Avatar: The Rebel Armada (IC)

Elle Joyner · Oct 21, 2018

NIA CARROW

The rambling began like water flowing down a smooth cliff and Nia stared in awe at the kid, though not without a measure of amusement. She rarely had qualms about anyone, whatever her mood might be, but despite what the others likely took from her comments, she wasn't mean... She had no reason to be. These people, while not the sort she'd generally spend her time and energy with, weren't the enemy...

With a smirk, she gave the kid a shrug, "Why not. Just don't go around telling everyone, hm? Got a reputation to keep up...?

As if by clockwork, the irrate woman verbally flung herself at Nia, and a brow quirked as she listened to the tirade... Or at least, she tried to listen. But when the Hellsmouth started off with sloth-faced, Nia was lost... And didn't bother to catch up. With a shrug, she turned back to Kazu and smiled, "It's Nia, by the way. And don't bother drinking it... Better for healing's my guess. Or burning holes through steal. At any rate, looks like one of the Bolder Twins is summoning you. Hope the splinter's alright."

Turning away, her eyes traveled after the general and taking a breath, quite literally swallowing her pride, she hurried after him, "...You knew him? My father?"

TAGS || @Mobley Eats, @Reythaak

Greenie · Oct 23, 2018

If Ishoku hadn't been pointedly tuning out the much too fiery girl with the... harsh attitude, he would probably not have heard the water bender who addressed him. Pausing in his steps to the tents, he looked at the man with a pleasant smile, reaching out to give him a firm handshake. "It's nice to meet you too," he replied, letting go of the man's hand as he nodded in affirmation. "Yes, I'm Ishoku. I'm happy to see you remembered my name."

He started walking once more, though he kept him paces slow and steady, assuming Soren would be walking alongside with him on the way to his tend. "With all the embers still burning, it's lovely to have some calm and cool water to keep balance." He took in a deep breath as he thought back to the others. He could still hear them, though he did not pay too much to their words. The two brothers seemed decent enough, as did the fire nation woman and the earth bender who had been talking to Soren earlier. Of course, that was all at a first glance, and who knew better than Ishoku than to judge at first glance?

No assumptions. They weren't here on a picnic, they were here to the good of the world. Personal feelings put to the side, they would all have to do their best to get along and do what General Fong Xu expected of them.

"So," he started, "what's brought you here, Soren?" He paused before smiling. "To the Earth Kingdom? Or perhaps you were born here?"

@SkittlesAndSpike

Mobley Eats · Oct 23, 2018

Kazuo "Kazu"
Interactions: Zari @Reythaak | Nia @Elle Joyner | Wei

"Oh!" Kazu pressed a finger to his lips, eyes shining with glee as he handed the flask back to Nice Lady. "Understood! I'll keep quiet and not tell anybody! No one will know that you're my friend!" He said that last part at an obnoxiously loud volume, his excitement momentarily getting the better of him, so practically everyone on camp would've heard the admission. Regardless, the waterbender didn't seem to notice his slip up and his attention was already latched onto a new friendly face. The Zzzz...Z Guy! A new friend!

"Coming! Hello! Yes!" Despite his greeting being completely out of order, he bounded over to Z Guy with a pep in his step and immediately dropped to the ground in front of him. His legs crossed into a meditative position as he blinked up innocently at the archer. "Ah, it's a really good day! I made two friends, one of them is really angry but I think she wants to be my friend--"

"Fucking incorrect!" Wei yelled out from behind as she marched off past them, heading for her own tent.

...

"I think she wants to be my friend, but is shy about it. I get shy too, so it's okay. Um, well, shy sometimes. If I remember that I'm supposed to be around strangers, cuz my friend told me about stranger dangers and made it really easy to say cuz, like, it rhymes! And it's a really really good day cuz now I made three friends. Um, if you're okay with that? Oh, wait--what did you ask me again?"

A beat. Then he blinked. Finally, a gasp of realization as his memory caught up to reality. "Okay! So, I'm from," his face pinched in light confusion as he scratched his cheek, "Um, I guess two places? Which one do you want? Both? Uh, I don't know which one to pick so I guess I'm from Kasai and Gooling. Uh, the prison part of Gooling. Not the other parts. And, I don't really know what...a...monk is?" His talking slowed down as his brain fought tooth and nail to define the word. He could've sworn he heard that term swimming around before, but it was eluding him. "Is that a kind of monkey? If so then I'm not. A lot of people thought I was one though, which is okay. I like monkeys."

Then he beamed at Zari, the eagerness making a comeback. "Do you like monkeys?"

Mobley Eats · Oct 27, 2018

Collab Post: General Fong Xu (Mobley Eats) & Nia Carrow (@Elle Joyner )

"...You knew him? My father?"

General Fong Xu slowed to a stop, his arm caught mid-sweep of pushing aside the flaps of his tent. He turned to quirk an eyebrow at Nia, not exactly hiding his surprise; on the one hand, she seemed far too withdrawn to take the initiative and talk to him, but, then again, this was indeed about her father.

"I knew of him, Nia," Fong Xu said. "General Carrow was a large name among the Rebel Armada, especially in my battalion. His forces were one of the most daunting to handle."

"Daunting…" Nia huffed with a small smirk, "If that's not a polite way to say something ugly, I dunno what is."

Shuffling uncomfortably for a moment, she shrugged, "I guess… I dunno… No one else is left who knew him. He wasn't exactly a champion father but he was… well… Anyway. You don't happen to know who it was that hit our village, do you?"

Fong Xu gave pause, his lips briefly pursing in thought, before he opened his tent once more and made a welcoming motion. "Come. We'll sit and talk."

He politely allowed Nia to enter first, revealing the strangely simple yet warm arrangement of his space. There was the traditional bed and desk, riddled with unfurled maps and scrolls, and a small table surrounded by two stools.

It wasn't what she'd expected, the offer, nor the warmth of the inner workings of his tent. As she stepped inside, and found one of the stools, her eyes wandered the arrangement of furniture, before glancing along the maps and parchments.

"I hope it's not too bold of me to say… not that I'm much good at knowing when to shut my mouth, but you're not exactly what I expected from what I'd heard around these parts…"

The general seated himself across from Nia, his heavy armor clanging with a soft thud. He folded his hands upon the table and chuckled, "I suppose my reputation isn't exactly the most pleasant one to hear. But we all know that words alter more and more the further they travel. Now then," A hint of exhaustion coated his features, "As for the men who killed your father...I'm sorry to say that I don't know their identities. As far as I was concerned during that time, my only concern was annexing them from the force. Immediately."

It wasn't what she'd been hoping to hear, but she also wasn't entirely surprised by the answer. She couldn't expect it to be that easy, "I mean to find them, General. To bring them to task for what they did. I'll be candid with you… It's a large motivation for being here. I'm not a crusader, looking to fix the world. Just wanna right my own."

"Annexed soldiers with a primal need for bloodlust are not my priority, Nia," Fong Xu said. He understood the woman's motivations; what she longed for was completely normal. Completely human. But that brand of passion was not the kind his squadron needed. "You do realize that your anger is no different from theirs? You're traveling down the same path and before you know it, more innocents could perish."

He doubt things would ultimately come down to that outcome, but the possibility was there and he'd seen people like Nia. Knew what made them tick and crumble and rise beyond the ashes like a broken avenger. It never turned out well.

A brow lifted as she leaned back slightly, lip curved in a frown, "If you're winding up to a speech on how revenge is a big circle and no one ever benefits from it, you can save it. I've heard it. More times than I can count. I'm not worried about my soul... Figure someone like me isn't exactly cut for much more than a waste anyhow."

A strange mix between a laugh and snort escaped Fong Xu, the sound rumbling lowly in his chest. He shook his head, though it was hard to tell if it was out of amusement or disbelief. "Well, that's rather insulting. But I suppose guru speeches can be Hell on another's patience, so I understand. I promise to not to waste anymore of your time with it, Nia."

However, his brow pinched at her last comment. "I'll be the judge of that." A brief pause. "There. I've judged and analyzed. Based on what I've seen and heard, you're far from a waste. I know what I see and I see potential in you. Take my word for it."

"Oh. Damn, sir…" Sitting up again, she smirked a little, "Then I'm so sorry to tell you… you're crazy. Actually genuinely crazy. But hell if I'm gonna tell a crazy man what to think. Guess we'll just have to see if your madness pays off or not."

"No need to apologize for speaking the truth," he quipped lightly, a ghost of a smirk pulling at his lips. "And I'm certain my madness will. It has yet to fail me...Now then." He stood up and bowed politely. "It's been a pleasure conversing with you, Nia." For the briefest moment, something cold flashed in his eyes, only to vanish just as quickly. "Please vacate my tent. I'll see you and the others in an hour."

Rising, Nia shook her head, unsure entirely whether or not the man before her really was crazy, "I'll try to keep that Wei chick from stabbing anyone in the meantime." And with a bow of her head she slid out of the tent again.

"Greatly appreciated," he muttered, long after Nia had left. He heaved a tired sigh and plopped down at his desk, rubbing at his slightly throbbing temples. It was nothing he couldn't handle, let alone anything new. She's stubborn and has a wayward track of thinking, but her resiliency is a plus, he thought.

Overall, the interview gave him hope, no matter how little.

Spekkun · Oct 29, 2018

Soren

Soren was pleased that the man responded to him, and in a pretty normal manner too. He was quick to follow after Ishoku, catching up to and walking alongside him. "Well, I figured if we were going to be fighting together," And potentially dying together, "I should at least make a point to know everyone's names." The ones who were nice enough to share earlier were easy.

He chuckled at Ishoku's words, his lips curling into a rather goofy looking grin. "Yeah, I guess so! That's a pretty nice statement you made there." It was obvious but no less funny to him. Probably because it was true. "Some of the others are a bit...extreme." He lowered his voice a bit, just in case someone heard him. He didn't need any trouble. "But I'm sure they won't cause us too much trouble."At least, he hoped not. They were all here for the same reason, after all.

"I was born here, actually. My father, he was.." He paused, furrowing his brow as he corrected himself, "Is an earth bender. My mother is a water bender from the Northern Water Tribe." His goofy grin had lessened somewhat, but it still hung around.

"My mother is part of the reason why I'm here, here." He pointed his finger at the ground. "She recommended that I join here if I were to be a soldier for the rebel army. The sooner I get dropped into action, the sooner I become a real warrior." And perhaps he'd be closer to saving his father.

"What about you? What brings you here?"

@Greenie

Reythaak · Oct 30, 2018

•Zari Lian• and •Kazuo•

• Location: Earth Battalion Campsite
• Interactions: Kazuo (@Mobley Eats )

Zari blinked, admitting slightly to himself in this moment that Kazuo might be… a bit much for him. Although between him and Zip it oughta be fine, right? The hesitation only lasted a moment, though.

