is foreshadowing of his role: Liu can be read as "Kill," or Capture." he used to kill his opponents, but he now prefer to capture. His first name actually means Very clever"

Hao is based on Nightwing, and Eddy Gordo: Nightwing in the appearance and mannerisms, Eddy Gordo in actual combat.

Even though I never said it in the actual bio, Hao fighting style is basically Capoeira and his practice with Escrima sticks (Kali sticks) are an additions with this.
Despite Hao used of the weapons, Escrima sticks CAN kill if handle correctly.


Since I have to change up Hao's bio, I'm now basically remaking him into Iron Monkey. Mayuka was Redryhno idea, and I simply taken the ball and haul ass with it. Mayuka was based off of a weird combo of Asuka Soryu/Rei Ayanami from The Evangelion series. Unlike Asuka, she considers Hao's a brother figure.
​

Spoiler: Monk Monsin(CJ1145)

Name: Monsin Shimono
Gender & Age: Male, 53
Concept: Airbender (now "rogue") from the Southern Air Temple, wandering performer

Appearance: Monk Monsin is a very happy man. This can be understood just by looking at him. His skin is light, but shaded from a life spent in the sun. He is shaved bald, as the tenets of his order command, but dons a wide-brimmed, bluish-gray hat, with a crookedly-set coned top far too tall for him. He wears the robes of his order, though over the years he's tailored them to suit on on the road constantly. His outer robe sits more as a coat and cloak combined, resting over a student's set of clothing. All of the orange in his suit has been dyed gray, though the wine-colored sections have been left as they were.

His face is lined, though not wrinkled just yet. His forehead has several creases, and his laugh lines are very pronounced. His nose is larger than usual for his fellow monks, and makes him appear comically jovial in comparison to the stoic natures of his brothers. His old lips are thin and drawn into a very happy, closed smile. His ears are a tad large, and his gray beard stretches halfway down his ribcage, with only a modicum of effort loaned to keeping it well-groomed.

Personality: As is to be expected, as a former monk, Monsin is peaceful and generally in good humor. His senior, Gyatso, more than rubbed off on him however. He was very playful, and more fond of an afternoon spent with his pipe than any prolonged period of serious meditation. He is dedicated to the codes of his order, though he is willing to bend them for reasons he finds worthy. He shall never kill, though if a family offers him a meal, he will oblige them no matter the ingredients. He has spent much time on the road, and has come to seek hobbies that are practical in his travels. He is an avid watcher of wildlife, documenting all he sees in a large scroll he carries with him. He also has a growing collection of flowers that he collects. One preserved specimen of every species he finds.

Though he does not fancy himself a tutor, he is more than willing to impart his wisdom and knowledge to anyone willing to receive it. He also prefers solitude, or at least smaller groups. Not a preacher, he prefers a relaxed setting, smoking his pipe or enjoying a meal as he explains his ideas to his "students".

There is a graver side to Monsin that only comes out when discussing the policies of the Fire Nation. Through his meditation, he has grown closer to the world. He has heard the cries of the people, and of the earth itself. Grave times are coming, and he is fully aware of what it will mean. He imparts happiness to all that he meets, knowing that he must let them savor those times. Let the children taste a bit of joy, before it is cruelly robbed from them. Perhaps, even he might share a little bit of that joy, as well.

Equipment: Nothing but his clothes, a sack full of food, blankets, and basic travelling supplies, and the glider staff all airbenders use. The fans on his are colored a simple earthen brown. And, also a flying bison if that counts.

Fighting Style: Tends to be less acrobatic than other airbenders, preferring simple but efficient movements resulting in a rather glorious display of misdirection and evasion when dealing with melee combatants. His control of air is also far more minute in its focus than others, using combinations of smaller blows to achieve the same thing as a larger, but more unwieldy strike. Where Monk Gyatso might have recommended a sweep of air to topple a man, Monsin would prefer to blast the air from his lungs with a directed burst of air towards his abdomen, then a quick strike of wind at his ankles tripping him.

Bio: Monsin was born and raised in the Southern Air Temple. One of many children alike, he was taught to embrace the code of the monks. Others chafed under the stress of their restricted lives, but he where others found red tape, Monsin found a tool to think outside of the box. He found a love for nature, joining the other boys on their flights through the sky and feeling a double boon from it. Below, peeking through the clouds, he could see true nature. The mountain range spread out beneath him, and the ocean past it. Far beyond, he knew the other nations were there, waiting for him. But he would never reach them.

As he grew, and joined the ranks of the monks proper, he befriended a senior monk, Gyatso, and the two of them spent much of their time meditating and talking together. Though Gyatso loved his life, he knew his friend did not. Monsin yearned to see the word denied to him, and he spent much energy reminding him of the merits of life at the temple. In Monsin's mid-thirties, he could be resisted no longer. Monk Gyatso insisted that if his happiness was to be found beyond the temple, then he should go and find it; though, he requested as a personal favor not to forget all he had been taught.

Monsin left with his flying Bison, Sab and the two of them flew, bound for the Earth Kingdom. As soon as he hit the ground, Monsin began to wander. He roamed from village to village, city to city, spreading whatever peace and happiness he could, however he could. He would use his airbending to perform tricks, ranging from grandiose displays of power to wow the senses, to the simple shtick of a rotating circle of beads. The Earth Kingdom gave back, teaching him the ways of pipe smoking, a habit that became a defining trait of the old monk. He fought rarely, but the few times he did established him a reputation of a great defender. Those who would harm the weak would surely meet the roaming Air Warrior, who would drive off all threats to a village before sitting down with his charges for an afternoon of tea, smoke, and good humor. He became something of a legend among the outskirts of cities, and the more remote villages, and they always anticipated his visits, treating him like a founding father or a long-lost brother come home. But as the years ticked by, those he grew closest to, particularly the children that he nurtured and watch grow, saw the heavy burden on his heart. He knew something that others did not, and seemed to be waiting. For what, they could not know.

 

[Redryhno]

Sheets Cont.:

Spoiler: Geb(JokerBoy)

Name: Geb Ruamoto

Gender & Age: 21, Male

Concept: Native Earthbender from Omashu

Appearance: Black Zuko-like hair, with face complete with stubble, hazel coloured eyes. Heavily tanned skin. 5'8", broad shoulders, stockily built.

He prefers to not wear a shirt, exposing his bare chest and showing of his muscles, of which he has plenty, the only thing he wears on his upper half is a large beaded jade necklace.
He has the symbol of the Earth Kingdom tattooed on his right bicep, with the word that roughly translates to "Resolute" or "Unyielding" inside it.

Geb wears typical Earth Bender wrist gauntlets, and has a Jennamite ring on his right index finger, which he constantly nibbles on and uses as a snack. He wears traditional bottoms which are 3/4 lengths, and also wears stone sandals.
Geb and his attire looks quite similar to this [http://images.wikia.com/avatarthelastairbenderrp/images/6/60/Earth_bender.jpg].

Personality: The typical tough guy, Geb is a keen brawler, tending to settle any disagreements with his fists and bending rather than with his words.
He likes to think of himself as a ladies man, always boasting of his bravery and strength to women, always showing off his muscles. This obviously gets him in trouble when the women he is boasting to turn out to not be available.
Geb is an inherently proud person, to the point of sometimes being very hard-headed and stubborn, refusing to budge on matters he feels particularly strong about.
He is initially very grating to be around, although like Jennamite, Geb quickly grows on you, forming strong bonds with those that earn his trust and respect. He believes in the concept of honour, and therefore holds particularly grudges against those who betray his trust or the trust of other, which he feels as incredibly dishonourable.

Equipment: Stone Sandals, which whilst being notably heavy, he uses them for sliding along the ground as well as clinging and sliding down walls. If they are completely destroyed he is also able to remake them from any kind of stone.
Geb also has a large Jade bead necklace which is a family heirloom, it is his personal treasure, and he is also aware that it is capable of being used as a weapon, to send the individual beads as projectiles, although it is only as a last ditch effort that he would even consider such a thing.
He also has in possession a dagger fashioned from a single glowing crystal, the kind native to the underground caves of Bae Sing Se. Although mostly ornamental, it is still a weapon, but practically is used as a portable light source.

