Avatar: Forsaken

"Eh-heh-heh..." Gen's laugh and smile was forced over Jao-Tin's comment about letting Zara drown. At least now he knew why Zara was acting the way she did over the plan to go and talk to Moxco. She didn't want to marry him and he responds by letting the rest of the village treat them like outcasts, or doing nothing about the submarine attacks? Gen had a few new select words for Moxco when he met him, now. If he turned out to be some high and mighty leader who doesn't stand up for his fellow benders or tribesmen, Zara just might be getting her wish to see a rock hurled at his head. Gen decided it would be best to keep that little bit of information to himself. No need getting her hopes up and then having the chat go well.

Mabu huffed and set his eyes to Zara shaking the excess water from her head-covering and Gen beginning to wring out his shirt without actually pulling it off. It was largely meaningless, he would never get it dried if he could only squeeze out the water from the base of his shirt. He was mainly filling the silence with something to do. When Gen went to shake his hands dry, Mabu's face was showered with droplets, making the moose-lion blink it out of his eyes and groan with irritation.

"Sorry, Mabu!" Gen quickly tried to apologize, seeing Mabu starting to lift himself up off the floor. Now standing, his head tilted to one side. "...Mabu? What are you--" he was cut off by a curtain of water, bringing his hands up to shield his face. Mabu started shaking the ocean water from his fur and sending it everywhere else in the room in revenge for being disturbed. "Pleh! Mabu, cut it out already!"

The shaking stopped and after wiping down his face, Gen saw that Mabu with his fur all a mess, thrown this way and that and matted together from the shaking. He was giving Gen a stare as though he was saying 'serves you right'.

"Sooo..." Gen asked in an attempt to play off what just happened, tying his jacket's sleeves around his waist as per usual, "...Which way to Moxco's place?"
 
"Serves ya right, ya jerk..."she muttered under her breath. The feathers slipped between her fingers once or twice while she picked them up, bunching them against her chest. The water damage wasn't too extreme, but the damage was done. Those feathers would have to be dried to get their crisp sheen back. Zara muffled a couple of words of annoyance before walking past Gen, sliding Mabu a silent pat on the head. She locked eyes with him and mouthed the words 'Good boy.'

"Moxco is a very busy man. Seeing him on short notice like this doesn't help our case. Especially in the manner of which we've just been attacked," Jao-Tin said, walking across the room and picking up different items that fell onto the floor. "I don't believe we can just ask him for assistance and follow it up with accusations about the attack that was launched."

"Well, who else are we supposed to blame it on? He has the resources to all of the village's machinery!"

"And the village jail." His point was made. Zara lifted her right hand up, pulling it back to grab at the water lashed in her hair. The wisp of ocean water wrapped out of each strand of hair, floating in the air before she sent it spraying everywhere in tiny droplets. Jao-Tin obviously didn't like the idea of going to Moxco and causing any more trouble in the village than what Zara and he had already accomplished. It was sickening how Jao-Tin still had a tad bit of respect for that pompous boy. He was no better than a spoiled child in a golden crib.

"I'm not afraid of being thrown in prison for being the victim of an attack. Are you?"she asked Gen, giving him a glare that pretty much pushed him to answer correctly. Jao-Tin gave up, shrugging and pointing towards the ice block in the wall.

"If you two go beyond that region, in about half a days time, you should reach the village royal grounds." He stopped to look at Gen, nodding as if he could read the boy's thoughts. "Yes. Moxco is living the high life somewhere. He wouldn't subject himself to be a part of a bustling village."

"The torture..."Zara seethed sarcastically which went dutifully ignored.

"Get there and ask to speak to him about subs, but do not let on that you are suspicious of his hand in the attacks,"he crossed over Zara before she had the chance to retort, shooting Gen a stern glare. "And do not, on any costs, Bend in front of him. Is that understood?" It was to Zara. Bending in the presence of Moxco and some other village officials would not take kindly to have Moxco's bending matched with that of another. Good man or not, Bending was still a touchy subject to prick on. He wanted to be like the rest of the village: naive to the gift and moving on with life like 'normal people.' Oh, Zara couldn't wait to see him again. She had a few choice words for him.

"Let's go then,"she said, walking to the door before stopping, sliding her eyes between Mabu and Gen. "...You're not going to bring him....are you?"
 