"My brother and I came from a town outside of Gooling, we've never actually been to the city itself. We left the area around the time it was being taken over. For pretty obvious reasons, I think." And then Zari grinned. One of those warm grins that tended to endear you to someone, though it seemed to be unnecessary with Kazuo.

"I do, actually, like monkeys. Monks are usually kind of religious or spiritual sorts, a lot of the Airbenders were monks actually. I'd take being asked if you were one a compliment, myself."

Kazu listened with as much concentration as he could, managing to pick apart the gist of what his new friend told him. He pressed both hands to his chest in a "me" gesture, then dropped one hand...only to bring it back after convincing himself that it should stay there. "Cool! We're both from the same place! Um, kinda."

Something about Zari's smile invigorated Kazu; hope was likely the feeling overcoming him, as he never realized until now how much he missed talking to a friendly face. It almost made him think of his old friend...but he decided not to think too much about it. Too much thinking is hard.

"Oh...Oh! Those monks! Yeah, yeah, I know what those are! Um," Against his accord, Kazu's eyes fell to start analyzing the little knicks and scars covering his hands; he started counting them silently, his lips barely moving. He briefly stopped to reply, "Z Guy? I have a question."

"Kind of. We haven't been back there in quite a while," Zari admitted, "But I guess we couldn't really go back there if we wanted, and wanted to not-get-caught at the same time." He frowned for a moment, but it returned to a slight smile as Kazuo went back to the monks. Then he got a tilt of Zari's head.

"Shoot." he encouraged.

Kazu leaned forward to whisper to him with a hand cupping the side of his mouth, "Um, I kind of forgot why I came here...Do you know why?" He rocked back a little, still stuck in his meditative pose as he hummed to himself. "I mean, I met a lot of different people on the way here. Some were mean. All of them tried to, like, light me on fire and stuff. But now I'm here, where there's nicer people! So," his face twisted a little, "I guess I came here to make friends?"

A brief pause.

"Z Guy, what kind of animal is that? He looks cool! And kinda big...No, really big." The waterbender pointed at the eel hound in question, eyes lighting up in wonder.

Zari snirked, genuine amusement sparkling in his eyes. "Coming to make friends would be a decent reason, I think," he reassured the kid, "A lot better than the reason my brother and I are here, honestly." Then Kazuo paused, and Zari followed his interest and gaze to Zip.

The eel hound, who was a full on adult and as big as he was going to get, lifted swivelled his head and focused his gaze on Kazu, then gave a yawn. Zari dropped his hand from Zip's head, and took a half-step away, motioning Kazu that he could pet the hound if he wanted.

"That is Zip. He's an eel hound, and I've been raising him since he was a lot smaller than that," Zari grinned at his puppy, who had leaned his head forward some to nudge at Kazuo's hand, echoing Zari's encouragement of pet-the-puppy. "And by a lot smaller, I mean I watched him hatch. He's a little too big, and moves a little too quick, to let you see too much in here. He'd probably bowl something over, but when we go outside the walls I'll let you see him run. He's quick." Zip's tail flicked back and forth at Zari's words.

"Wooow...an eel hound," Kazu breathed in awe, a bright smile splitting his cheeks as the creature nudged his hand. Granted, it was the sore one, but he could care less in this moment. He immediately started petting Zip before hugging him completely, their cheeks pressed together. "Nice to meet you, Zip! I'm Kazu...oh, Z Guy! Guess what," he pointed between himself, Zari and Zip, "We all got Z's in our names! Like a, um, kinda like a family or group or something. Can I be the brother? Um, Zip's brother? I guess? Since you're kinda like Zip's dad and stuff?"

However, confusion seeped into Kazu's features. "Wait...my gut says that something's wrong with that, but I don't know what…" He plopped to the ground again with the same pose and scratched his head. "Now my head kinda hurts. I think I thought too much today. Oh. I think I did it again--and again." True to his words, a dull ache knocked at the back of his noggin.

The hound seemed completely willing to accept this, though he did briefly give Zari a look. Zari just smiled and Zip let out a little huff before nuzzling his cheek against Kazuo's.

"Yeah, I noticed that myself," Zari said with a nod, and let Kazu continue on for a few moments, then flop on the ground. Zip settled down, resting his head on his paws.

"I don't know about calling you Zip's brother. Sirrak might get a little annoyed he didn't know I had a kid, or that he became an uncle somewhere in the entire thing,' again Zari flashed a grin, kind of hoping he would tangent Kazuo off the little familial-lines thing. It was a wee bit much for Zari himself. "Maybe I ought to let you be for the hour so you can get some rest and your head won't hurt and distract you while you show Fong Xu what you can do, hm?" he suggested.

"Aww...Okay then. At least we're all friends though." That last bit helped to lift Kazu's mood and his pout vanished quickly. He nodded in agreement to Z Guy's suggestion, only to immediately regret the action as it agitated the throbbing even more. Yeesh--first his hand and now his head. Wincing, the waterbender stood up slowly and addressed his new friend once more. "I am kinda tired. I don't really know what General Ffff....fork wants to see, cuz I don't do lots of stuff. Maybe I'll do, um…that! Yeah, that! He'll like it!"

Satisfied with that mini-epiphany, Kazu rushed forward to give Z Guy a quick hug before backing out. He didn't remember much most of the time, but he could never forget that one time a man punched him after the physical contact. "Thanks for being my friends, Z Guy. Zip." He wanted to bounce in place from excitement, but knew better than to worsen his headache.

"It'll probably look more flashy than anything I can do," Zari reassured the kid with a smile. "I can't do any elemental bending or anything." Then he shrugged, showing that it wasn't a huge deal to him. Most of the time. Zip settled for glancing at Kazuo before closing his eyes once more.

"And not a problem. I'll see if I can convince Sirrak you're alright too, though he doesn't like when people talk too much," he wrinkled his nose a little bit, then smiled and left Kazuo to it.

Red Thunder · Nov 2, 2018

The Sword and the Stone
a collab between @Reythaak and @Red Thunder

Neither Nia nor Wei drew much of a rise out of Sirrak, only earning a slight shake of his head and one corner of his lips twisting upwards. They'll learn. Or they won't, and they won't be here anymore. For now, at least, he wouldn't let it bother him more than that. He shook Tarkik's offered hand.

"Sirrak Lian. Just a wandering soldier, no official connections for me," he introduced himself as he walked alongside Tarkik.

"Earthbenders make pretty good cannons on ships, given the opportunity," was his reply as far as ships went, accompanied by a flat out smile, "But yes. I'm here with my brother, Zari. He's… a little more eager."

"Indeed?" Tark gave a wry grin, not unkindly, but perhaps with an edge of superiority. The formal mask he'd adopted in the general's presence had shifted, taking a secondary priority to that of relaxed companionship. As they passed the gate guards, he gave a respectful nod. "That's good; focused enthusiasm is precisely what this operation will need.

"Whatever it is."

Arriving at his own tent, Tark began dismantling the frame and rolling the skin. Prepare for everything, he'd been taught. All well and good, but sometimes potential events contradicted each other, and one had to pursue one path or another. Tark has assumed they would still be staying within their own tents; he'd assumed wrong. Gesturing at his activity, he glanced up at Sirrak.

"You two have much to pack and relocate?"

"We'll find out soon enough. My brother and I tend to wander into things not quite knowing what we're helping do for sure until we're already doing them." He shrugged, "That. And I don't blame the General for not immediately letting us know details. Everyone who showed up might not end up involved ultimately, and I suspect it's the sort of thing where the fewer people that know, the better."

Almost idly, Sirrak had started helping Tark take the tent apart and put it away, then he flashed another grin. A very pleased one.

"All of our stuff is already inside. Tent was just a couple stone slabs, and our gear was put on the eel hound early, so I had time to do forms and not rush."

Tark strapped the frame poles to his pack, giving the earthbender an appreciative look. Silently, he finished his work, muttering thanks as Sirrak packed and provided gear to him to be packed. There wasn't much to do: tent, bedroll, some stray cooking gear, and a canteen or two. Finally finished, Tark hoisted the pack onto his back.

"Thank you, Sirrak. In truth, I just wanted to meet a crew member away from … antagonistic words. I'm ready to return when you are."

If there were no objections from Sirrak, Tark turned toward the camp again.

"So what brought you out here at all?"

Sirrak gave a little nod, straightening and stretching a bit once Tark had moved his pack to his back, then looked around for a moment. It looked like most other folks had come in the wee hours of the morning. Or hadn't brought anything with them at all. He gave a slight frown at that; that wasn't something that boded terribly well for the future of their working together… Tark drew his attention again however, and Sirrak wandered along with him back to the camp.

"Two people makes work go quicker, and no one else seemed inclined to help. And for as cool a head as I have most of the time, there were folks wearing on my patience just a bit…"

The Water Tribesman gave Sirrak an odd look.

"Well, certainly; I assumed that you'd- Ah! Ha!" He laughed, shaking his head. "You misunderstand! What I meant was, what has brought you to this camp and to General Fong Xu? Myself, I was assigned here, but it seems strange to me that any should volunteer, or that they should hear of it to volunteer at all."

Sirrak shrugged. "You said out here," justifying his response further. He then paused for a moment, flexing his stone gauntlets at his sides and letting out a little thoughtful hmm, trying to figure out the best way to reply.

"My brother and I have been serving with various parts of the rebellion for years. More accurately, about 15 years total. We have at least a little name for ourselves among the brass, even if neither of us have shown any inclination to move up the ranks or anything like that.

We've been hearing little bits about it as we've been bouncing around between camps for a little while now, and Zari was curious. Especially considering about all the information that was out and about was that General Fong Xu was recruiting a small squad to head towards Gooling. It seemed like our kind of thing.

And even though we haven't been home in a while, going after Gooling and liberating the surrounding area? I'd like if the village I came from wasn't controlled by the Fire Nation any more."

Tark nodded, the reasoning plain and understandable. The Earth Kingdom soldiers eyed him yet again as they approached the gate but did not stop them, merely giving an stiff nod of respect. The Earthbender was one of them and therefore garnered no suspicion, but the Water Tribesman, with his ruddier complexion and coarser hair, was a stranger, a foreigner of questionable competency. Though the Earth Nation had allied with the Water Tribes in fact, ensuring that all their peoples allied with each in spirit was another matter.

Tark ignored it as best he might, biting back the response that leapt to mind.

"How was it, growing up in Gooling?" he asked instead, blanketing the frustration with curiosity. "I admit; the town is mostly unknown to me."