Animal Companion: An Ostrich Horse called Coco, used both as a pet and a method of transport. An exceptionally rare specimen, Coco is golden feathered, an unusually pigment mutation, which was the cause of why it was abandoned by it's mother after birth.
Raised from a chick by Geb from childhood, the pair grew up together, both pushing each other's limits at times. It was with great difficulty that Geb tamed it and eventually allowed itself to be ridden.
The fastest Ostrich Horse in the Earth Kingdom, according to Geb at least, she is his preferred mode of transportation. He often takes long rides to clear his head. Although omnivorous, Coco is partial to Leechi Nuts for a treats.

Fighting Style: Geb's fighting style is more offensive than traditional forms espoused by teacher. He focuses more on powerful punches to send rocks hurtling with speed towards his enemies. He also likes to augment his fists with rock gauntlets to compliment his much boasted arm muscles. Although this is his preference, Geb still has the well defined legs native to using traditional Earthbending, and is just as capable using traditional form and kicks when necessary.

Quite compelled by the Dai Li, and as such he favours their techniques they employ, liking the tactics of using rock gloves, as well as stone sandals to slide across the battlefield, he grinds on them against other stone, simultaneous replacing when they grind away. These methods give him the extra edge

Biography: Geb was born into a upper class family, he is a native of Omashu, and as such he isn't bothered particularly by the class system that dictates much of the rest of the Earth Kingdom, freely intermingling with different kinds/castes of people.
From an early age, Geb was a natural Earthbender, his favourite toys from childhood being his stone marbles which he was fond of manipulating, but were also on several occasions highly destructive, much to the dismay of his parents. Not one to be confined to the upper echelons of society, he always preferred to hang around with other earthbending children, regardless of if they came from an underprivileged background.

Both of his parents were non-benders, and as such they didn't know how to cater to the needs of the boy, although they did try their best, and were incredibly patient with him and his various escapades, which usually involved encounters with the local guards as well as general shenanigans. One night, when Geb returned with a small Ostrich Horse chick, they allowed the young boy to keep and raise it, hoping that it would soothe his relatively confrontational nature, as well as cause him to focus on more domestic matters, such as maintaining his family's honour and appearance. In fact, it did just the opposite. As Coco the chick grew, Geb grew stronger and more independent alongside it, with his first ride on his beloved pet being a particularly liberating experience, feeling the air against his skin, with the freedom and means to go wherever he wanted.

When Geb came of age, his father hoped that he would follow in his footsteps and become an accountant or banker, however Geb did not possess the mathematical aptitude expected of him, and that, coupled with his rebellious nature, caused a falling out with his father, and a rift was created between them. Feeling that he was no longer wanted by his own family, Geb left Omashu to explore the Earth Kingdom, as well as to further practice and hone his own bending, training with anyone who was willing to take him.

Atop his trusty steed Coco, he travelled the length and breadth of the Kingdom, visiting the capital, as well as many of the lingering, outlying villages and towns, learning from the best local earthbenders. It was during his travels that Geb witnessed the feats of the Dai Li, the nation's supposed finest benders. He adopted many of their techniques after one particular altercation with one of their members in a tea house. After this, he grew to respect their strength and dedication, honouring them in his own way by incorporating their techniques into his bending repertoire.

Spoiler: Euion(Navvan)

Name: Euion (You-e-on)
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Concept: Born an Earth Bender, but raised in the Southern Water Tribe (see Bio)

Appearance: Shaggy but still relatively short black hair. Green eyes (Like most people born of the Earth nation), but has the more lean muscular structure of members of the water tribe. His regular cloths are those of the Southern Water Tribe, but will likely undergo a wardrobe change at some point.

Personality: Euion is a rather down to earth (pardon the pun) person. While Euion often loses sight of the larger picture he is extremely goal focused and stubborn when it comes to accomplishing those goals. Perhaps the best example of this was the first five years of Euion's attempt to learn Earth Bending. While he made little to no progress Euion kept attempting to improve at the same pace without wavering. Outside accomplishing his goals Euion is much more like his Southern Water Tribe brethren. While normally glad to simply follow the flow he'll often use humor, usually at the most inappropriate of times and of questionable quality, to alleviate tense situations. Above all else though Euion is curious to the point he often blindly walks into danger because something peaks his curiosity. A good example of this is when he discovered a nest of tunnel worms near the coast of Southern Water Tribe. While he obviously knows he was born to Earth Kingdom parents he considers himself solely a member of the Southern Water Tribe.

"If you can't go around an obstacle then just go through it". -Euion

Equipment: Euion always wears a plain (no design) arm band made of light clay like material around each of his forearms. This serves as a easy defense against light attacks as well as a useful source of bendable earth when necessary.

Fighting Style: Having been raised in a Southern Water Tribe village Euion lacked any Earth Bending Master to teach him more traditional styles of bending. While he tried to take inspiration from the Water benders around him the style ultimately proved too different to form any meaningful techniques. Ultimately he took inspiration from Tunnel Worms (see bio) and developed a style unique to himself. Instead of the outright power and aggression of tradition earth bending it relies on more subtle and intricate manipulation of Earth. Thus it is much less effective at raw attack power (launching boulders, causing large earth disruptions, etc). However it is much more effective at manipulating properties of earth, particularly density and more intricate movement of constructions. This allows him to give the illusion of "flowing earth" and a particularly strong form Earth armor. It appears similar Aikido in both form and philosophy with a strong emphasis of using the enemies movements against them.

Bio: Born to a minor noble family in the Earth Kingdom Euion was kidnapped as infant by a young couple of petty thieves for ransom. Euion's family unwilling to take the public shame of being unable to prevent their own child's kidnapping refused to pay the ransom and instead staged a health related absence and eventual fatality of their child Euion. The kidnappers, now with a infant that was only a liability, fled the city of Ba Sing Se, and eventually the Earth Kingdom itself. While desperate for money they did not have it in them to actually harm the child but also had no desire to raise them. Traveling for two months they eventually found themselves in a remote Southern Water Tribe village, and happened across Aurkia and Miako. Admitting to being wanted criminals of the Earth Kingdom they posed as the Euion's birth parents to the couple and offered the child to the couple for a proper upbringing. Aurkia and Miako having been unable to conceive their own child and now approaching their 40's were open to the idea. After being moved by the thief's fabricated tale they agreed to raise Euion as their own. Agreeing to part ways forever they left the child in the care of Aurkia and Miako but with a letter to be given to the child when his new adoptive parents thought they were ready to learn about their birth parents.

His upbringing in his small village was typical for a boy of the Southern Water Tribe. He learned to swim, hunt, sail, and fight. It was always clear that he was adopted from the Earth Kingdom to both him and other members of the water tribe, but he was never treated differently than any other boy his age. During his 10th year of age he and his parents learned of his affinity to Earth Bend when in a tantrum he caused a clay pot to crumble to dust from across the room. His parents lacking the ability to have him taught properly could only encouraged him to find his own way of mastering his bending. Over the next five years Euion tried in vain to develop his own style, and his efforts to incorporate the Water bending styles were even more fruitless. While he was certainly more capable than he was five years ago he could do little more than raise a small mound of earth to sit on, and only with great effort.

During his 16th year Euion was out hunting tiger seals when he happened across a large group resting. While he was preparing his spear he suddenly heard a slight rumbling which ended just as suddenly. It was then that the ground simply appeared to vanish from underneath a large segment of the tiger seals with only the cries of the now trapped tiger seals to ever suggest that they were their moments ago. Euion rushed towards the hole in time to see a giant Tunnel worm swallowing the tiger seals whole. Fascinated at the creature he had only heard tales of he began to follow. He tracked the creature for half a day through only the slight rumbles and vibrations that it gave off as it burrowed through the ground below. Finally he came across an underwater cave at the bottom of a steep cliff, an impossible climb for most but he was able to bend enough to form a makeshift footholds. Inside he found dozens of smaller tunnel worms roughly the size of a polar bear dog.

Over the next two years he studied this group of tunnel worms. He took note of how they took great care with their movements and precision while burrowing through the delicate ice, but moved more crudely, hastily, and forcefully while burrowing through the earth. Eventually he felt he had learned all he could from these tunnel worms and began to work on perfecting his already budding style.

It wasn't until four years later that Euion began to feel comfortable enough with his skill that he could call himself a master of his craft. Having spent the last 12 years of his life focusing on developing his Earth Bending Euion was at a lost of what to do. Ultimately Euion decided that he wanted to see the world with a particular interest on the Earth Kingdom and its Earth Benders. Having earned enough money using his earth bending to make extremely durable clay pots and selling them to other members of the water tribe he purchased a one way ticket to the Earth Kingdom. Before leaving however Euion's parents handed him a particular 22 year old letter to read.