Gen paused, turning his head to look over his shoulder at Mabu who was once again sitting on his haunches. He hadn't even considered it until now, but Zara had a point. Gen might not have worried about Mabu going with them, but Moxco was the leader of this tribe and like it not Mabu was a predatory species. As docile as he was when Gen wasn't in trouble, the guards Moxco was sure to have might not be so understanding.

"I... suppose I shouldn't." Gen answered her without turning around, giving Mabu an apologetic look. Mabu's head tilted to one side to show his confusion over being unable to accompany his friend. "Sorry boy, but it's decided. You'll stay here with Jao-Tin for now." The plan didn't sit well with the moose-lion, who directed his eyes over to the Water Bending master he'd have to be around the whole time Gen was gone with the girl.

Not wanting to waste anymore time and have to deal with Mabu's sad eyes, Gen walked over next to Zara, taking the cold metal handle of the door in his right hand. "Be good, we'll be back soon." the farewell wasn't very personal, but he didn't want Zara to see him getting so emotional over leaving his friend behind. He remained quiet while they climbed the stairs, reaching out his hand to trace his fingers along the stone of the walls just as he had done on the way in, using his Earth Bending to extend his senses while his eyes were lowered, watching his feet go up the steps one at a time. He could feel Mabu shifting his weight around, laying himself on the floor in reluctant acceptance of the situation. Once outside again he turned back to give the entrance way one last fleeting glimpse. It lasted a bit longer than he intended and after realizing this Gen's hand snapped up to the side of his neck in embarrassment. He had made Zara wait for him.

"Sorry... Mabu and I haven't been apart since the day I was exiled from Baoleng." Gen's brown eyes drifted out over the rolling waves of the ocean, remembering the feeling of only having Mabu left in his life. "It's a little tough leaving him here. At least we shouldn't be that long. He'll manage."
 
Of course the goodbye was going to be bittersweet. She didn't need to own an animal companion to know that Mabu and Gen's relationship was as strong as rocks, no pun intended. That fact was apparent the second she met the two, Mabu being the first one to growl and pounce in front of her, Gen mirroring the same look of offensive preparation before his face fell in a disappointed frown when he realized Zara was not the two were looking for. Even the scuffle with the platypus bears and the subs made it very clear that Gen and Mabu were inseperable.

Until now.

Zara looked upwards towards the slick sheet of ice that held the water of ocean at bay, the image of stone steps becoming apparent through the azure waves of the ocean. Her eyes diverted from the sheet and to Gen who had barely moved, staring back into the house that held his best friend. Zara heaved out an 'oh boy...' kind of sigh, lifting her chin a slight before resting a hand on his shoulder. Once she had his attention, she flashed him a big, jester's grin (much like this), saying nothing.

...There was an awkward silence...

Zara opened one eye, smile still in play until she realized that Gen was staring at her. In half a second, it dropped and she blinked twice, face turning long and embarrassed before her eyes closed again, the free hand tousling the ends of her hair as a substitution for the missing feathers.

"Hey, come onnnnnn. Eh? ...Eh...?"she cooed, nudging him twice in the arm. Still not one single peep out of him. Zara blinked twice, allowing for another bundle of awkward seconds to seep through before shaking her head, replacing her odd expression with an apologetic smile. "Hey, dont worry, kay? It's not like we're leaving forever! We'll be back in a few days time! And, if you wanna, I can pretend to be Mabu for you!"she exclaimed, turning away from him and stomping as if she were a soldier in line, arms swinging to the side.

"I make a pretty good moose lion growl! Watch this!"she said, turning back to him and lifting a smug eyebrow, accompanied it with a smirk before turning back to the sheet of ice ahead of her. Bending into a squat, Zara let her arms leave her sides in few inches before taking a deep breath...

"Moose Lion ROAR!" At the same time, the ice dissipated into water, beginning to shake and unravel and reveal the steps, thanks to the secret bending she was doing with her fingers. She turned around and sniffed, still leaving one hand outwards to keep the water at bay while her other hand nicked against her nose. The typical 'bad boy' gesture.

"I know. Hold your applause."
 
It was obvious she was trying to cheer him up. Honestly it was working, despite the awkward pauses, her attempts to lighten the mood earned her a smile, even a laugh from Gen. Along with silent thanks. He knew that he and Mabu were not going to be apart forever, but it was grateful that she understood it was still difficult.