"We lived in a village outside of Gooling, and were about 9 when we left- never ended up in Gooling proper," Sirrak explained after giving his own little nod to the Earth soldiers. He wasn't super fond of the side eye given to his companion, but it was what it was. It would only be relevant for so long, afterall. "Little village. Everyone knew everyone, and our mom ran a farm. She was a pretty good earthbender, so we got pretty good harvests." He gave a little smile at the memories, "But, Gooling got attacked and she sent us with our grandpa away from the village. It only made sense that they'd spread out from Gooling, and she wanted us out of the line of fire if possible."

"As any good parent would."

The line of fire. It was telling, the change in language and adages that the world had experienced as a result of the war with the Fire Nation. The fact that it was here applied in the most literal of senses was telling of the severity of the attack on Gooling. And of the necessity of rebuttal against the conquerors. The Dao sword weighed heavily on Tark's back, as if it were the weight of Gooling's innocent dead. It longed for retribution, to relieve heads from shoulders.

"Was your mother able to train you two in Earthbending? Or are the two of you self taught?"

Sirrak's step stuttered a moment at the suggestion of his brother as an earthbender, and he didn't hide the chuckle. "Zari can't earthbend," he said with a shake of his head, the words interrupted by slight chuckles, "It's honestly the biggest difference between us. So, he went and learned how to do something about as difficult. Or harder, depending on how good you are with animals." He knew full well he couldn't even attempt to be as good as Zari was on Zip, or with a bow. He relied pretty completely on the earth, and was pretty crap at ranged combat of any flavor.

"But. Mom taught me the basics, or at least tried. I've never been too great at the standard forms, and she used her's mostly to work the farm. No, I learned most of my bending down in the southeastern mountains. Place called Kharrut. Folks there specialize in a slightly different form they call Stone Dragon Style."

"You mentioned to the General that Master Piandao taught you, so I'd guess you must know a couple tricks at the very least of your own, bender or not."

"Aye; he taught me some things. Though less perhaps the actual skill and more on how to be an effective student. The things I've since become capable of, sword fighting and other martial arts, he certainly laid groundwork for, but he believed it better that I learn what suited me best."

Tark's face still burned with the heat of a slight blush. He knew better, he chided himself, to assume that all citizens of the Earth Kingdom that had joined the army were Earthbenders. Yet he'd done the very thing. Lucky he was, then, that Sirrak seemed rather to find it humorous than offensive. Reaching over his shoulder, he unlatched the sword from the scabbard and pulled it free, proffering it to his friend hilt first in an effort to take his own mind off his misstep.

"Made this myself, after months of dedicated tutelage in smithing. It's plain, maybe, but it's strong and light."

It was, indeed, and well balanced besides, with just enough forward weight as to give momentum to a slash. The blade was the silver of steel, with the black ripples of a Damascus technique, and the grip was a tanned leather, dark almost to black. Balanced opposite the blade was the pommel, a black ring of deceptively heavy weight.

"Knowing how to learn is just as important. It took a while for folks at Kharrut to teach me that one," was Sirrak's simple reply. Before he took the offered blade, however, he shed the stone gauntlets he typically wore, attaching them to his belt to handle the weapon with his bare hands. It didn't seem polite to rub stone and earth all over the other man's sword, after all.

He tested the weight of it, examining it thoroughly, before handing it back.

"Very nice. I admit, my skills lie almost completely in earthbending. When I need a blade, I make it out of earth," he shrugged, returning the gauntlets back to their places on his hands and flexing his fingers as if to test their fit. Even though they were molded to his hands through his bending. "But I'm nowhere near as good with a blade, so to speak, as I am at just grappling and throwing rocks. Pretty simple way to fight, I admit."

"More than I'm capable of, certainly, though I would not turn down a round of grappling." Tark grinned as he returned the blade to its scabbard. "My "Ba Gua" could always use refinement.

"I look forward to our fighting together, Sirrak. And your brother; if you are yourself any indication, he is as much a 'man of the earth', if you will." Grinning, he forwent the more formal bow of respect and instead clapped the Earthbender on the shoulder in a familiar way. "But for now, I need to unpack and prepare for this… test the General will be performing."

"I'll certainly take you up on that, if the opportunity presents itself," Sirrak replied with a grin, "Always good to get some more practice in." Zari wasn't nearly as willing to grapple with him… though that wasn't too much of a surprise he had to admit. He took a quick glance around them, watching Zari and Zip interacting with Kazu for a moment.

"I'm pretty sure you'll be more than capable of handling whatever test he puts in front of you," the Earthbender returned the clap on the shoulder, "But. Being over-prepared isn't ever a bad thing." With that, Sirrak moved off to join his brother as Kazuo and Zari finished up.

Greenie · Nov 4, 2018

"Both parents benders?" Ishoku couldn't help but smile at that. "That's pretty amazing." He quieted as he listened to Soren, slightly worried about him. He seemed a little too kind, a little too innocent to be thrown in a rebel army. But then, looks and words were deceiving, and perhaps his mother was right and Soren simply needed a push that would bring forth his true potential.

It was almost a pity, when he really thought about it. Innocence in this world was a hard thing to retain, and seeing someone as fresh faced and open minded as Soren was a breath of fresh air... which he was sure would disappear soon enough.

I mustn't be so positive. The rare bout of sarcasm, even in his thoughts, was a little concerning to Ishoku. Perhaps a rest would do him some good after all.

"I came here because I wanted some change," he said after a little while. "I used to be a soldier for the Fire Nation. I defected a while back, found myself getting involved in the same sort of business that I had hoped to leave. I'm hoping perhaps over here I will be given a chance to be a normal soldier." He smiled a little before clarifying himself. "A non bending soldier, that is. I've never been able to bend like most of you."

@SkittlesAndSpike

The tent was rather familiar to the young rebel, and one might even say it was luxury compared to what she was used to living with before she let herself be dragged over to the Rebel Armada. Letting out a sigh, she was quick to settle her sack of belongings on her sleeping bag before looking to the set of clothes that had been left here. Hopefully they fit her- she wouldn't be surprised if they were too loose, though she did think she was fattening up a bit. Or she hoped.

She was quick to change into them either way, and pleased to see they weren't quite as loose as she thought. With that done and over with, she settled down on her sleeping bag, laying on her back and closing her eyes. In the distance she could still hear the others, though she wasn't able to make out precisely what they were saying. She wondered what they thought of her, if anything at all. She did hope they'd get along, but if someone didn't, it wasn't going to bother her too much... as long as they didn't come in her way.

With these thoughts, Dahlia was slowly drifting off into her cat nap status, when she was suddenly interrupted by first the sound of footsteps and then somebody entering her tent. Frown on her face, the earth bender was quick to sit up, hand shooting forward; as she did, three rocks flew towards the intruder. "Shoot!" She dropped her hand and the rocks clattered to the ground, thankfully not having struck-

"Who are you?" Dahlia asked. She recognized the woman from outside the gates, but she couldn't recall her name anymore.

@SkittlesAndSpike

Spekkun · Nov 6, 2018

Soren

"Ah yeah, it kind of is." Soren chuckled. The boy admittedly didn't know the story of his parent's budding romance, but he was sure it was quite something. His father was a stoic and passive type and his mother was...well she was kind of demanding and impatient, but strong and kind behind it all. After meeting her after his father had been taken he was sure that they were good for each other.

"Ah, you're from the Fire Nation!" He started to speak loudly but quieted into a whisper. A fierce whisper, but still a whisper. That probably wasn't something he should say out loud. "Oh wow. I guess you do look the part, though!" He'd never given it any thought, but it made sense that not everyone in the fire nation army would be happy with their recent actions.

"Err...thank you!" He wasn't sure if it was something that was necessary or if it was awkward to thank him for it, but he did it anyway. It was nice to know that there were not only soldiers who not only didn't agree with the Fire nation but would go so far as to defect and risk it all to fight for what's right. It honestly brought a smile to his face.

"Oh, you're not a bender." Ishoku was full of surprises, it seemed. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have your chance here! You don't need bending to be a good fighter!" His mother had taught him that much. That was also why he kept a saber with him. There could be times when he couldn't bend and he would need something else to rely on.

"I don't think the rebel armada is going to be particularly picky about who fights and how they fight." Well, not counting strategy, anyway.

Amaya

Amaya had both her hands raised into the air, a look of shock upon her face. The stones clattered to the ground and for a moment she was silent, her face red and her cheeks puffy. A few moments after Dahlia asked for her identity she let out the biggest and longest exhale she'd ever held before. "Almost smashed my beautiful face!" She let out a ragged breath, a grin on her face despite the fact she was almost injured by her new comrade.

"I'm Amaya," She introduced herself, lowering her hands as she gasped for air, placing on over her heart. She hadn't even realized she had begun holding her breath until after the fact. "Didn't mean to startle ya! I didn't know the tent was occupied!" She'd just wandered into a tent at random.

"Good to know we got someone on their guard most of the time. Just means I can be that much more relaxed!" She chuckled a bit, shaking her head. "Then again...if I was just a tad bit more on guard I might have not almost had my face smashed in...whatever. Nice to meet ya..." She trailed, leaving her statement open for the woman to insert her name.

@Greenie

Greenie · Nov 12, 2018

Ishoku couldn't help but chuckle at Soren's words. There it was again, the childlike enthusiasm and innocence he had been feeling earlier from the water bending man. "I guess we'll see," he told the younger man with a small smile. "I've been surrounded by fire benders my entire life... I will admit that I used to be jealous as a child and even as a youth... but if one compares benders to the rest of the world, there are more of those that cannot bend. I like to think that I show them that there is no need to feel inferior."

The way he was right now, he might not have fire bending to his will, but he didn't feel he needed it. The way it was used wasn't how Ishoku felt fire should be used. With hatred, with anger. Fire burned, but fire provided warmth and comfort as well, and it pained him seeing so many of his fellow countrymen seemed to have forgotten that.

"You're right," he finally said, breaking out of his thoughts to reply the water bender. "The world is made of all sorts, and that is what I hope to see in the Rebel Armada, and here specifically. Many different people joining together to make the world a better place." He paused a moment before chuckling. "An idealistic dream, but dreams are more pleasant than nightmares." By this time they had already reached the tents. "Well Soren, I shall see you in an hours time." He raised his hand in farewell before entering his tent.

@SkittlesAndSpike

"Dahlia," the earth bender replied. She motioned with her hands and the three rocks flew back towards her hand. After depositing them into her pouch of stones, she stood up from her sleeping bag to face the woman named Amaya.

"Sorry about that," she continued as she stuffed her hands in her pocket. "Reflex and all that, I was dozing off and didn't expect anyone to come in. Guess you thought this was your tent..." She shrugged a shoulder before giving the woman a grin. "Easy mistake to make, but I'm sorry I startled you, and I'm kinda relieved I didn't end up hitting your face. Would've been a terrible way to meet for the first time, right?"