Spoiler: Chi(Muffin Button)

Name: Chi
(looked up names, decided Vietnamese name meaning 'branch' would be apt)
Gender & Age: Female, 21
Concept:Foggy Swamp Style Waterbender (and to some extent Plantbender)

Appearance: Petite, with wild shoulder-length hair contained in two pigtails. Typical earth-kingdom appearence but with blue eyes.

Personality:Laid-back, easygoing, unfamiliar with urban environments/technology but very interested in it (despite often misunderstaning things). Slow to anger, but god help you if you do upset her!
Edit: Found a pic of an outfit
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101230131605/avatar/images/3/34/Femalefoggyswamp.png

Equipment:Spear (often used as a waterbending conduit) Can be thrown, jabbed, or used to deliver and block blunt melee attacks).
Blowpipe and darts
Coracle (tiny one-person boat, worn on the back when not in use)
Vines

Fighting Style: Prefers sneaking around before striking, often sniping with the blowpipe to daze opponents before moving-in. Uses plantbending for camoflage (think ghillie-suit rather than swamp monster) and vines for aerial work and tripping/tying up opponents. Doesn't know how to icebend yet.
Can heal using plant knowledge rather than using waterbending, but this is more suited for curing diseases, poisons, pain-relief, and cleaning wounds rather than healing wounds directly. Also has a knowledge of various poisons, which she uses in her darts.

Bio:
Grew up in the Foggy Swamp Tribe as a hunter. Chi could waterbend from an early age, using it to power her coracle through the water. Though some of the older tribe members wanted her to become a healer considering her skills wasted on hunting, she instead used these skills to augment her hunting, learning to create poisons and allowing her to occasionally patch herself up on the move. Her knowledge of botany made her wonder if her waterbending could be applied to plants.
Aged 14, after a particularly intense pursuit, her coracle had become caught-up in plants. After unsucessfully trying to dislodge it with waterbending, she discovered she could bend the plants instead, allowing her to disentangle the boat.
She continued to develop her plantbending skills, which led to her feeling a greater connection to the world around her. Sensing the greater lands beyond the swamp, aged 18, she decided to leave the tribe to explore the wider world.
New info:
After skirting along the western coast of the Earth Kingdom, she came across the herbalist institute at Taku. Initially unimpressed by her appearance, the academics of the institute soon realised that her knowledge of botany and tribal medicine, her plantbending ability,and her skill at traversing wild environments and fending off wild animals, would make her an ideal field botanist. She travelled the Earth Kingdom over the next few years tracking down rare plants to bring back to the institute. Though her easygoing attitude often helped her win over allies, she had to learn a few hard lessons about Earth Kingdom culture and streetsense.

Spoiler: Jin(Pappytech)

Name: Jin

Gender & Age: Male, 27

Concept: Earth Kingdom, non-bending bounty hunter

Appearance: Standing at 5' 6" and weighing a mere 127 pounds, Jin is clearly a citizen of the Earth Kingdom. With a head of shaggy, dirt-colored hair, a pair of emerald eyes that gleam with cunning, and lightly tanned skin, only a fool would be unable to guess his nationality.

Much like his rough (And often unwashed) features, Jin's clothes are typically in various states of disrepair, though they at least preserve his modesty to an acceptable degree. It doesn't hurt that the vagabond typically wraps himself in a rather course cloak to stave off the elements.

Despite his chosen profession, Jin lacks the massive, muscular structure that so many of his homelands great fighters seem to possess. He does, however, make up for his lack of brawn with a lithe, flexible form capable of contorting itself into any shape Jin desires.

Personality: Jin's outlook on life is remarkably upbeat, considering his background and path in life. Sure, he makes it his business to deal with the scum of the earth as often as possible, but that doesn't mean he can't look on the bright side of things. Talkative and easy-going, Jin sees towns as more than places to simple rest, restock, and gather information; everyone he meets has a story worth hearing, and the hunter can almost always make time to hear them all.

Despite his friendliness, Jin does possess a few irritating traits. To him, everyone is equal, from the poorest peasant to the Avatar himself, and as such Jin makes a point to avoid using honorifics or titles. And although he treats everyone he meets with the same cheerful air, Jin does not respect anyone unless they have earned it; even the wisest and most celebrated sages would be treated with informality until they had done something impressive.

Equipment: For offense, Jin carries a modified kusarigama, having replaced the sickle with a double edged ninjato, roughly 26" in length. In order to better suit Jin's techniques, the blade's hilt has been wrapped in leather to form a better grip, and the thin, iron cord that runs from its pommel to the steel ball has been lengthened considerably, stretching a good seven yards when fully unraveled. It is typically coiled up and strapped to his back.

For defense, he wears a set of steel greaves and vambraces. Though the armor is certainly tough enough to take a few strong hits, Jin mainly uses them to deflect blows as opposed to absorbing them.

Animal Companion: A Fire Ferret by the name of Zulf. Jin found Zulf about five years ago, and, after taking a liking to the Ferret's nimble (Albeit unsuccessful) attempts to raid his food supply, captured and domesticated the rapscallion.

Though certainly not effective in combat, Zulf has his own set of abilities that make him more than just a pet. With his small size and dexterous paws, the Ferret has proven himself an adept climber, acrobat, and thief on more than one occasion. What's more, he has a particularly strong sense of smell, and has been invaluable in helping Jin to track down a few more elusive targets.

Fighting Style: Jin, thanks to his small size and unimpressive strength, quickly learned that he was unable to go toe to toe with the brutal might that most Earthbenders used in their attacks. As such, he created his own combat techniques, most of them focusing on agility and momentum, as well as using his unique weapon to its full potential.

When fighting, Jin is almost always moving, whether he's charging towards an opponent, rolling or leaping out of the way of an attack, darting back and forth to throw off an enemy's aim, scaling a building to gain the high ground, etc. Doing most of his thinking and strategizing on the fly, the wanderer rarely stands still on the battlefield.

Jin has two primary uses for his kusarigama during combat: First, he can use the ninjato as a short sword, either engaging targets in close quarters or slicing through incoming projectiles. Second, he spins either the bladed or weighted end around at a frightening speed, setting himself up for either a frighteningly accurate ranged blow or, if his target is nearby, a devastatingly powerful attack. However, that's far from the only thing the weapon is good for; Jin's improvised fighting style often requires him to use his kusarigama in a multitude of manners, such as a climbing tool, a rope to bind enemies, or even a lifeline to keep him from tumbling off a cliff or drowning in a torrent of water.

Bio: Born and raised in Makapu Village, Jin spent much of his youth the same way that all kids seem to: doing chores, tending the fields, and getting up to general acts of mischief. Like most of the village children, he was blessed with an endless supply of energy, and more often than not would come home with torn clothes, scrapped knees, black eyes, and toothless grins. Sadly, fate was not particularly kind to Jin; as time passed by and his friends grew larger and stronger, the lad found himself stuck with his same, scrawny frame. Needless to say, his playful scuffles began to shift from fun and spirited to quite painful.

Still, it would take more than a little thing like strength to get in Jin's way. It wasn't long before the boy found himself developing bizarre techniques, moves that relied more on his natural agility and speed than brute force. Soon he was back on the playground, going head to head with the best of them and even managing to come out on top more often than not.

When you invest a lot of time and effort into developing something, you find that it's hard to let it go. Jin never really lost his appetite for fights and brawls, and when the time came to follow in his family's footsteps, the young man decided instead to leave Makapu.

Wandering across the vast wilderness of the Earth Kingdom, Jin learned fast that he needed to do something to keep the coppers flowing, and it seemed that hunting down bounties allowed him to make full use of his particular set of skills as well as affording him an excuse to travel.

Stuff happened, blah blah blah.

Turning in his latest bounty has brought Jin, and his companion, Zulf, to the magnificent streets of Ba Sing Se, while they look for their next meal ticket.

