[IC] Avatar: Trusting your enemy

[tsubasa]

Jaya was quiet for a moment, sitting there, pondering what Nikko had said. Finally, she looked up at him, "When I first came to the Earth Kingdom... I didn't think to try and hide who I was. I walked in my red," She gestured to the red clothes she wore, "In the first town I walked into... I was... hit by the villagers who were wanting to take their anger towards the Fire Nation, out on me... I left immediately. That was when I figure I was better off trying to wear green... Even though I look nothing like them... it was a chance that I could live among these people. The second town I found, I lived in for a week. I found odd jobs, made what I would like to call friends... when someone with knowledge of the Fire Nation took notice to my eyes... I was chased out by people I thought were friends.... They screamed about how I lied and deceived them...They know nothing more from the Fire Nation than pain, suffering, and anger... I do not blame them for treating me as they have because I have seen how my people treat people," She looked down at her hands, "No one... has seen that I am not where I come from...."

The fire she had made seemed to dim slightly as her mood darkened. She took a deep breath, "I just... haven't a clue how to prove them wrong..."

[tsubasa]

Jaya was quiet for a moment, sitting there, pondering what Nikko had said. Finally, she looked up at him, "When I first came to the Earth Kingdom... I didn't think to try and hide who I was. I walked in my red," She gestured to the red clothes she wore, "In the first town I walked into... I was... hit by the villagers who were wanting to take their anger towards the Fire Nation, out on me... I left immediately. That was when I figure I was better off trying to wear green... Even though I look nothing like them... it was a chance that I could live among these people. The second town I found, I lived in for a week. I found odd jobs, made what I would like to call friends... when someone with knowledge of the Fire Nation took notice to my eyes... I was chased out by people I thought were friends.... They screamed about how I lied and deceived them...They know nothing more from the Fire Nation than pain, suffering, and anger... I do not blame them for treating me as they have because I have seen how my people treat people," She looked down at her hands, "No one... has seen that I am not where I come from...."

The fire she had made seemed to dim slightly as her mood darkened. She took a deep breath, "I just... haven't a clue how to prove them wrong..."

[pyroman]

Nikko was quiet for a moment as he thought heavily about what to say to Jaya. "I guess it's just too soon to start building bridges... It had been almost a year since Ozai was brought down, ten months to be specific. It was still around the middle of the summer season, but people were just starting to see fall on the horizon. He gave a grim smile as he sat down and stared at the fire. "I guess I was the one spouting nonsense... You were right. At the moment things are just too tense between everyone to start making allies."

[tsubasa]

Jaya smiled at him, trying to lighten his mood that had seemed to darken with her own. The fire grew slightly as she brightened her own mood, "But that doesn't mean it will never happen. If we keep trying... Someone will give me a chance.... I mean... You already are. So that's something," She shrugged, "Not many people would dare stay with someone from the Fire Nation that they just met over night in some isolated area."

She scratched the back of her neck, "Thank you... for giving me a chance."

She grabbed her bag and pulled out a sleeping bag and rolled it out, "It's getting late," She said quietly.

[pyroman]

Once again she was right. Eventually, the other nations would grow to liking the Fire Nation, but how long would that take? Would they even be alive to see the day when people don't consider the Fire Narion an enemy? He didn't know, but he couldn't let it get to him. They had had to do what they could to be on people's good side, and eventually they would have the peace that everyone sought in their own differed ways.

When Jaya thanked him, Nikko have her a better smile and shook his head. "You don't need to thank me, but you're welcome."

"Hm?" He hummed to himself as he looked up at the dark sky. It was time to get some sleep, and the young man pulled out his sleeping bag and began to unwrap it. He climed inside it and glanced at his possible friend. "See you in the morning."

[tsubasa]

Jaya took of her boots and lay them next to her bed roll as she climbed in. She looked up at Nikko and nodded, "Goodnight."

She watched the fire burn the sticks for a short while before she put them out. The smoke rose into the air, dancing in the wind. She watched it rise before she drifted off to sleep. She wasn't sure where she would be heading tomorrow but luckily, the Earth Kingdom was a large land. She would have plenty of places to go when she eventually got kicked out... Who knows, maybe someone, somewhere, will allow her to stay. Seeing her for who she is, not what.

[pyroman]

When the early morning came, Nikko woke up upon instinct and got out of his sleeping bag. He had slept in his full attire in his sleeping bag, including the boots, but that was mainly because he wanted to be able to keep moving as soon as his body was fully functional. He looked around the campsite and glanced at Jaya. It was a real shame that people didn't trust the Fire Nation, but he could easily see why. Jaya didn't look like she wanted to inflict harm on her opponents like most of the Fire Benders from the siege on the north. She had done nothing to make him see her as an enemy or threat, and he hoped that it would stay that way until the parted ways.

Nikko went through his bag to get some apples to eat for the morning. He wasn't going eat them all, just one for now. he was also getting another one for Jaya when she decided to wake up. The young man took a bite out of his apple and took in the area. He quickly remembered which way they were going, and set up a little arrow in the dirt as a note for later.