She headed toward the entrance of the tent, peeking outside before turning back to the newcomer. "I'm gonna catch a cat nap, but you're free to stick around here if you just want to relax for a bit." With that said, she plonked herself back on her sleeping back, laying back. A small smile lingered on her lips; it was nice to see that there was the potential of a new friend.

@SkittlesAndSpike

Mobley Eats · Nov 21, 2018

Time Skip: 1 Hour

General Huang Fong Xu | Interactions: All recruits @Elle Joyner , @Reythaak , @Greenie , @SkittlesAndSpike , @Red Thunder and Earth Battalion Soldiers

An hour passed in relative peace, a silence that General Fong Xu savored with the calmed gusto of a desert wanderer drinking water. He spent that time steeling himself, reminding himself of the trials to face him and his team as they step foot outside camp walls. His worries would always be there, no matter how long he prepped his mind, but it never hurt to try. Hopeless hope was not a concept to exist in his mind; at least, he tried to keep it that way.

Either way, his meditative state made time move quickly and before he knew it, the hour was upon them. As noted from his observations so far, he had reservations about a few recruits. Hopefully, this display of skill would qualm his doubts. He prayed. The general stood, adjusting his armor with an exhausted sigh while rolling his shoulders. "May the gods' love be with me," he muttered before stepping out of his tent.

What he saw inspired mixed emotions.

All of the recruits were standing outside as instructed, though he couldn't help but notice varied states. The dopey child from before, Kazu, if he remembered correctly, was sitting down in the lotus position. However, instead of finding his center, the boy's head snapped about in every direction like a tiny rodent with hyperactive overdose, his smile wide and bright. General Fong Xu...supposed the optimism was appreciated. On the other hand, the small fireball of a girl from before stood with a resolute stance, scowl ever present upon her features and her Ji standing rigidly next to her, her grasp white-knuckled tight. The determination was...suffocating. To be perfectly honest. General Fong Xu wasn't afraid to admit that her overall aura and attitude unsettled him, but in a way that formed pity deep in his heart. She was far too young to harbor so much rage.

Either way, the general shifted his attention back to important matters and addressed the recruits. "I hope all of you were well rested and have gathered your strength. It is now time to prove your skill to me. And to do so will be simple."

He gestured simply to the space between him and the recruits. "One by one, each of you shall step forward and show what you can do. If modifications must be made," a meaningful glance in Zari's direction, "We have a shooting range. I shall be watching each of you closely, so please, don't even think of faltering, as that will be your downfall." An iciness entered his tone, eyes colder than the stone walls of Ba Sing Se in winter. However, it vanished rather quickly and the mundane warmth was present once more. Casually, he lowered onto his knees, sitting back on his heels with both hands rested on his lap. "Who shall go first--"

"Stop!"

In an instant, annoyance bubbled up General Fong Xu's spine, though he did well not to show it. Glancing to his right, he could see a small band of his soldiers, around 4 or 5, marching up with similar scowls upon their visages and tensed muscles. The pure contempt in their eyes practically glowed. They were all composed of the men who had glared dirtily at the recruits when they first entered camp...and it seemed that their patience had finally snapped.

The head of the group was the one to speak up, his large arms folded cross his chest. "I've been keeping my mouth shut long enough. What do these band of amateurs," he sneered in disgust at the rebels, "Have that your own men already don't? You're really sending them in to relieve Gooling, while we've been busting our asses under your command for nearly ten fucking years?! We could easily be your squadron!"

Expression and voice flat, General Fong Xu stood once more and faced his soldiers. "Ah yes, mister Jin...You are the one with the particularly unsavory intelligence score, aren't you?" Jin's brow twitched. "If I recall correctly, each one of these recruits traveled here of their own volition, crossing Fire Nation territory, dangerous lands, war-torn zones. Do not underestimate their potential." His jaw clenched. "Just because your insecurities are fickle little nuisances. You only have one month of service left under my say, do you not? Make the most of it and salvage your image while you still can. That goes for all of you. Do not force my hand."

Jin and the rest of the soldiers' faces boiled red. Teeth gnashing, Jin stomped up to the line of recruits, glaring twin holes through each of them. "You think these newbie fucks are any better than us? Huh? Then prove it!" He retracted his shortsword and poised the blade at them. "Fuck your show and tell, general! We'll take them on and show you how real soldiers get things done."

General Fong Xu's entire body tensed, prepared to downright rip these men apart for their disrespect...

And then exhaled slowly. His voice adopted a resigned casualness. "So be it, then." His gaze roamed over to the rebels. "Be sure to kick their asses thoroughly, hm?" He'd been itching to dismiss this particular batch of troublemakers for weeks anyway--this'd be the perfect final straw.

Mobley Eats · Nov 24, 2018

Wei Fong Xu
Interactions: Earth Battalion Soldiers

Wei's nostrils flared. The fucking audacity of these asswipes--did none of them appreciate having their own heads attached to their bodies?? The tiny teen shut her eyes, attempting to find her center, that rare little ball of Zen, before she wound up rocketing minerals through their skulls...and ultimately failed. General Fong Xu's urging didn't help in the slightest. "Be sure to kick their asses thoroughly, hm?"

Her eyes snapped open, zeroing in on a numbskull loitering in the back of the group. He was bulkier than the rest, but also the shortest and hairier than any troll Wei ever had nightmares about. The man seemed somewhat distracted in a way that spoke volumes about his follower nature, just mimicking Jin and his every command like some yapping lap mule. Essentially, the perfect target to dish out Wei's frustrations.

Without flinching, she jammed her heel into the ground at an angle and suddenly, a stone column ejected skywards...right between the man's legs.

Words couldn't describe the satisfaction coursing through Wei as a high-pitched squeal pierced the air. The soldier fell like a sack of potatoes, trembling and cradling his crotch with an extremely pained groan. The teen blinked, feigning innocence. "Oh...woops, my foot slipped," she growled.

Elle Joyner · Nov 24, 2018

NIA CARROW

After leaving the general, Nia had found as quiet a place as she could to reflect on what the man had said to her. He said he saw something of a promise in her, and admittedly, it was difficult not to find an odd sense of resonance in that idea, but for so long now she had tiptoed the edge of mediocrity on purpose, allowing herself to fail time and time again, falling into old habits just to avoid the life she'd been thrust into.

It pained her that that promise the general saw was exactly what her father had tried so hard to force out of her... That the only way she could be proud of herself was to do what her father had instilled so violently in all of them.

But she had come, all the same. More than that... she had stayed. And there was some sense in her that maybe, just maybe it was time to be something worthwhile...

A commotion a little ways from her drew her attention to a crowd gathering, and rising to her feet, she brushed the dust from her pants, heading towards the small fuss.

The tail end of the mob leader's complaints were heard, and Nia nearly rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the sentiments. Fools... All of them. Too stupid to see they were all trying to fight the same battle. These were the sort of people who attacked villages of women and children and took slaves, to try and prove they were better than the other side.

If it was a fight they wanted, it was one they'd get.

Reaching for the small flask at her belt, Nia took a swig, but held the alcohol in her mouth. Grabbing one of the torches from a post beside a tent, she swung it in the direction of the nearest band of idiots and pulling it towards her, spat the liquor into the flames, sending a fireball at the idiot soldiers. When the flames dissipated, she kicked at the bottom of the torch and spun it, catching it in her hand like a staff. With her free hand, she wiggled her fingers towards the men, grinning.

"C'mon, boys. Let's see what you've got."

Mobley Eats · Nov 26, 2018

Collab Post: Spicy Water | Interactions: Nia @Elle Joyner & Earth Battalion Soldier

Kazu's brow pinched, confused by all of angry shouting sailing overhead like flying geckos. He remained where he was, watching everything unfold and trying to figure out if this was a game or not. Probably. He never played this one before. The one he was most familiar with was "Lizard Monkey in the Middle" and "Hide and Ditch the Dope"; this situation didn't seem like either of them.

However, he finally stood up when he saw the Nice Lady from earlier sip her spicy water and spew it at the men--but as a giant flame! Wow! Two soldiers found their clothes set aflame, one who was still feeling the pain in his groin and the another frantically backing away while retracting his sword.

Kazu clapped eagerly, beaming at the woman as he walked up to her. "That was so cool! Like, like a magic trick or something! Can you teach me how to do that, Nice Lady?" However, he jumped in surprise when a blade swung out, missing Nia by a mere inch but slicing into Kazu's robes. "Ah! Wow! Th-that's really sharp!" He pouted, holding up the sliced fabric. "I really like this too…That wasn't nice."

"What kind of fake bending bullshit was that," the soldier hissed, his sword raised and glaring daggers through Nia.

Kazu's lips pinched. "That's not nice either."

"Kaz, hon…" Nia started, swiping the torch towards the swordsman with a glare, "May wanna not stand in the way of the pointy bits!" Spinning the torch in a full circle, she swiped it at the swordsman's feet, "And I don't need magic tricks to knock you on your ass, Slick. Why waste the energy?"

"Oh! Got it, right!" Kazu took Nia's bit of advice to heart, though he just blinked owlishly at the sight of the man losing his footing from the sweep. Was he tired already?

Sneering, the man scrambled back onto his feet and cleared the distance between them, his sword stabbing forth to weave into Nia's guard. Instead of steel biting into skin, he blinked when a kick snapped into his wrist, misdirecting the strike entirely and veering off to the left. Sheepishly, Kazu grinned, his leg still raised. "Um, don't stab people. It might cut them, okay? Because, I remember this one time, I got cut and it hurt really bad and so I don't really want Nice Lady to feel that too."

The soldier's face reddened. "You…fucking!" He swung again.

"OI!" Nia swung the staff of the torch again, this time harder and with more focus, towards the swordsman, her eyes narrowing into slits, "He said… not to stab people, you stupid oaf! Open your damn ears, yeah?"

The swordsman winced from the blows, though he was quick to grit his teeth through the sensation. "How about I open you up instead," he growled.

"Ew...I think my old friend told me that was a nasty joke once--ah, he's cutting again!" Kazu yelped, ducking two more swings before scurrying back to Nia's side. A third strike came down from an overhead arc, which the young rebel dodged with a lean before seizing the swordsman's arm. Using his speed against him, he swung the man around, completely vulnerable into Nia's reach.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you… But not before you've bought me dinner…" Swinging the staff vertical, Nia gripped it with both hands and without hesitating, she pulled it downward, to crack on the swordsman's head.