Spoiler: Daiyu(CrazyGirl)

Name: Daiyu Tseng
Gender & Age: Female, 25
Concept: Mercenary Firebender from the Fire Nation
Appearance: Is about 5'9 with dark hair that is usually tied back, gray eyes, lots of tattoos on her arms and back, and multiple ear piercings; wears a red tunic, black pants and leather boots, as well as leather gauntlets.
Personality: Daiyu is loud, impatient, and doesn't really care what other people think about that. She cares only about her own freedom and disregards authority. She is not much of a "people person", and tends to come off as cynical, sarcastic, and rather rude. She also has some axe-crazy tendencies, often leaping into battle with blades out or flinging fire around, depending on what she feels like using at the time. She may not be a "good" person, but she does care little for the Fire Nation higher ups
Equipment: Single dao, plus a sheath for small dagger; also wears a belt with pouches on it, and straps across her back for her sword sheath.
Fighting Style: Typical firebending style (Northern Shaolin Kung Fu)
Bio: Born to a poor family in the Fire Nation, Ching Lan ran away from home when she was 16, eventually becoming a mercenary. She spent the next few years traveling the world, working for the highest bidder and doing everything from bounty hunting to piracy and engaging in some illegal activities on the way.

 

[CJ1145]

Ba Sing Se was alive. A thousand voices raised in a chorus in the marketplace, bartering and yelling and cajoling in a grand display. Dozens of tightly-packed stalls filled a large courtyard, and were surrounded by men and women tossing coins and goods to each other. Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribe, all of them had their niche in the tightly-packed crowds. And weaving his way through them was one old Air Nomad.

A reedlike man, in robes too large for him was happily twisting and sliding his way through the crowd, his staff gripped loosely in hand and making a rhythmic tapping in his steps. He passed from stall to stall, looking for various items as he sung a little ditty he'd heard to himself. He could still recall the faces of those merry little people he'd spent a summer with, relaxing in the grass and smoking their troubles away on a warm night.

"There's a road calling you to stray
Step by step, pulling you away"

He ducked beneath a burly man lugging a pair of wooden beams on his shoulders.

"Under moon and star,
Take the road no matter how far"

He stepped out into a clearing of sorts, where a group of eight or nine children were smacking at each other with wooden swords. They looked up at him, brandishing their weapons playfully. He gleefully smiled back, and in a poor imitation of menace waved his staff back at them.

"Where it leads, no one ever knows
Don't look back, follow where it goes"

The children dogpiled him, at once recognizing the kind old an who had passed through years before, calling out his name. "Old Monsin's back!"

The old monk had to forcibly stop his constant laughter to get out a few faint protests. "Really now, an old man isn't cut out for this sort of play; you're bound to break something!" he said with a smile that was clearly in opposition to his words. All at once, he lifted his hands, and a circling gust of wind lifted all the children into the air. A few of them screamed, a few let out whoops of joy, but all were smiling as Monsin rose to his feet, juggling them in the air and listening to them laugh. They were lifted higher, and higher, and higher still, until they were almost thirty feet in the air.

Then, Monsin let them go.

They fell no more than two feet before a colossal shape flung through the air, snatching them up on his back.

"Far beyond the sun!
Take the road wherever it runs"

Sab, the sky bison, carried the group of children around on its back as it flew several circuits around the marketplace. Bewildered citizens watched as the children let out screams of excitement and wonder, pointing out all the landmarks they could see from up there. After the third circuit, he finally landed next to his Air Nomad companion, letting the children slide down his tale and walk off, waving goodbye to Old Man Monsin, who returned the gesture, and asking to let their parents know he'd said hello.

Chuckling to himself, he resumed walking, still singing his song.

"The road goes on,
Ever ever on
Hill by hill; mile by mile
Field by field; stile by stile!
The road goes on,
Ever ever on
The road goes on"

He looked out past the crowds, and saw the sign of the quiet little shop he'd been looking for. He set out, still mumbling the words to his song as he saw a young girl and her older brother--they'd grown so much since he'd last been to the city--at a cabbage merchant's stand.

"Come on!" the older brother, about 14 protested to the merchant. "We can't just boil water to eat, have a heart!"

"Absolutely not!" The cabbage merchant replied, holding a head of leaves close to his chest. "If I gave charity to two kids, then everyone would be after me, and how could I rightly turn them down? I'd be out of business!"

"Moor by moor; glen by glen
Vale by vale; fen by fen
The road goes on
Ever ever on"

Monsin stepped up, looming over the heads of both children as he leaned forward with a handful of copper coins.

"It seems like Zai's forgotten his manners again. Here, give me three please."

The merchant nodded happily and handed over the appropriate number of cabbages, which Moshin took in his hands. He looked down at the children, who by now had spotted the man in the gray and blue robes and were starting to recognize him.

"...Geezer?" asked the brother, Zai, in disbelief. He looked like a classic street urchin, in cobbled-together clothing and with a layer of grime on his face. He was very good at hiding any positive emotion, if Monsin recalled right. The monk just smiled and handed one cabbage each to the children.

"Thankth, mithter!" the little girl exclaimed through the gap in her mouth from the loss of two baby teeth. Zai would have done the same, but he was eyeing the third cabbage.

"Yeah, thanks, but... what's the third one for?"

"Oh, this?" Monsin asked, hefting the cabbage with a gleam in his eye and a wry smile. "This is my dinner. Take care now, both of you, and--"

"I know Geezer, stay out of Lion's Row!" Zai called, dashing off with his sister to cook their newly-acquired food. Monsin smiled as they went off, placing the food in the bags of his sky bison, before smacking him once on the side. Sab took off, flying towards somewhere to rest and relax while the nomad handled his business.

Now unimpeded, he finished his song as he approached the tea shop.

"See the road flow past your doorstep
Calling for your feet to stray
Like a deep and rolling river
It will sweep them far away

Just beyond the far horizon
Lies a waiting world unknown
Like the dawn its beauty beckons
With a wonder all its own!

The road goes on..."

With the last little utterance, Monsin stepped inside the shop, removing his oversized hat and taking a look around the Jade Platypusbear.

 

[Shadowstar38]

Kuma looked over the sprawling city from his temporary resting place atop a building. The merchant stalls were already active, and the streets were a jumbled mess of foot traffic. From where the sun sat, it couldnt have even been noon yet. Way too early to get up now in any case. Kuma turned his head and drifted off back to sleep.

"Hey you!," a voice shouted from below, "Get off of there?"

Kuma let out a grunt a turned to look at the man the voice came from. The guy was in uniform, and flanked by to other men in similar garb.

"What's your problem stranger?," Kuma asked wiping the drool from his mouth.

"You happen to be on private property. Get off that roof at once"

Kuma leaped up onto his feet and did a few stretches. With a swift action he grabbed a nearby gutter and slid down onto the street below. He stumbled as he made the landing and fell backwards unto one of the guards.

"Hi there pal"

The burly guard pushed Kuma away, forcing him to right himself.

"Listen traveler. If you need somewhere to sleep, I suggest you find the nearest Inn and pay for a room. We cant have you disrupting things here. Got that?"

"Yeah. Totally. Get a room. Got it"

Kuma gave them a smile and waved as he started walking away and towards the east side of town. After ten minutes, he held up the lasted bag of money he acquired from earlier.

"I wonder if there's a place to get a good drink around here..."

Kuma looked around. His eyes eventually rested on a tea house to his right.

"Well, tea is better than nothing I guess"

Kuma tucked the money away and headed inside to look for a table.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Daiyu made her way down the street, moving deftly moving crowds. A few people kept a good distance from her, likely due to her tough appearance, but she only smirked at this.

Not everyone was intimidated, however, as a young man approached her with a big grin on his face. "Hey beautiful, howabout you and me get a drink?" He draped an arm across her shoulders in an attempt to seem friendly.

Daiyu grimaced and carefully removed his arm. "Normally, I'd take you up on that offer, but I have somewhere to be."

But the young man was not to be denied. "Aw, come on! Maybe we could find a nice quiet spot and-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Daiyu had grabbed him by the arm and flung him to the ground, while reaching for her sword and pulled it out, pointing it at the young man's face.

"Remember this, boy, be careful whom you cross."

Daiyu sheathed her sword and turned away, leaving the young man behind. The crowd parted for her, not wanting to deal with the crazy woman. Shortly, she came across the Jade Platypusbear Tea House and stepped inside, muttering, "I hope this is worth my time..."

 

[Ruedyn]

Senji woke up with a start, springing up and looking around trying to remember where he was.

'Okay, retrace your steps. I came into Ba Sing Se yesterday. I bought some new sandals at the market place. I partied with a friend I met at a stall. I ended up in a fight. Now I'm here...'

"That didn't help at all!" He yelled in frustration.

"Hey kid, some people are still trying to sleep!" came a reply from the other end of the nearest wall.

"Err, sorry?" He said noticing his robe on the floor next to his bed. He quickly put it on and headed out the door.