In fact, Gen nearly doubled over in laughter when she shouted "Moose Lion ROAR!" while bending the ice block that kept the chamber from flooding. Still with one arm over his ribs, Gen finished exiting the stairwell and walked out onto the shore, sand crunching under his shoes with each step.

"That was spot on!" he teased playfully, still holding his sides from the laughter. "Totally Mabu!" A stiff breeze greeted him now that they were out in the open air again. His jacket whipped wildly around his waist, his still wet hair thrown up and screwed about.The sun was hanging low, shooting a vast array of oranges and golds through the sky, reflected in the rippled surface of the ocean.

The jokes had clearly lightened his mood enough to play along. Out on the sand he would be able to make use of his Earth Bending. Getting into his stance, feet digging ever so lightly into the sand while they shuffle to shoulder length apart, his arms bend at the elbow. With his hands directed outward, palms flat he steadily lifts them up. The higher they reach, the more the sand shifts and obeys his elemental will, swirling and gathering together into a mound. Once his arms are perfectly horizontal, shoulder high he stops raising them. His wrists pivot, fingers curling as the sand begins to take shape. It was forming in the shape of a person. A man. The tighter his fingers bent, the more detail the sand formed.

He had created a sand replica of Jao-Tin.

"Zara!" he shouted in a mocking voice, even bending the sand figure over to with arms crossed to complete the illusion of what he expected Zara thought of her Master. The sound of sand shifting against itself accompanied the action, tiny specks even falling off and dropping back down to the shore. "Why haven't you taught the Avatar how to master Water Bending by now?! I've given you plenty of time to teach him! Two whole hours!" the fake Jao-Tin continued to move around, moving his arms and adjusting his facial expression before finally collapsing into a heap of sand, Gen too amused with his own antics and laughing too hard to keep the figure in place.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed through the laughter, lifting himself back upright. "I just had to do it while he wasn't here to yell at me for it." he leaned his head back, taking in a long breath to calm himself down. It had been so long since he took some time to just enjoy himself, but they weren't exactly going to make it to Moxco's place if they stood around being silly all day.

"Anyway... Joa-Tin said we needed to travel that way, right?" Gen asked though his faint hint of a smirk, pointing South-East. "We had better hurry if we don't want to walk the whole way in the dark."
 
Zara's side split into two when 'Jao-Tin' scolded her, his lips even pulling into that similar scowl/smile thing that he always did when he was debating over which one outweighed the other:amusement at her or annoyance. The expression was spot on and not even the several tufts of fallen sand could have made her think that it was anything less than Jao-Tin in front of her. She shuffled her feet playfully, looking everywhere but to where her master stood before her, biting very hard on the smile she was holding.

"I've been trying! But he won't listen to me! He's too busy playing with his sand castles!" Zara replied to the mound of compacted sand before wheeling around to face Gen who was doing no better with his laughing than she was. "Seriously, Gen! Water Bending is serious biz!" She was a wreck after that, clutching her sides while trying to walk along with Gen at the same time. It was difficult, swaying into his shoulder at times due to her laughter. Eventually it died down in a giggle, a cough, and an overly elongated sigh.

"If he saw that he would have killed us...You know that, right?"

"Anyway... Jao-Tin said we needed to travel that way, right?" Zara watched to direction where he pointed with a small nod.

"Yeah. That's where Princess sits on her throne,"she spat out, her eyes rolling for emphasis. The South East of the tribe was where the heavy machinery, factory, and biggest shops were held. It was a little bit like a modern city like Baoleng, the only difference being a giant castle sitting on the wayward side of the ocean. Tall, majestic, marble-slabbed, the epitome of wealth and power. Zara scowled towards the direction, almost making out the peak of the castle from the distance they were now. "You're right. If we don't get moving now, we'll be caught in the dark and the guards get really antsy if they see two random shadows sneaking outside the palace." She held off on the 'As well as they should be', saying it in a look of amusement before quieting down.

The two walked away from the edge of the ocean, striding along side of the giant body of water other than waltzing through the streets of the village. The few people that were still out and about doing some kind of work immediately looked towards them, sending cross scowls and muttering a whisper or two to whomever they were standing with. Zara, being used to it by then, quickened her steps so that she could get as far away from those people as possible. They weren't technically going out of the village, but at least they were away from wandering eyes for a short time. With a heavy sigh, she looked to her left, gazing at the lake longingly.

"It would be so much faster if we swam there..."
 
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