Kazu winced at the sound of impact, the man's weight suddenly doubled now as he hung limply in his grasp. That was one merciless strike to the head. Quickly, he dropped the soldier, before kneeling down to look over him curiously. And with a hint of concern. "Is...is he still breathing?"

"Little Pup… can't worry about that right now, hmm? Up you get, yeah? We'll check the bastard's pulse when this mess is over." At best, he'd likely have a raging headache, but Nia couldn't entirely say she felt sorry for it, "Come by me, yeah. Keep your eyes peeled for movement."

Without blinking, Kazu was by Nia's side (though he did give the body one was prod with his toe to make sure he was down for good) and nodded. "Yes ma'am! Can do! But, um, not too hard though, cuz it could hurt." He literally followed her orders to attempted to keep his eyes open with his fingers, the burning need to blink already making itself apparent. "Okay..this is kinda hard."

And then Kazu heard it before he saw it. Footsteps, growing closer. Quickly.

Acting on reflex, one arm swung back to force the blade skywards, while the other cracked into the swordsman's nose. Before he could recuperate, Kazu delivered a double-fisted hammer strike to his torso, knocking him onto his back and unconscious--for real, this time.

A pause.

"So, um, I had to stop peeling my eyes just now. Sorry, Nice Lady." His head lowered in shame.

"Pup! Look at you go!" Nia grinned, staring at the unconscious man with a sense of relief and, frankly, more impressed than she expected to be. Kazu didn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of men at first glance, but he was a force, for sure, "And it's Nia… by the--"

Grimacing, she reached for his arm, turning it over to look where the blade had sliced into the skin, small rivulets of blood dripping to the ground, "Damn."

Kazu nodded, tapping his temple for extra measure. "Nia, got it! I'll remember now. Um, at least I hope I will. I think I will...Yeah, yeah, I will!" However, his eyes widened in surprise when she drew his attention to the cut on his arm and just like that, his nerves registered a stinging pain. "...Ow," he muttered, though he made no move to do anything about it. Most times, he just ignored it and let his old friend clean it up...Oh wait.

"I got you, Pup. Just watch my b--erhm… make sure no one else is comin' at us, yeah?" Bending, she reached for the knife, tucked into a sheath in her boot and pulling it free, she unraveled the bit of cloth from the end of it. Rising again, she held her arm out in front of her, "Like this, yeah? And try to keep it steady?"

Kazu blinked. Once. Twice. His brain was moving incredibly slowly at the moment, not entirely sure why Nia wanted him to stretch out his arm. Regardless, he trust her, so he did so without hesitation. "Yep! It's like that game Simon Says, but instead of Simon we just said Warden Says cuz he always told us what to do and stuff, but it was always, like, mean stuff in a mean voice and…" His brow pinched. He forgot the rest of the story.

A brow lifted, and Nia started to wind the bit of ribbon around the wound, careful not to wrap it too tightly, and tucking the end beneath the edge, "Warden, huh? Why do I have a feeling you're a whole mess of interesting stories, Pup? How's that feel?"

"My stories are messy? Oh...well, people have told me that, so it's okay. Yes, they're messy. A lot of times. But fun to tell," Kazu said, eyes trained on Nia's handiwork. He visibly flinched a few times as she wrapped up the wound, but remained still for the most part and beamed in gratitude once she was done. "Thank you, Nia! It feels okay, not as bad as the spicy water."

Currently, the duo were in the midst of a full out brawl with Earth Battalion soldiers. However, that notion wasn't exactly clear in Kazu's head--not at the moment--so he saw no issue opening his arms and moving in to give Nia an appreciative hug.

"You and me… when this is over… we're gonna have to talk about how to drink that Spice Water the right way, yeah?" Chuckling, she patted his back as he hugged her, before pulling back to grip her staff, "Now c'mon… we've got some ungrateful ass to kick, yeah?"

Stepping back, Kazu nodded rapidly, giddy from the fact that she accepted his hug. "Yes ma'am."

Reythaak · Nov 28, 2018

•Sirrak Lian••Zari Lian•

• Location: Earth Battalion Campsite
• Interactions: Each other, Earth Battalion Soldiers

Zari had, at some point over the course of the past hour, gotten Zip to move over to lay in front of Fong Xu's tent and the man was sprawled across Zip's back, just the same as he had been when they were outside the camp's walls. He did, however, sit up and nudge the hound when Fong Xu stepped outside. Zari straightened up, and Zip got to his feet, the eel hound stretching slightly with the motion and giving another huge-mouthed yawn.

The pair… actually managed to look like proper soldiers, to be honest. It probably helped they were pretty use to presenting themselves to new commanding officers. The bow across his back was… moderately imposing looking, already strung and ready to be fired.

Sirrak's mannerisms were a lot more… easy. They seemed to come more naturally to him, and he inclined his head when the general emerged, standing next to his brother.

The twins turned when the soldiers approached them, and Sirrak only raised an eyebrow at their attitude.

"If that's how you address your general, it's no surprise he wouldn't trust you with Gooling," Sirrak said with a little snort.

Zari, however, was frowning. "Listen. I don't do show-and-tell with other people. There's not a non-lethal setting for a bow."

"You aim well enough, you could probably just maim them."

"Yeah… but they're still on the right side, even if they're being assholes…" Zari slid from Zip's back, already resigning himself to the fact that Zip and Sirrak would be doing most of the fighting on his behalf. He did however pull his longbow free and nock an arrow. If they won't hold back, however… he let the thought trail off.

Sirrak joined his sibling's frown a moment later though. They were legitimately trying to hurt the others that had just joined up. "Alright. That's enough of that…" he murmured and threw himself into things. Quite literally, the earthbender launched himself towards one of the offending party, who had his back to Sirrak, intending to go after Nia and Kazuo. The bender slammed into the other soldier's back, knocking him off his feet. He gripped the back of the man's head in one of the large stone gauntlets he still wore and smashed his face into the ground before rolling to his feet and looking for his next… friend.

Zari still hesitated. This isn't right, He looked towards Zip and gave an incline of his head, letting the eel hound explode into movement. Zip sprang forward, movements surprisingly similar to Sirrak's actually, and set about trying to bowl the "enemies" over.

Red Thunder · Dec 2, 2018

Tarkik Quassa

There was a lot of noise suddenly happening; activity with no apparent purpose beyond posturing from- we'll, both sides, if he were honest. The soldiers, rash and ill advised as their actions were, would fail to achieve their goal simply by lashing out, no matter the result. As to the newcomers, their own actions, defensive and officially condoned though they might be, were more posturing: all this "ass-kicking" was doing was proving, for better or worse, the skill levels of those the General had picked over his known soldiers.

Their anger made sense, though the insults and attacks bandied about undermined their angle. Tarkik watched the group briefly, his lack of aggressive posture seemingly failing to draw an opponent's attention. They were past words; they had been for some time, and their leader's words did not help that. Now was the time to end the conflict with at few casualties as possible.

And to protect one's self. A soldier in the back, hitherto content to watch the fight silently as he himself did, finally moved. He lifted a long bow, nocking an arrow before loosing it in Tark's direction. Yet the target was no longer there. The archer's actions, exaggerated as they must be for the movement of firing the bow, had been easily read, and Tark had dodged left. Carefully the Dao sword left its sheath even as another arrow was nocked. As the bowstring reached its pinnacle, Tark moved again, shifting yet again to the left.

The arrow left a moment after it was expected to, the archer having keyed in on his opponent's strategy quickly. Razor sharp, the arrow flew swiftly toward Tark, aimed to pierce his chest. The Dao Blade, wider than most, was raised defensively, flat presented to the archer. With a sharp ping, the metal arrowhead struck the blade and ricocheted right.

Tark moved again, shifting his feet to spin left. A few more precious steps, taken as the archer yet again calmly prepared to loose another shaft, closed the final distance. Rather, it closed the distanced for Tark's sword. A twist of his hips and he delivered a powerful horizontal swing. Metal blade bit into the wooden bow, which splintered and cracked in response. Tark continued the turn, presenting the right side of his body to the archer, right arm at a right angle, left arm holding the sword above his head and pointed at the archer.

The arrow fell to the ground with a muffled clatter. Eyes blinking slowly in disbelief, the archer stepped back before regaining his composure. He bowed, presenting the bow worthless bow to his opponent. Tark smiled, straightening and accepting the trophy. Saluting one another, the archer turned and left, his complaints to the general answered satisfactorily. Tark turned, looking for further opponents.

Mobley Eats · Dec 13, 2018

Collab Post: Enter the Dragon(s) | Interactions: Jin, Earth Batallion Soldiers, Wei, Soren & Amaya @SkittlesAndSpike

Wei watched as the courtyard literally exploded into combat. Heh--she could admit, despite the chaos and stupidity it all originated from, she could live with this. Well, for now. She needed a reason to blow off steam and suddenly the clouds parted, descending this blessed answer before her. She was ready to bash some heads in.

However, a second archer managed to roll away from the one creature stampede that was Zip and knocked back an arrow. One eye squeezing shut, he unleashed a bolt and Wei's head snapped in the direction of...Sore? Soren? Fuck whatever his name was! In an instant, she fell into a strong crouch and punched forward, before raising the same arm up. A slab of stone jutted from the ground as a shield for the waterbender and the arrow practically shattered upon impact.

"Oi, asswipe! How about paying attention and getting your shit together!" she growled.

Meanwhile, Jin joined in on the assault and unsheathed what appeared to be a nonstandard, custom longsword. Wei would've wondered where in hell he got that weapon if it wasn't for the high-paced movement unfolding around her. With an angry cry, Jin leapt towards Amaya and sliced at the woman with furious, heavy swings. They weren't particularly fast, but something in Wei's gut told her if any of those hits landed, it'd be deadly.

The chaos of the battle was stunning to Soren, so much so that for a moment, all he could do was panic. If it hadn't been for Wei, he would have been on the ground with an arrow sticking out of his chest. He also had her to thank for snapping him out of his stupor. "T-thanks!" He managed to stutter out, shaking his head after. He had no time to be scared. His father's life was on the line, even if it was just show and tell. A very dangerous session of show and tell, mind you.

While he was every bit the amateur they accused him of being, he wasn't going to let that get in the way of this demonstration. He had the training, he just needed the experience, and this would be the first step. He wasn't going to let this be what ended his mission. "I'm ready now." He assured Wei. His voice was still shaky but the stuttering was gone, replaced with determination now. He removed his gourd from his bag, dropping the bag on the ground before uncorking the gourd and dropping that too.

He moved his hands slowly but surely and the water from the gourd began to gather around his hands and arms, swirling calmly around his limbs. Admittedly, his first thought was to wait for Wei to make a move, but he realized that might infuriate her more than help him. He didn't want to give the archer any time to breathe either, so he started towards the archer, coming to an abrupt stop, turning his upper body and extending his arm in the process. The water lashed out towards the archer like a whip, aiming to snag onto his leg. Once the water had done just that, he pulled back with both of his hands, dropping the archer to the ground.