When he left the building he grimaced at the light, and turned around to see the sign.

"Okay, an inn. Doesn't look to be the nicest part of the town so at least I probably saved some money." He said quietly to himself, and was immediatly knocked to his feet. "Watch where you're walking, you idiot!" Senji yelled at the dirty man who had run into him.

"Why don't ya make-" He started to say, his knife half drawn before noticing Senji's left hand was on fire. "Not the day my friend," Senji said glaring at him. "Right sorry sir" He said, walking away rather quickly.

Senji sighed at the missed opportunity to fight, and began walking. Where, he didn't care. After an hour of walking through the market (and noticing a rather impressive display of child juggling.) He came across the The Jade Platypusbear.

'Wonder if tea here compares to back home?' he wondered, walking in.

 

[VuvuZelaMan]

Kara quietly watched the bustling city as she looked for a tea house called the Jade Platypusbear. It's been a while since I've been somewhere this crowded. It is unfortunate that that dust storm made it so that I only arrived today -- it would have been nice to look around. Maybe see if I could find some replacement hair clips. It's been forever since I've had my hair done properly. I might have even -- Her musings were cut short when someone crashed into her. She looked down and saw a young boy.

"Are you alright?" she asked, amused by the occurrence.

The boy nodded, bashfully. "Oh, sorry."

Kara patted him on the head, smiling under her bandages. "That's alright. Just be more careful next time."

"Will do, sir." The kid ran off, laughing.

Kara's mood immediately soured as the kid left. Why does that always happen?! That's the fifth time today.

Sighing, the female wanderer looked up, seeing the sign for the Jade Platypusbear down the street. She immediately recognized the sign, happy to have finally made it.

There's the place, it seems. I wonder if they have jasmine tea here?

She entered the place right after a red-robed man and removed her hat.

 

[Navvan]

Euion awoke to the distant rattle of a half dozen wagons. Becoming a traveling cookware merchant wasn't exactly the adventure he was hoping for when he set off from his home six months ago but it let him travel and earned him a sizable wage. At least by his standards. Still Euion had long grown tired of the daily ritual of using his bending to make various cookware and was eager to do some real exploring. Today was the day he could finally be done with the tedious work. Letting out a long yawn Euion quickly stood up and as the caravan suddenly lurched forward just as quickly tumbled out the back landing face first into the dirt with a loud thud.

"Ugh" Euion groaned as he rolled over.
"Graceful as always Euion" a young woman stated while failing to stifle her laughter.
"The landing admittedly needs just a bit of work" replied Euion grinning upward. "Now are you going to help me up Niomi or should I just lay here all day?" he said with his hand stretched outward.

Helping Euion up Niomi turned to leave before stopping in her tracks and quickly stated "I need to speak with you tonight before you go" and continued on her way without waiting for a response.

It was only then that Euion noticed the sun had long since risen. A bit baffled as to why he had been allowed to sleep so long he jumped back into the caravan he had resided in to quickly prepared for his departure. Today was the day the caravan finally reached the great city of Ba Sing Se.

Packing his few possessions into a travel pack took little time, but he was stuck deciding which of his small collection of books that he had acquired to bring. As tedious and mind numbing as making his clay pots had become it was made bearable by reading those books. A hobby he had picked up at the suggestion of Niomi. After careful consideration he decided he could spare room for two. The first "From Armadillo Lions to Zebra Frogs: A Comprehensive to Earth Kingdom Fauna" was among his favorites, and arguably the most practical of the books he owned. The other was his current read "A Guide to Ba Sing Se". Euion had practically dozed off reading it a few times, but there were some interesting parts about the Dai Li's bending. Regardless it would be useful for his upcoming visit. Tying his pack shut Euion noticed a tattered aged letter sticking out of the small pile of books he left behind .Willfully ignoring it Euion hoped out of the back of the caravan with a muted thump and strode to the front of the convey.

"Hey Old Man Cho!" Euion shouted as he approached the lead wagon quickly followed by ?Whats the rush for??.

"Rush?" Cho questioned as he arched an eyebrow, "There ain't no rush you fool I just didn't need your useless hide". Smiling Euion nodded silently while giving a half salute and fell back amongst the other wagons as they continued their trek to Ba Sing Se.

It wasn't until midday that the merchants finally reached the outer walls of Ba Sing Se, and upon first sight of the great wall Euion's jaw dropped. What had been written about the wall in his guide did no justice to the actual thing. It was glorious and Euion's curiosity was already itching. How was it built, what material was used, how long did it take, how many earth-benders were needed, what techniques did they use and many more thoughts all rushed him at once. Euion hastily pulled out his book and flipped through it hoping to find answers, but there was oddly little information regarding the wall except for repeated statements about it being impenetrable.

During the rest of the trip towards the city Euion tried to get answers to his questions from the locals, but none seemed to know much. "The wall was built long ago" they all repeated with no further explanation. The how, what and why seemed to have been forgotten or were simply not known by those he asked. It wasn't until nightfall that Euion and the convoy reached the inner wall of the city and set up camp. It was then that Cho came to him with a small package.

"This here is a ornate teapot I need delivered to a place called the Jade Platypus." Cho stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Since you're headin into the city anyway ya mine as well be useful for once and deliver it." he finished thrusting the package into Euion's unexpecting arms and walked away.

"What no tip?" Euion shouted after him jokingly only for Cho to give a casual arm wave as he walked away.

Euion then turned around only to meet the gaze of awaiting Niomi. "AHH minksnake" he blurted out in feigned surprise. "Oh its just you Niomi" he followed up with a grin way to wide.
Niomi stared at him blankly clearly not amused, "Take this" she stated bluntly handing him a small brick of clay.

"Clay?" Euion said with a puzzled look on his face "What is this for?"

"To remember us by you idiot!" a slightly irritated Niomi blurted out before turning around and storming off.

"Wait!" called Euion still a bit shocked at the gift "I left you some books in my wagon!" inclined to return a gift in return

Niomi simply rolled her eyes "Goodbye Euion" she said softly, and entered her wagon.

Staring at the brick of clay Euion's came up with a much more practical use for the gift. Setting the packaged teapot aside he set to work bending carefully compressing the clay to its limit and motioned it wrap around each of his forearms. Pleased with his new line of defense he headed towards the city.

Staggering through bustling street in half a dazed Euion finally spotted his long sought out destination. It had been hours since he'd left the merchant camp and a new day had already broken over the cities walls. Clutching the package he had promised to deliver he staggered into the Jade Platypus.

 

[Muffin Button]

A soft breeze blew across the campus that morning as the sun filtered through the trees. A few students were dotted here and there, taking the air, reading, and even taking part in the occasional bending class.

There was, however, a conspicuously unscholarly-looking figure lazing in the grass, slowly munching her way through a box of dumplings. Her green dress was a little worse-for-wear from the journey along the Eastern Lake and the Agrarian Zone, and she seemed surprisingly well armed for a picnic.

Breakfast in the campus gardens was a nice breather compared to the hustle and bustle of the city. While the markets were exciting, it was all a little much to take in at once. At least she knew her way around the ones in Taku (well, mostly).

She started to contemplate her next steps. What was the procedure for making a delivery to the University? Did she need to report in somewhere? She spotted what looked like one of the students passing close by and started to head towards him to ask for help.

"Probably best to ditch the spear..." she thought. "Funny how people make such a big deal when they see someone, who just so happens to have a spear, running towards them!"

The young man bumped into an elderly fellow. He made his apologies, but seemed a little uneasy afterwards.

"Hey!" The young woman yelled.

The young man panicked and broke into a run.

"He's got my bag" the dignified old man rasped, before releasing a less dignified, but extensive list of Earth Kindgom curses.

The woman in green loosened a clasp holding a bunch of vines to her satchel. As her arms made a quick sweeping movement, a vine darted forward, puling taut under the thief's legs and tripping him up. As he scrambled to his feet, the vines wrapped around his ankles, making him fall a second time. He looked up to see the woman smiling sweetly.

"Bag please!" she grinned.

The young man begrudgingly obliged.

"Sir, yeah you, over there" she shouted to the old man. "D'ya want me to hand him over someplace or are you okay with just having your stuff back?"

"Let him go! The paperwork I'd have to do whilst turning him in to the authorities would just cut into my research time!" The old man replied.

"Here. If you're getting involved with stealing stuff, you probably need these more than me." the young lady whispered to the thief, offering him the dumplings. He hesitated, but took the box before briskly walking off.

"Thank you Miss, erm... what is your name anyway?" the elderly man asked.

"Chi, sir! Was no trouble helping. Been pickpocketed a few times myself."

"Ah, you must be that... erm... unusual waterbender Mei was on about. Fascinating... manipulation of plants via waterbending of vascular systems, not covered by my field of study, of course, but very interesting... possible applications could be..." the man rambled.

"You must be Professor Cheng! I was supposed to deliver these notes to you!" Chi interupted.

"How could you tell?"

"Well, you know Mei for a start, and she did mention your tendency to, well, go on about things, Sir, I mean Professor."

"Oh" the Professor sighed. "Well, if there's anything I could do to help..."

"Actually, if you could tell me the way to the Jade Platypusbear tearoom, that would help. It was one of Mei's 'suggestions', but you know how she can be kind of... what's the word... cryptic about these things, and these 'suggestions' turn out to be part of some big old plan she's got cooked up!"

"She's a clever one, that Mei. Still up to her old tricks at the Herbalist Institute I guess. Also smart enough to send such importaint notes with a well armed courier. The tearoom you're looking for is in the upper ring, so you might want to get yourself a little... cleaned up in the girl's restroom over there. If you get any hassle, you can say you're with me. I have a few friends in the upper ring... surprising how many want to patron the..."

"I'll get going!" Chi said as she started to head off, stopping to pick up her things and strap them into a tiny coracle, which she hoisted onto her back.

The upper ring's wide boulevards were significantly less tricky to traverse than the rest of the city, making the remainder of Chi's journey simple and uneventful. She was however relieved to finally find the teahouse after getting a few funny looks whilst wandering about. She entered the shop and pulled up a chair, letting her stuff fall to the floor with a big clatter. She exhaled and allowed herself to sink into the seat.

 

[Muffin Button]

Spoiler: OOC

Intro ended up a bit longer than I'd hoped too. I'll probably have much shorter posts from now on. Also, when should characters start interacting with each other?

 

[Dr. wonderful]

Ba Sing Se.

Hao and Mayuka walk through the crowds of the 'impenetrable city' Middle ring. Hao personally never been to Ba Sing Se and he was pretty sure Mayuka never been there either. Hao stopped and look around.

"This isn't a city, it's a country." Hao observed.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, anything else to add?" Mayuka grumbled.

"You snore when you sleep, your hat is floppy, with your hair short like that, sometimes old people mistake you for a boy and finally, we're lost."

"Leave the jokes to me, Hao." Mayuka reached into the bag that Hao was carrying and retrieved an letter. The letter was addressed to both Hao, and herself. How the heck did they figured out where Her and Hao was ,to put it mildly disturbing, but Hao read it and grinned saying, "Now, it's a invitation, what would we be if we didn't go?"
Smart?
Survivors?
Pragmatic?

She could of listed a thousand more examples but it would of fell on death ears. Since that night in the storage, Mayuka learned that it Hao wanted to do something, he was going to do it. So, after a week-long trip, they arrived in Ba-Sing-Se.

"Maybe we should ask for directi- wait, what's going on over there?" Mayuka pointed to a strange scene across the street as a ragged man is running, stop and look, then ran down an alleyway. Four young men soon follow the man in.

Hao narrowed his eyes at the scene, He reached into his bag and pulled out an harness. Connected to the harness was two long grey metal sticks. Hao bought the harness for the specific reason of holding on to his escrima sticks.

"You're not thinking of getting involve are you?" Mayuka asked,
"Stay here with the bag, and don't talk to strangers." Hao instructed, as he put the harness on, the sticks poking out from behind his back in an X-shape.

"Oh come on! You can't play savior now!" Mayuka pleaded.

"Why not? You didn't say anything when I did it for you." Hao countered, as he ran toward an Cabbage Cart, jump on top of it, and vaulted himself onto a rooftop. Due to the force of his jump, The cart fell sideway with its contents spilling all over the dirt road.

"MY CABBAGES! DON'T ANYONE HAVE ANY DECENTLY FOR AN HARDWORKING MAN!?" The man cried out as he drop to his knees, "WRRRRRRRY!" he screamed toward the sky, "I SHALL HAVE VENGENANCE, OR MY NAME ISN'T-" before the merchant could finish his curse, he was struck in the back of the head by a cabbage.

"Oh Shut-up willya?" A old woman scorn the Merchant, "You're scaring the children!"
"MY CABBAGES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE CHILDREN!" The merchant growl
Mayuka found the palm of her face as she signed, "I have got to learn how to fight."
________________________________(With Hao)_______________________________

Hao dashed across the rooftops until he found the group, he back flip off the rooftop onto a small wall and then leapt finally onto the ground.
The man was pressed against the wall as the four-man group surrounded their prey.
"We're lucky we found you after all this time Mr. Long, you owed Mr. Gat, an apology." The group leader.

"I don't owned that fool anything, he owed me, apology." The man spat out.
"Oh really? He said you would say something like that, he also said to clean your clock when you do. " another man piped up.

"Did he also say that you all are woefully outmatch right now?" Hao interjected. The four-man group turned toward Hao.

"Heee~eeey, just so you should know, ganging up on someone isn't very nice."
The four men stared at one another and then rushed forward Hao.

Hao ducked underneath the fist of the leader, pushing his body forward into a handstand. He twisted his body, bringing his heel down into the side of the skull of the supposed leader of the group,and he crumple to the ground.

"Wow, he had a glass jaw...or skull in this case." The three men still surrounded Hao, who let out a sign."Come on! I just laid your boss to rest! All right, still want to do this? Okay, I won't use kicks."

Hao withdrew his escrima sticks and leaped forward striking one of the thugs in the thigh; and dodged another thug's kick. In rapid fashion, Hao struck 5 times across the thug face arms and finishing with a strike toward the back of the skull.
Two thugs lefft: one that was still eager, the other still nursing a sore thigh.
The eager thug rushed forward with quick punches and kicks, unlike his buddies this guy was trained to fight.
Hao dodge backwards with each step; timing the thug rhythm until the thug made a kick too high. Seizing the chance, Hao wrapped his arm around the thug leg, and use his own leg to sweep the thug off-balance.

"Please don't hurt me!" The thug begged.

Hao struck the man across his face, sending the man into unconsciousness. "Sorry, I only need one guy to send a message." Hao said.

The last thug was now on the ground whimpering to himself. "Relax, there no need to be scared, I won't harm you...unless you fail to deliver a message."
"Anything!"

"That man over there? He shall not be harmed from now till the rest of his days, and if I do find out that he was so much as look at...well, I only knocked your buddies out. Imagine what I do when I really let loose. You understand?" Hao said, as he let out a sincere smile.

"I understand!"

"You sure? You don't want me to write it down or draw you a picture?"

"I-I don't need it, sir."

"Okay, just checking." Hao wave the Thug away. who turn and half-limped, half-ran toward the street.

Hao return his sticks to the harness, and helped the man up.
"Thank, but all I needed was a second to catch my breath-" The man stared into his savior's face."...Hao?"

"How did you...uncle An?" How could Hao not recognize his uncle An? Sure, he wasn't his real uncle but he was Wei brother and that made him family.
"Well, I didn't believe Wei was right when he said you could find anyone in Ba Sing Se

But man, was my younger brother on the mark. What bring you to this crazy city?" Hao helped An to the street.
______________________________(Mayuka)_______________________________


Mayuka sat on a bench with her arm around the bag, Cleary enjoying the show unfolding before her: The cabbage merchant was now holding off two guards with...cabbages.
"Sir, you have to calm down!" The gaurd pleaded
"CALM DOWN? I WILL NEVER CALM DOWN! I WILL BE UPSET!" The merchant yelled as he tossed another cabbage at the guard.
"That's it, Take him down!
Hao, and An walked toward Hao and sat beside her.
"Well, my boy the Jade Platypus-bear. is right down the road and around the corner, first building to the right. You should handle that important business." An chuckled.
"Thank you uncle, but please tell Wei..." Hao trailed off.
"Yeah, yeah. He's a big man, just like you. I tell him you helped me out." An wave off Hao concern.
The men both stood up and hugged one another.
"Be careful out there boy." An said, as left down the street.
"I' always am, Uncle." Hao responded, "Come on Mayuka. We need to go to that Tea House."
Hao practically had to drag Mayuka down the street as the Cabbage Merchant was finally subdued. He let out a small painful whisper as he was carried off to an holding cell.
"I will avenge you, cabbages." He said, as a single tear drop fell upon a trample head of cabbage.
________________________________( Jade Platypus-bear)__________________________

Hao and Mayuka stood outside the Teahouse. Their one-week journey was finally over. Hao turned to Mayuka and said, "I need you to do something, for me. So please, no sass?" Hao reached into his bag and pulled a small bag and a sealed letter.