The fact that these guys questioned any of them, especially her, had soured Amaya's mood. Gone was her usually cheeky expression, replaced by a look that was both smug and enraged. Had Jin not attacked her right away she might have begun to trash talk the man and his friends. But she could do that later. After she kicked his butt.

Unfortunately for her she didn't carry any weapons. All she had was her earthbending and her martial arts. But that would be more than enough. She turned her body to avoid the first blow from his long sword and, instead of avoiding the second, she raised her arm, pushing it outward to meet his own to stop the swing. Her free arm pulled back in the meantime, hand curling into a fist that she would send into his gut, provided he didn't avoid it.

"Whatever," Wei growled in response to Soren's thanks. She didn't need nor want gratitude, she wanted to see the kid put his skills to use. Luckily, he did just that after snapping out of his stupor and effectively yanked the archer off his feet. As soon as his back hit dirt, Wei catapulted him upwards with a rock hill propelling from the ground, sending him flopping back with a hard thud and knocking the wind from his lungs. In one swift move, she dug her heel down, grounding herself, and spun around to focus on Jin.

She tucked both fists into her sides, steeling her gut and diaphragm, before marching left and right, summoning little pits around Jin's feet and throwing him off balance as one boot fell in. The man cursed, only for the sound to cut itself off with a groan as Amaya's fist rammed into his gut. He doubled over from the blow but gritted through the pain and gripped her wrist. With her guard open, he snapped his head towards hers for a headbutt.

Amaya's head reeled back from the headbutt and she grunted in pain, feeling a little dizzy from the blow. "Fine, if you wanna play it that way!" She pulled her head back and slammed it into his, returning the favor. She wasn't about to let him use his sword again but she was unsure if she could get him to drop it. Besides, this was an issue of pride now. She had always been called hardheaded, so now it was time to be just that.

With the archer down Soren took a brief moment to revel in his victory. That was actually kind of exhilarating! It wasn't until Wei leapt in to help Amaya that he turned he realized he should probably help out there as well. It would be three on one, but it seemed like he was going to go down regardless, so he may as well. He turned in their direction and lashed at Jin with the water. A tendril of liquid lashed at the hand holding his sword.

Wei tried to fight back a smirk when Amaya headbutted Jin right back, a loud curse tumbling from his lips, but she couldn't. Well, shit--maybe this lot wasn't as chump bait as she first thought. Of course, they were still annoying and always would be, but she'd take a positive point for once. Now that the odds were shaved down to three versus one, they could easily wrap this mess up and--

Suddenly, Jin freed himself of the hole with ease and all of Wei's ditches closed shut. That...She didn't do that.

"Ah, fuck don't tell me." Just as she whispered this, a wall of stone appeared over Soren and started coming down on him like a landslide. Jin let the sword fall free of his grasp, the ground opening up to swallow it whole, before he crossed both arms over his chest and disappeared asunder like a human-sized mole. There was the faint rumbling from down below, upturned earth leaving behind a trail of his movement until he popped back up a few feet away from Amaya. Jin had his sword in his hand once more, a smug grin peeking through the bruise on his face.

"You gotta try harder than that, small fries," he chuckled.

"Wah!" In an effort to avoid being crushed by the stone, Soren dove to the side, throwing his arms around his head to protect it. He avoided it for the most part, tumbling along in the dirt until he came to a stop. He was quick to scramble to his feet, believing it best that he avoid laying in the ground while fighting an earthbender. He couldn't help but envy the three combatants. All he had was the water surrounding his hands while they had all of this earth to throw around.

"I guess it won't be fair in a real fight either." He mumbled to himself. Even though it had basically just begun, he couldn't help but feel tired of the combat already.

Amaya's eye began to twitch. "Small fries!" This guy just had to be an earthbender too. She rubbed her forehead, soothing the pain at least a little while she thought of a way to pummel the man. "You're gonna regret calling us small fries you...you..." She paused, taking a deep breath. She could mock him later. After they beat him to a bloody pulp, that is.

While Amaya calmed herself down, Soren decided to spring into action. After all, it had worked so well for him last time. He stepped forward with his arms extended turning his body and swinging both his arms downard in a windmill-like motion as he spun. The tendrils of water lashed out once more, both swinging downwards at Jin, one after another. If it didn't work then maybe he could make an opening for the other two at least.

"A pretty little hothead like you don't belong in the battalion anyhow," Jin chuckled, menace and amusement shimmering in his eyes. Brandishing his sword, he turned it downwards and jammed it into the ground, willing a thick sheet of stone to climb up the blade and form a sort of armor around the weapon. He then held it up and swing away at the sharp arcs of water coming his way. Each hit left a sizable slice behind in the rock armor, the force behind each one forcing Jin back a few steps.

Parrying another arc, he slid out of Soren's immediate trajectory and ripped a boulder from the earth. It rocketed towards Amaya.

"Heh, pretty little hotheads, he says," Wei grumbled bitterly, her eyes nearly rolling into the back of her skull. God, she fucking hated people like Jin. Well, correction--she hated everyone. But his species of douchebag especially grated on her nervous. She had ran into so many assholes like him...She hoped they would never reproduce. That power stance Jin was in was pretty damn vulnerable…

Smile quirking at her lips, she clasped both hands behind her back and, just like before with the first soldier she attack, jammed a pillar of rock into Jin's groin. Her smile may or may not have widened at the sight of him crumbling to the ground and holding himself. That felt good.

And yet, even with the pain blinding him, Jin managed to summon another boulder and send it hurtling towards Wei in her blindspot, completely unaware.

"Okay, that's i-" Amaya started but her speech was cut short by the boulder Jin threw at her. That was fine, the time for talk was past anyway. Now it was time for pain. She raised her foot and slammed it into the ground, raising a barrier of stone to block the boulder. For a moment, she wasn't sure if it would break through or not, and it nearly did. It pierced through the barrier, becoming stuck just before it touched her. She took a moment to sigh in relief before striking the boulder with her hands, returning it to its sender. As if that weren't enough, the girl took a powerful step forward and thrust both hands towards the broken barrier she had made before, sending bits of rock at him as well.

Jin tried to hobble onto his feet, face twisted in lingering agony, but his progress came up short when the same boulder he dealt came flying straight for him, a hailstorm of smaller stones in its wake. Shakily, he split the boulder in two with a strong and extended hand, slicing through it like a sword against paper, only to leave himself vulnerable to the pellets. They assaulted him from top to bottom, covering his face and torso in bruises and cuts. With a satisfying crack against his temple...Jin's eyes rolled and he fell back unconscious.

Meanwhile, Wei was just about to spat a fiery string of insults and mockery at the solder...until the wind was knocked out of her as the large rock struck her from behind. She coughed, vision doubling in shock and pain, before falling face first to the ground, struggling to regain her wits. "S...son of a bitch," she wheezed. Her fingers curled angrily into fists, clawing at sand and dirt.

Soren's first instinct was to rush to Wei's assistance, kneeling beside her and offering her a hand. "Here. Are you okay?" He asked her, worry etching his voice. He was genuinely concerned, for her, but she had also helped him out at the start of this small skirmish. He was just returning the favor.

"Looks like if anyone should be leaving the battalion, its you." Amaya couldn't help the smug look that was growing on her face. Unfortunately Jin wasn't conscious, so she couldn't gloat as much as she wanted to but that was alright. She could wait for him to wake up. Seeing Wei on the ground and Soren by her side, she pedaled over quickly. "Not bad bending, guys...but we should probably get you to a medic, huh?" She asked Wei, frowning. That stone was huge and it looked like it hit her pretty good. She didn't make any move though, not yet. She didn't wish to be the target of the woman's bitchy attitude yet.

Gnashing her teeth, Wei turned her head away, the only part of her body she could move at the moment without her nerves screaming at her, and grumbled, "F-fuck off. Both of you. I just...I just need a minute." She'd be damned to accept help from either of them, especially outside of combative circumstances. The young earthbender focused on controlling her breathing and smothering out the aches wracking her body. She'd be fine, dammit.

"Yeah, yeah. You can take your minute with a medic." Amaya frowned, her hands on her hips. "No use in trying to act all proud when you're suffering. It doesn't work when I can hear the pain in your voice. Right Soren?" She looked to the boy, who at her as if she had thrown him to the wolves. "Let's take her to a tent. And by us, I mean you. You carry her."

"...Okay..." The idea terrified Soren, but he didn't want to leave her on her own. She was trying to sound tough but he could hear the pain in her voice. "Just let us help you to your tent at least, Wei. You saved me earlier, so think of it as me paying you back for that." He bargained.

"Bitch, don't think I can't--!" Whatever insult she had revved up and ready was bit back as another wave of pain washed over her. By the gods--if she ever got the chance to lay her hands on that Jin asshole, she'd ripped his head from his shoulders. Slowly. However, her thoughts were usurped again by the pain and she could no longer ignore it, no matter how badly she wished she could.

Swallowing back her massive pride, she continued to avoid locking eyes with them and seethed behind clenched teeth, "To my tent and don't say a fucking word…" Weak. After all this time, she was still weak.

Soren opened his mouth to say "okay!" or "sure thing!" but he promptly closed it, remembering just as quickly as he had forgotten that he wasn't supposed to say a word. He helped Wei into a sitting position before he moved her arm over his shoulder and promptly scooped her up, grunting from the process. Now carrying her, he headed towards the tents, moving as quickly as he could.

Amaya took a moment to blow a raspberry at Jin's body, even flipping him the bird before she followed after them.

Mobley Eats · Jan 4, 2019

Collab Post: Twin Power | Interactions: Sirrak, Zari, Zip @Reythaak & Earth Battalion Soldiers

Aside from one archer, the rest of Jin's group were unable to avoid Zip's massive form barreling them over like a batch of dominoes. The men laid on their backs, groaning and shifting uncomfortably into sitting positions, bruises already blooming across their bodies. Two of them glared at Zip and, withdrawing their swords, staggered towards the beast and flanked it on either side. One raised his blade in an attempt to jam it into Zip's front leg, while the other swung out to try and sever a tendon in a hind leg.

The poor soldier under Sirrak remained pinned and struggling to free himself, not much strength left in him from having his face smashed into the dirt. However, he grit his teeth and summoned the will power needed to dig his fingers into the dirt.

Suddenly, four triangular planes with sharp ends rose up and formed a tent, the points racing to meet into Sirrak like a four-prong skewer.