"If anything should happen in there...and, I don't make it out, Leave Ba Sing Se and head south, to Tipping village. There you will meet my family...my original family. Give them the letter. The money in this bag belongs to you. Think of it, as a Inheritance."

"Hao? You're scaring me a little." Mayuka said.

"Well, I'm scaring myself as well. Nothing may happen in here but still, keep the bag and letter with you. I think you're mature enough to it."

Mayuka nodded as she place the bag and letter in her pocket.
"Now, shall we have tea?" Hao said, as he opened the door.

Spoiler: OOC

Fourteen hundred words. Sure, not as classy as CJ's post but I'm happy. It should be noted that while it seems as though Hao taken down the thugs rather easily, I did point out that in the bio that Hao will fight more viciously if he knows people are around. That way, they have a higher chance of survival

Oh, and I really didn't bother to give the thugs names or descriptions since they were just fodder anyway.

One more thing, That Cabbage man is not the same from CJ's story. Two completely different guys.

 

[TheIronRuler]

The Massive walls of Ba Sing Se proudly stood in the heart of the Earth Kingdom as a symbol of the Kingdom's resolve and ingenuity. Far wider and taller than any of the walls Malik had seen in his travels through the Fire Nation and the little he saw of the Earth Kingdom, the towering behemoth made the young lad feel somewhat inadequate. His eyes scoured the top of the wall and caught glimpses of the city's guard patrolling on top of them, acting as the city's vigilant guard dogs protecting the treasures of Ba Sing Se.

Malik stepped forward and stopped again as the line of people about to enter the city dictated. His appearance evoked the unwanted attention of the city's guards looking for suspicious individuals. His sudden movement made the two pans strung to his packed bag hanging on his back to rattle and disturb the beast of burden in front of him. The man leading the ox looking animal tried to calm the beast down. He looked like an ordinary salesman selling cabbages from the nearby villages in a stand carried by the beast.

Two guardsmen approached the fearful merchant as the animal refused to calm down. They were dressed in the clothes all of the other guards had on ? green clothes Malik hadn't seen before. The beast of burden suddenly moved to the right and the cart it drove detatched from it ? the cart then lost its right wheel and crashed down, bringing dozens of cabbages to the dirty and muddy soil outside of the city's entrance. As the man fell to his knees and cried out, "My Cabbages", a third guard which stood behind the other two trying to help the poor merchant signaled Malik to move aside and create a new line until the cabbage problem is taken care of.

Malik stepped aside and raised his hand, as if signaling the others behind him to move to the left with him. He stepped forward and met the third guardsman, a man in his late twenties, brandishing an intimidating moustache. He tried to size Malik up and spot any irregularities in his appearance. Besides the foreign looking clothes and darker complexion, the guard didn't see anything out of line.

"What is the purpose of your visit, sir?", the guard asked Malik in a surprisingly authoritative tone. Malik tried to look as non-threatening as possible, his shoulders slumped and his mouth extending into a silly looking smile, Malik opened his mouth and choked. For some reason Malik suddenly choked on his own words and began coughing violently, turning to the side and then leaning his body forward as he placed his hands over his knees. His coughs then suddenly produced a few flames, something which caught the green guard completely unprepared.

"Fire!", he shouted as he got into a fighting stance and raised his right hand, effectively breaking off a small piece of the muddy soil and raising it up to threaten the still shocked Malik. "Wait", Malik managed to cry out in between coughs, "I'm?*cough*?artist?*cough*", he spoke in in a strange high pitched voice. The third guardsman slowly lowered the block of mud and approached Malik as he tried to calm his breath. The guard patted his upper back twice and then grabbed Malik by his collar and straightened him up.

"We don't see many Fire Benders here, sir", the third guardsman spoke again, this time in a different, more natural voice. He waved his left hand at the other two guards that were ready to join into the skirmish, and then they returned back to helping the poor merchant and his cabbages. "Thank you", Malik spoke in his regular voice, stopping to clear his throat before speaking. "I'm an artist", Malik said cheerfully as he reached out his hands and placed both of them forward. He raised them in the air and clapped then, then slowly moved them apart.

Fire formed between the palms of his hands and was formed into a spectrum of dancing lights as his hands grew more distant and showcased all of the different kinds of colorful fire Malik was able to create. "Do you want the city to miss on this light show, Oh - Ba Sing Se's most esteemed guardsman?", Malik spoke in a somewhat humorous tone. The guard allowed a hint of a smile to get through his veneer of seriousness and stretched his arm forward to meet Malik's in a handshake. Malik extinguished his flames and shook the guard's hands, hoping that his suspicious looking accessories ? two steel knuckles and steel gauntlets would look very normal for a person from the Fire Nation.

The guard then led Malik to the city's entrance and opened the massive gates for him to move through, allowing the stunned young Fire Bender to pass the parted sea of stone in almost three whole minutes. As he made his second step into the city a loud noise crackled behind him and the city's massive entrance closed behind the new visitor. He had finally reached the city of Ba Sing Se ? where the markets are bountiful and the tea shops are legendary. Malik did no come to the city to drink tea or stock up on trinkets ? as he had received a strange letter of invitation, and thus had to make a short stop in the city of cities.
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Tea. God Damned Tea everywhere. Malik walked through the Tea main street and let out a sigh. His eyes darted up and noticed the city's intricate transport system ? goods and other merchandise were put in a box on rails manipulated by earth benders. He made his way through the street in a brisk pace and tried to avoid all of the advertisement boys jumping in his way and desperately trying to garner his attention.

"Piss off", was the reply Malik gave to most of the young boys holding signs in their hands and shouting about their shop's quality tea. Malik didn't even bother answering to some. He went past a young and attractive looking woman holding a small sign directing passersby to the red Dragon. She tried her hardest to tempt Malik with her luscious lips and curvaceous figure , going all the way as to personally touching him and whispering she can serve him herself if he comes into the shop.

The young man smiled as the woman touched him, a nervous smile of discomfort. He didn't like it when women touched him without permission, and he proceeded to shove the beautiful model away from his body. . "I'm not interested. Not in Tea and not in you", Malik said firmly as he stepped away from the woman. He never found himself awfully curious when it came around to women. He always assumed it will come to him some day.

Malik made his way to the main market square, a place where the city's greatest shops and exotic performers made their wealth. He watched as a large creature, almost as tall as he, covered in grey fur and bestowed with four legs balance a ball on his snout while its master plays the trumpet loudly. The master of the beast, a rather young looking water tribe boy seemed oddly out of place in the city of Ba Sing Se. "Amateurs", Malik said under his breath and began looking for a place to set up shop.

He found a place between a book shop and a general goods store, a small section of bare stone paved road which was ripe for the picking. Malik placed his bag on the ground and untied one of the larger pans from the bag. He carefully put it in front of him, as if to signal those generous enough to donate some earth kingdom money for his act where to pour their coins.

Malik started with an announcement. "See the power of the dragon, behold the famous Mijam!", he cried out to the mob in the center of the marketplace. Some noticed Malik and looked him for a short while others continued to watch as he began his act. Short bursts of red flames littered the morning sky above him, and the crowd cheered as Malik switched to different colors of the rainbow.

Soon enough, the street magician showed how he could combine colors with one another, sending them into an orgy midair of beauty and form. Letters seamlessly formed together above his head, spelling his stage name in green and violet colors. The crowd cheered and some leaned in to throw a few coins into the pot. Malik smiled at the offering and continued his show.

He then went off to move his body around and dance, letting off a short burst of multi-colored flames into the air, trying desperately to avoid the nearby shops, especially the one filled to the brim with ancient scrolls. Before Malik came to close his act with his final and most amazing demonstration of his abilities, he was chased away from his spot by the book shop' clerk and a guard accompanying him. Malik humbly apologized and quickly ran away with the pot of gold in hand.

He stood there in the center of Ba-Sing-Se's commerce and stared in awe at the many different individuals who had entered a tea shop to his left. Perhaps it was time he would make his existence known to his most gracious hosts as well.

 

[Pappytech]

"The Jade Platypusbear, huh?"