Zari's eyes narrowed. Alright. Naw. You're not playing. Neither am I. He wasn't about to let anyone hurt his puppy. One moment, he was unarmed, the next three arrows were streaking through the air with the telltale thwipthwipthwip of each being loosed from the huge longbow he carried. All three were clustered to hit the soldier attacking Zip's rear leg.

The one up front wouldn't be a problem, what with the eel hound again putting forth a burst of movement to reposition, flicking the tip of his whip-like tail towards the face of the one that had jabbed a sword towards his front leg. The creature let out a little yipping noise as it crouched, then snapped at his attackers.

Sirrak felt the earth shifting beneath his feet and decided to take advantage of the fact in his cunning escape. The points left voids in their wake, and Sirrak sunk down into the earth. He pushed himself back up a moment later, this time the hand that reached for the soldier's head was intent on fully crushing the man's skull.

"Now? Now you're an enemy," Sirrak said firmly.

"No, you're the enemy," he spat back before windmilling around with his legs, spinning around onto his back and slicing the space in front of Sirrack with his feet. He then quickly rolled back, putting distance between them and settling into restless stance. His shifting from foot to foot almost seemed rhythmic, his fighting style adhered to kicks and grappling.

A trio of thuds resounded at the arrows met their target, the soldier howling in agony as two of them protruded from his calf, while the third punctured just below his hip. He fell over, clawing at the wounds and cursing up a pained storm.

However, the soldier up front dodged Zip's attack with a graceful leap defying his muscular stature, and slipped under to reach its torso area. Swiftly, he slashed twice at the giant reptilian hide.

The hound slip-skittered, though still got a nice scratch across his side from one of the soldier's attacks and let out another yip, this one more pained. Zip danced backwards a couple of steps, though for the large creature that put a good six feet or so between him and the soldier. Again he crouched, as if making ready to pounce and letting out a hiss.

Zari took the opportunity to send another pair of missiles into the fray, knowing full well the soldier Zip was handling would be a lot more distracted by the large reptile and not paying too much attention to arrows that might come from another direction.

Sirrak stumbled back a couple steps, his feet finally pulling completely free from the earth and he flexed the stone gauntlets, watching the other soldier for a moment. "Well?" he asked, sounding just a touch impatient. The other soldiers had been eager to initiate, he'd just let them keep doing so.

He didn't need further encouragement. With an annoyed grimace, the soldier sprung forth and rocked his weight forward into his heel, aiming for Sirrak's solar plexus. Meanwhile, the soldier facing off against Zip yelped as his shoulder snapped back, Zari's arrow nearly skewering it. However, with an enraged cry, he gripped the shaft and snapped it, leaving behind a wooden stub just barely protruding from flesh.

With his left arm immobile, he attempted to circle around Zip, hoping to momentarily obscure Zari's vision on him, and sliced once more at the creature's side.

Zip slid forward as the soldier started to circle around him, swiping out a claw at the man's legs and not letting him move all the way around.

Sirrak's response was simple enough. He sidestepped, moving much more like a water native than earth in that moment, only to grab the man's ankle with the thick stone gauntlets and yank him off at an angle in hopes of toppling him. If the soldier hit the ground? Sirrak'd be on him in seconds and probably snap his neck a few moments after that…

The soldier raised his sword, attempted to swipe at the incoming claw. However, Zip's attack proved to be swifter and with a strangled cry, deep gashes tore at his legs and he collapsed, pained shivers and groans wracking his form.

Meanwhile, the soldier fighting Sirrak anticipated the grip and let the yank carry him forward, raising his other foot to drive it into the man's chest...It was like hitting a brick wall. A seizing pain clamped down on the muscles in his calf and he met the ground with a thud. His threw his guard up as Sirrak descended upon him, thrashing away from the grip reaching for his head and neck. However, his efforts proved to be worthless and with powerful, vicious efficiency, Sirrak struck him in the temple, instantly knocking him unconscious.

Mobley Eats · Jan 9, 2019

General Huang Fong Xu | Interactions: All recruits @Elle Joyner , @Reythaak ,@SkittlesAndSpike , @Red Thunder and Earth Battalion Soldiers

General Fong Xu watched the violence unfold. Calmly. Serenely. Yet with every fiber of his being cemented into place, taught with deep analytical thought. His gaze shifted from recruit to recruit, nitpicking their every move and action and unconscious twitch. Most fought with experience, handling the soldiers with relative ease and jumping into the fray without hesitance. Without fear. Good. By no means was fear a sentiment to be tossed aside, as it could ignite one's instincts into avoiding dangerous situations. That gut instinct--priceless on the battlefield. But...there was a balance that every Rebel vied to achieve. Were required to obtain before they set foot upon Fire Nation soil. The general refused to recruit anyone lacking this balance.

But so far...He could say without a flicker of doubt, that he was impressed. And pleased--especially when he saw all of the ignorant soldiers fall. Delightful. The ghost of a smile pulled at his lips, before rising from his kneeing position on the ground and dusting off his armor. Eyes hard, he barked out to nearby sentinel, "Men! Round up the traitors and prepare them for immediate leave. I'll see to it that their actions are properly reported by nightfall." The ice in his voice made a comeback, watching blankly as the defeated soldiers were dragged away by their fellow men. Good riddance. His camp could no longer allow such rotten behavior--he wouldn't stand for it.

Once they were taken care of, Fong Xu studied the recruits before calling out to them, "Wonderful show, recruits. I had...a more formal method of judgement in mind, but this altercation has alerted me to your worthiness. The display of tenacity..." His gaze landed on the twins, recalling the fire and initiative they showed. "Teamwork." Then to Nia and Kazu. It was an unlikely pair, but they managed to fight seamlessly together, while also guarding one another. "Grace." Tark--the way in which he defeated his assailant with measured action and ended the fight with mutual compliance. His level-headed approach would become integral to the squad's dynamic. "...And humility." Finally, his eyes landed on Soren, Amaya, and Wei, the final recruit being carried away to her tent, seemingly injured. A prickly one, but she at least knew when to swallow her pride when the moment called for it.

However, a hint of sourness invaded his vision as he looked over the rest of the recruits. "As for those who didn't help their potential comrades...you are welcome to stay for another hour and gather your things, with supplies that my men will gladly grant you. After this, leave my camp." Fong Xu cleared his throat, ridding his voice of the ice in purchase of his signature warmth and nonchalance. "Overall, nice job. From this moment forth, you're no longer recruits...but Rebels. Welcome to the squadron. Medical Aid is open to those who need it, dinner will be available in three hours at the fire pit, and then you're free afterwards. But, hear this...I advise all of you to rest early and save your strength. For tomorrow, we meet in my tent to discuss our objectives and leave right after."

A pause. Waiting to see if anyone had any objections. Of course, he didn't wait terribly long for one and with a small bow, the general retreated into his tent again.

Elle Joyner · Jan 9, 2019

The fight was over swiftly enough, and as the last of the idiots fell, Nia felt a sense of accomplishment she had not encountered before. There was something to say for doing it for herself, for once… something to say about the way success wore on her… She hated to admit it, because it meant admitting he wasn't entirely crazy… but the good general might not have been off base…

Still, there were other things to worry about than whether or not she'd ever really live up to her potential. Turning to Kazu, she frowned softly at the shoddy patch job she'd done on his arm. It held up for the fight, but she could already see red leaching through the ribbon, "C'mon, Little Pup." She said, with the barest hint of affection, "Let's go see if the medical tent's worth it's salt, yeah?"

Kazu forgot to listen when Fong Xu addressed them. Well...he kinda remembered some words, but they didn't really make sense when put together, but it was okay. They did it! They won! Now, he just wondered what the prize was. Or wait. Maybe this kind of game didn't come with a prize...He forgot to ask the general about that too. Whoops.

However, he blinked back to reality when Nice Lad--...Nia's voice reached his ears. "Salt? Does that work like the spicy water too?" he asked, a goofy grin already forming. His knuckles tingled just remembering it...Hah, that was fun.

Laughing softly, dryly, Nia shook her head, "Not quite. Though they might give you some, if they gotta sew that arm of yours up." Gesturing towards the tent, she followed alongside him, "...Hey, Kaz? Can I ask you something?"

"...Who?" Kazu muttered, confusion seizing him. Who was Kaz? And why did this person's name have to sound so close to his? That was just gonna confuse him and make him think a lot more than he thought was safe for his head and-- "Ohhhhh. You mean me!" He had enough sense to look embarrassed, shoulders shrugging a bit as they neared the tent. "And yeah. You can ask me something. Just like, this one time, I asked my roommate if it was okay to swallow metal things and if someone could die from that, because like, I did it accidentally. But not purpose cuz like...it was in my food and I was really hungry and not really paying attention, or chewing as much as I usually do, so I swallowed some, but only a little bit. So my roommate said...um…" He paused a moment, then brightened. "Oh! Right! He said, I won't die right now, but I will some day and as I've always been. Special."

He grinned at that memory. Those were good times. "...Wait, what's the question again?"

"Yes, you." She noted, with a smirk, shaking her head at his rambling. He was a mess and a half, the poor kid, but what could you do… War would either even him out and he'd learn the hard way how life could just… bite… Or, he'd make everyone around him crazy and they'd give up fighting for the farm life. She found him endearing, somehow, but she was still pretty sure she'd kill him, someday… if he didn't kill himself.

"...You said you had a warden. What's that all about?"

"Oh! Yeah, I did! Um." Kazu's head tilted, as if willing his brain to work a little faster. Waste of time. It was always a waste. "Not anymore though, which is nice. He yelled a lot, anyways. Kinda scary, you know?"

"Sorry to hear that…" She frowned faintly, "I know a thing or two about how that goes. Was it a prison? Don't exactly seem the type to wind up in a place like that. No offense to what I'm sure is your super-intense, infamous reputation."

Kazu shrugged, humming a bit to himself. "S'okay. It was just yelling and stuff. And yeah, it was prison. Was always dark in there for some reason...I didn't really like it. Don't like the dark now. Gives me the crawlies. Not, like, giving me crawling animals and stuff, cuz that'd be so cool and nice." If darkness and night time gave him pets every time they rolled around, then Kazu would conquer his fears in no time.

Then he blinked, eyes shifting about in his skull as he tried to figure out Nia's last few words. Those...were big terms that he wasn't very familiar with. "I don't...really...know what those words are, but I don't have any of them," he said.

Poor kid. How he ended up in prison was a complete mystery. How he'd ended up where he was, she couldn't figure out for the life her. This wasn't the world for someone so fragile and vulnerable. And yet, she'd seen him fight. Seen what he could do, and she knew he was more than capable…

"That's alright, Little Pup. You don't need any of them. Hey… wanna know a secret?"