Jin's gaze alternated from the teahouse's appropriately colored sign and the invitation clutched between his fingers, trying to confirm for the umpteenth time that he had actually stumbled across the right place this time. He'd already accidentally made his way to the Emerald Platypusbear and the Jade Gopherbear; if there was one thing Ba Sing Se has a surplus of, it was the inordinate number of teahouses and inns, each with deceptively similar names. Still, it looked like he may have actually made it this time.

"What do you think buddy? Right place, or did that radish merchant give me the wrong directions again?"

The Fire-Ferret perched on the vagabond's shoulder cocked its head curiously, as though trying to read the characters proudly displayed just above the shop's doorway. Scurrying down its master's arm, the furry creature plucked the missive out of Jin's hand, awkwardly holding the slip of paper in its front paws. It then proceeded to gnaw on the invitation until it was little more than a few scraps of shredded paper, the beautifully inscribed characters now illegible. "...So that's a yes?"

Ignoring the question, the Ferret scrambled back up to Jin's shoulders, its nimble claws never loosing their grip on the rough material of his cloak. Its only response was a neutral chittering, as it sniffed about for something else to chew on.

Sighing, Jin began walking up to the teahouse, still talking to his companion as he went. "Well, here's hoping it is. Because I do not like our odds of finding this place if you went ahead and ate our invitation."

With nothing else to do, the wanderer stepped inside the bustling shop, quickly spotting an empty table not too far from the door.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Crowds of people failed to pay heed to the panicked cries that echoed down the streets of Ba Sing Se, all of them instinctually turning in the direction of the noise, each person curious as to the cause of the panic. A speck of gold was visible upon the horizon, rapidly growing, people frantically moving out of the way as the figure grew nearer. Now more clearly defined, the figure became visible. It was a renegade Ostrich Horse, stampeding down the street at a breakneck speed, with little concern for anything else except the wily fire ferret it was chasing.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT MY CABBAGES!!!"


The beast had a rider, but his orders did little to stir his mount from it's fixation on the vermin, it's beak reaching out and snapping in vain at the tiny creature. This fixation was unbroken as it hurtled through the cluttered market streets, knocking over destroying various stalls complete with their wares with little acknowledgement.
The ferret made a sharp turn down a side-street, and Coco did in turn, almost hurtling Geb of the side of his saddle. He looked ahead only to find the coming street end in an immediate dead end, with the ferret clambering up a drainage pipe to the roof of a nearby building. Geb let out a sigh of relief, glad that the little rat had escaped and that Coco wouldn't cause any more trouble.

Or so he thought.

With a frustrated squawk, the avian steed placed it's foot against the sheer wall, before digging in it's talons and rushing up to the rooftops, Geb holding on for dear life as Coco flapped it's wings as she clambered ungracefully up in pursuit of the rodent. She caught eye of the bugger, running across the rooftops. With great protest from her rider, Coco stormed off the edge of the roof.
Within moments, the pair were off galavanting on the rooftops of Ba Sing Se, all for some elusive fire ferret.

I've got to teach Coco some discipline, otherwise we'll never get things done!

There came a point, that the ferret, exhausted from their chase across the whole cyclical sprawl of the Middle Ring, dove into the chimney on the roof of a house, leaving Coco finally beaten.

"SQUAWK!"

Geb gave her a reassuring pat on the wing, careful not to pull out any feathers.

"I know girl, I know. You could've had him if you really wanted to.

He stroked her beak. Finally content, she allowed him to direct her in the direction of the streets below. Coco gave a mighty leap, Geb himself jumping off her mid-air before she touched the ground. He then descended upon the floor with his fist encased in crystal, before striking the earth with a mighty blow, causing tremors around him.

"Now THAT'S how you make an entrance!" he said as he reformed the Jennamite into his ring, before shaping the remainder into a stick that he began to lick.

Coco looked on in embarrassment, although Geb was quick to tie her to a post, before meandering in to a nearby building, not caring to take in it's name.

He entered, his chest stuck out, showing off his muscles as he strutted like a peacock on his stone sandals. Geb sat down at the nearest table, before pounding it with his fist. Immediately a waiter came over to him, frightened of the imposing man.

"Y-yes, ho-how can I help you Sir?..."

Geb brought his hand in a clenched fist in front of his neck, before eliciting a dry cough.

"I am parched... Bring me your strongest brew! So I might quench my thirst!"

 

[Redryhno]

The Jade Platypusbear was like many teashops, its sign out front a bit plain, but well-kept, and the inside lavish, but simple. Both chairs and pillows adorned the floor, a place for the patron's shoes was near the entrance, and the place was modest in terms of customers. The one truly grand(and strange) object appeared to be a Platypusbear statue, made out of, of course, jade. The customers that furnished the establishment wore clothing in the style of the Earth Kingdom, but a few were obviously from other places, nothing unusual, but they were a bit out of place. As our heroes entered, one by one, some by invitation, others by happenstance, still others by random chance, many guests began filtering out, paying for their refreshments and leaving. Still others stayed, among these were a man and woman, dressed in robes of black,white, and red, huddled over a Pai Sho grid and table in the corner, all the tiles familiar to even apprentice players, all except two, these emblazoned with a white lotus, both of which were in the hands of the two speaking in hushed tones and gesturing at each other with all the tiles.

Each of the new patrons were seated by an old man, body emaciated, but eyes still bright, and had a few facial abnormalities distinct to the Water Tribe. He led each to a table and asked what they wished to have, some asked for biscuits, others tea, still others asked for flaming fire flakes and egg custard tarts, the Jade Platypusbear had it all. One particular Earth Kingdom citizen, judging by his clothing, general demeanor and stature.

"I am parched... Bring me your strongest brew! So I might quench my thirst!"

He bellowed loud enough that he frightened the poor child out serving tea to the customers.

"Come now, Miki, you have to learn to deal with loud noises if you keep working with us." The old man said in reply without turning away from his wiping of the teacups. He then calmly turned around and nodded, acknowledging Geb. Opening the door behind the small counter, he spoke into the back,"Buniq, you heard the boy, get him his tea." He then turned back and asked,"Would you like anything with that?"

A hot teapot was put outside of the door a few moments later, steaming, along with a plate holding two cinnamon sticks. The old man took them and set them down in front of the Earthbender.

"Be careful now, child, don't sip that without a stick, and even then don't do more than a sip, it has more kick than all but the strongest Fire Nation liquor."

With every one of the new patrons seated and served, the corner fell quiet and the couple there were no longer bickering, instead playing an obviously modified version of Pai Sho, they were using those new tiles for gods-sakes! All but a few of the previous patrons were still seated and sipping at their tea, and even those seemed to have all but stopped their activities. In fact, now that each of our protagonists thought about it, they hadn't seen the hands of most of these citizens at all.

 

[Dr. wonderful]

Hao stared at his tea and politely move it forward. Mayuka on the other hand began to drink her tea with a vengeance. Hao stared at the display and merely signed. He look around the tea shop; it wasn't bad to be honest and it even had a nice atomsphere that didn't feel dangerous.

However, That the problem with ambushes though, it never feels like a trap.

Hao finally spoke "All right, is someone going to explain what it is that you guys want?"

 

[Ruedyn]

'No, this doesn't compare to back home' Senji sighed. At least his hangover felt abit more manageable now. He looked around.

The crowd was certainly weird. The monk and the lady in vines stuck out the most, in his opinion. Still, the Pai Sho players in the corner seemed... off. They were using a piece he recognized as a symbol of some sort, but forgot what it was from. They were also rather quiet for Pai Sho players, although that might be a personal projection-

"All right, is someone going to explain what it is what you guys want?" Senji looked at the man with the young girl.

'What's this now? Is this a trap? Better be ready for anything' Senji readied his fire dagger under the table.

 

[VuvuZelaMan]

Kara was quietly enjoying a jasmine tea (the bandages around her mouth parted) while keeping an eye out for whoever requested her. Getting called like this is kind of unusual, but I guess that can't be helped. This is a nice tea house, at the very least. What's the significance of not showing your hands, though?

"All right, is someone going to explain what it is that you guys want?"

I guess he was called as well? Kara thought, setting down her tea. Whatever it was, something would start.

 

[Dr. wonderful]

Spoiler: OOC

guys? Can we change out the dialogue since it's incorrect?"All right, is someone going to explain what it is what you guys want?" should be "All right, is someone going to explain what it is that you guys want?" Thanks.