Instantly, his eyes lit up, eager by the sudden offer. His voice dipped in volume until it was nothing more than the ecstatic whisper of a child, "Yes please!" Secrets were like...super important and Nia was just about to share one with him. That must've meant they were really friends now.

"When I was younger…" She started, with a conspiratorial glance around, "I was pretty afraid of the dark, too. Used to be, I couldn't sleep, cause of it. Know how I got over it, though?"

Kazu gasped loudly, as if the woman had spilled to him confidential information from the Fire Nation themselves. This...this was huge. Way huge. Quickly, he tugged her over and a short distance away from the tent, just to make sure the medic inside wouldn't hear them. "How how?" he asked, a hint of impatience mixing with the fascination.

"I made a fire, Kazu…" Tapping her temple, she looked over at him, "In here. Just pictured it in my head, any time I started to feel that fear, and it went away. Just like that. Cause fear, Pup… it all starts in your mind. And if you can conquer that… you won't be scared of anything."

"Fire in my head…" Kazu muttered, scratching said body part with a thoughtful pout. That was...new. He never heard of that method before, but he would definitely try it out. Nia was a smart and nice lady, so everything she said must've been right. Slowly, he nodded. "Mmkay, Nia. Fire. Fire...Not like, the kinda that hurts me and stuff. Good kind. Got it." His smile was renewed, practically beaming at the woman.

"Right… not scary fire. You know… the kind you sit by at night, and roast nuts in… The warm kind, that makes you cozy." She wasn't this person, she wasn't… but there was just something about the kid that made her wanna help him out. It was almost annoying, but never quite enough that she felt like fighting it off…

"Now, here… Let's go get that arm taken care of, yeah?"

"Cozy nuts...wow," he whispered, a wistful gleam in his eyes as his smile softened. Those were all really nice and relaxing images, and he latched onto them happily. Nia sure had a pretty imagination. He wondered if he would dream about that tonight? Probably, yeah. Either way, her next words snapped him out of his reverie and he nodded, finally entering the medic's tent...Well, after he fussed with flaps for a few moments, struggling to understand how they parted.

"Gah! I'm stuck! I'm stuck! I'm--Oh...nevermind, I got it!" he chimed before waving ahead. He hadn't even taken the time to confirm that someone was inside, but it didn't matter. "Hey! Um, I got a cut so...can you fix it?"

Apparently, the medic was present. She was sitting casually on a stool next to one of two desks, studying a unfurled parchment with steady and focused eyes. However, at the pair's noisy entrance, her gaze snapped up and a pleasant, plastic smile graced her young features. "If it's a cut, then that's considered child's play. Come in. Sit." She nodded to an empty cot before standing up, meandering over to a low table covered in ointments and natural remedies. Out of the mass, she snagged what appeared to be a small jug. "Am I merely treating one of you? Or both?" Her questioning gaze fell on Nia.

"I'm good… He's got a gash on his arm. I wrapped it mid-field, but it's not pretty. Didn't have time to clean it or anything." Nia answered, looking to Kazu with a smile nod, "You got it from here, Little Pup?"

"Mmkay," Kazu said before obeying the medic and seating himself, legs swinging idly. However, at Nia's question, he gave pause and pursed his lips. "Um...got what? Did you, like, give me something or…?" Perplexed, he started rummaging through the inside of his robe and patting himself down. He couldn't find anything and with every second passing, the confusion increased.

"I don't think she meant...Nevermind." The medic stopped herself while she was ahead; instantly, she could tell that something was off about the boy and had no problem overlooking it. Her job was to heal, not analyze. Sighing, she uncorked the jug and sat next to Kazu, holding her hand out. "Arm, please?"

"Who's Arm?"

A pause.

"I'm just...going to grab this…" Gently, she unfurled Kazu's arm, exposing the patch job, before gently unwrapping it.

"I'm gonna go, now, Kaz…" Nia continued, with a small, sympathetic nod to the doctor, before she looked to the younger man, "See you tomorrow, alright?"

Kazu's expression fell a little upon hearing this. "Oh...uh, okay. Yeah, tomorrow. Like, soon tomorrow? Wait...yeah, yeah. Okay. There's only one type of tomorrow. I'll see you in that one," he rambled. He didn't really want to see Nia go, but he could kinda understand her leaving. It was fine though, he was used to it.

"This is going to sting a little," the medic warned. She had discarded the ribbon already and was already in the process of waving a single hand over the gourd. There was the distinct sound of sloshing, before a strip of liquid rose up and encased her hand like a glove. She placed gentle pressure on the wound, somewhat surprised to see little reaction out of Kazu at the moment of contact.

"Huh," Kazu mumbled, "...Not as bad as the spicy water."

A brow lifted as his face fell, and for a moment, she almost ignored it. She tried. Really, really hard to ignore it. But there was a twist in her stomach, a familiar sense drawn by that reaction and biting her cheek, she moved instead to the edge of the cot, "I guess I can stick around a few more minutes. And it's like I told you before. You just gotta learn how to drink the spicy water. We'll work on it."

And just like that, his bubbly mood was restored and he wiggled a little in place as she came back. The movement earned a half-hearted glare from the medic, but she didn't say much else before focusing on his wound once more. "Yay," Kazu cheered simply. "And I already did! I...don't really like the taste. Kinda strong and bitter." Disgust twisted his features, as if he was glaring at the actual memory. Yeah...spicy water wasn't his favorite.

Luckily, his cut wasn't anything significantly bad, and mending the tissue back in top condition was achieved in a matter of seconds. The medic released his arm, leaving behind a thin layer of water as it adhered to any openings she had missed. "Well...I'd say you're just about good to go." Then, a hint of intrigue glimmered in her eyes as she surveyed the pair. "I'm assuming you're the recruits?"

"That's cause you gotta work up to the stuff I gave you, Pup. But hey, it ain't for everyone, and that's alright." Grinning, she shrugged, patting the small flask at her hip. As the doctor spoke, she looked to the woman, and nodded faintly, "That we are. Though, I guess we just got a promotion. General says were Rebels, now."

She had to fight the urge, in that moment, to wave her fingers in mock celebration. It was a habit… the sarcasm, but one she wasn't sure would be appreciated by everyone, equally, "Nice work on the arm. Thanks."

"So I've heard," the medic chuckled. She willed the water wrapped about Kazu's arm back into the gourd and placed it back in its rightful place. As she dried her hands, she smirked somewhat at the pair. "The scuffle outside was hard to miss. Personally? I'm grateful that asshole Jin and his followers are out of here." She shrugged. "It's got a nice ring to it, you must admit. Rebels, the Armada's special squadron. And that?" She giggled again, gaze momentarily veering over to Kazu's newly healed arm. "That was nothing."

"Why is...nothing a thing? When nothing means, like...not a thing?" Kazu suddenly asked.

The doctor nodded in his direction again. "Now that was something. Good question though...I guess."

"It's a hard one," Kazu said, eyes squinting in concentration...then his attention switched over to Nia again, the question completely forgotten. "But I want it to be for me! You drink it too, right? I can...maybe...kinda like it." Not a single ounce of confidence was found in his voice, highly doubtful that he could adapt to the taste.

"Ain't sorry to see 'em go, myself." Nia admitted, "And yeah… I'd say it ain't a half bad name."

Kazu spoke up, and Nia had to bite back a laugh at the doctor's reaction. It seemed to be contagious, really, whatever weird charm the guy had. He vollied back to their conversation prior and shaking her head, she offered him a hand up, "How about we start small. And not tonight, Pup. You heard the General. We gotta rest up."

"You'd best to heed the General's advice," the medic insisted with a light chuckle. "He may care greatly for his men, but he doesn't exactly go easy on them either. You're...bound to go through a lot. So save your strength."

"Small…" Kazu's brow furrowed. "So, like, a tiny bottle of spicy water?" However, at Nia's suggestion to rest, tagged with the doctor's insisting, he finally got the message and nodded. He hopped off the cot, nearly tripping over his own feet, before righting himself and giggling goofily at the almost-accident. Heh...that would've been funny. "Mmkay then. I'm not really sleepy, but I'll just, like...sit and wait. And close my eyes and do that...that thing. Um." His eyes screwed shut in intense thought, before snapping open. "Meditation! Meditation. Heh, yeah!" He felt incredibly proud for recalling that one.

"Thanks, Doc…" Nia nodded, and as Kazu stumbled, she shook her head with a small smirk, gestured to the tent opening, this time, holding it for the kid, she he didn't somehow managed to get tangled up in it, again, "C'mon, Pup. You meditate, I'm gonna sleep till the rooster crows… I'm half dead, here." Pausing, she added quickly, "Ah… Not… not really, just a figure of speech."

Kazu stepped out, grateful as Nia held the flap open for him. Just as he was about to open his mouth, her last second clarification clammed it shut and he opted instead for humming a low, "Ohhh" of realization. He knew that...Well, now he did. Sort of.

In the next instant, he was hugging the woman tightly while mumbling, "Thanks for taking me to the doctor lady, Nia. You're a good friend."

Blinking, Nia froze for a moment, before, with a small nod, she gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Sure, Kaz. It's no big deal. Heck, I'd probably be really dead, if you hadn't showed up when you did, to help me out with those creeps. Thanks for lookin' out for me, Pup."

Kazu froze at the same time Nia did, almost worried that he had crossed the line...before she patted his shoulder and he released a low breath of relief. Good. He almost thought that would turn out the same it did with that one nice man...who turned out to be Fire Nation. That wasn't fun. Once he released her, he pouted and said, "I don't want you dead ever, so...I didn't want that to happen. Those guys were way too mean for, like, no reason. Um…" His fingers fidgeted among one another, taking a hesitant step back. "Uh, okay then. See you, Nia. During tomorrow. Like you promised?"

"Like I promised, Kaz." She said, firmly, with a small pat to his arm again, "Now go and try to get some sleep. Seriously… Sounds like tomorrow's gonna be pretty tough on all of us, alright? Goodnight." With a wave, she turned and heading back across the small field, slipping behind the flap of her own tent.

"Kay," Kazu muttered. His steps were still stuttered, caught in a loop of staying and going, until Nia was finally gone. With her disappearance cemented into place, he was finally able to make himself leave and head for his tent. He ran through his normal routine. Counted everything he could. Then did it two more times. Finished off by sitting in the lotus position.

He had a lot to think about...and hopefully not hurt his brain in the process.

Collab with @Mobley Eats

Avatar: The Rebel Armada (IC)

Moop.

Follow the Strange Trails

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Definitely not a Fekfox

Reythaak

Guest

A Warrior in a Garden

Follow the Strange Trails

Definitely not a Fekfox

Follow the Strange Trails

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Moop.

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Reythaak

Guest

A Warrior in a Garden

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Moop.