[tsubasa]

Jaya woke up slowly. It took her a moment to remember all that had happened the night before, which helped explain the man who sat across from her munching on an apple. She yawned and sat up, pushed her sleep bag off of her as she climbed out of it and grabbed it shoes, pulling them back on. She nodded to Nikko, "Good morning."

She stood and quickly rolled up her bed roll before tucking it back in her bag. She sat back on her heels and yawned, stretching as much as she could while sitting. Jaya wasn't much of morning person. She preferred midday. She seemed to have the most energy then, possibly due to the sun but she never really thought much about it. She reached into her bag and pulled out to small buns. She held out for Nikko, "Want one?" She asked as her other hand engulfed her own in flames for a moment, toasting it.

[pyroman]

"Hm." Nikko simply hummed as he heard Jaya greet him. He would have responded if he wasn't currently eating an apple, so he hoped that his response would satisfy her until he could actually speak to her. While one hand held the apple that he was currently eating, his other held the apple that he was planning on giving to her. Once he was done eating his apple, the young water bender nodded to his companion and held out the non-eaten apple. "An apple for a bun." He said to her as he threw the scarce remains of his apple onto the ground and held out the apple out to her. He took the bun that she offered and bit down on it, eating it with delight as he finished it quickly. It might have been because it had been because he was starting to get a little sick of eating mainly apples, but he wasn't entirely sure.

[tsubasa]

Jaya looked at the apple that he offered to her and took it when he took the bun from her. She smiled, "Thank you."

She stared at it as she ate her toasted bun. She'd never actually ate an apple before, "We don't have these in the Fire Nation," She commented quietly. She turned if over in her hand as she finished off the last of her bun, "Are they any good?" she laughed a shook her head, "I would assume so, otherwise you wouldn't have them."

She held the apple in both her hands and after a moment of hesitation, she bit into it. Her eyes widened, "Mm, this is quite good!" She said as she wiped away some of the juice that was falling from her mouth.

[pyroman]

Nikko sat in silence as he watched Jaya try the apple. He didn't know that they didn't have apples in the Fire Nation, and he was curious to know what they did and didn't have food-wise. He knew that they were ahead of everyone else technologically, they had a giant drill, tanks that fix themselves, and probably many other things. He wanted to know how they were agriculturally, and he might ask his traveling companion later. He smiled at her when she said that she enjoyed the apple, and laughed lightly when he took notice of the juice that was falling from her mouth. "Thanks for the bun." He said to her as he used his waterbending to give himself some water. He would find a nearby river somewhere to refill his water pouches, but he wasn't worried since they were mostly filled at the moment.

[tsubasa]

Jaya nodded to Nikko when he thanked her for the bun, "No problem at all. Although, I don't think it was much of a fair trade."

She smiled and bit into her apple again, enjoying the flavor until there was nothing left to enjoy. Her hand went up in flames again and she tossed to the ashes to the ground. She wiped around her mouth, making sure there were no juices clinging to her lips. She looked at Nikko when she finished, "So..." She said quietly as she glanced at her bag, "Are... we... continuing on together? Or do we separate here?"

Staying together didn't sound too bad. Nikko seemed nice enough and didn't mind her being from the Fire Nation. Not to mention, she had been travelling alone for so long that maybe making the trek with someone would make it easier.... Of course, she didn't want to make Nikko feel like he was obligated to stay with her...

[pyroman]

"Hmm." Nikko hummed to himself as he weighed his options. It didn't take all that long for him to make a decision, as it got pretty boring traveling by himself, and she seemed like a good person. She wanted to escaped the image that Fire Nation had given themselves, and he saw that it was a good way to start getting back on the worlds good side. She could tell him about her homeland and he could do the same, and he believed that it would be an interesting journey at her side.

The young man smiled at Jaya as he began to stand up. He nodded at her and glanced around. "Sure! Like you said before, safety in numbers. Also we could learn more about each other's homelands, as neither of us are from here. I'm not in any hurry to get anywhere, so I'll probably just follow you if you had a place in mind."

[tsubasa]

Jaya smiled at him when he agreed to continue on with her. She found herself far more excited than she thought she would be. She stood and grabbed her things, "Alright, well I haven't much of a destination..." She started to rummage through her bag before pulling out a map, "I suppose that is what we should figure out first."

She pulled out a pen and put an small X on the map over the location of the village that they had just been kicked out of. There were multiple Xs along the coast of the Earth Kingdom, all for places she was no longer welcome. She pointed to just south of the town, "We can continue to travel south from here... There isn't a town too far away and then we don't have to travel too far inland," She looked at him, "There are a few Fire Nation communities along the coast... I somewhat hope maybe the people around them are more willing to accept than those further in land."

[pyroman]

Nikko looked at Jaya map and immediately noticed that it was far different from his own. Like most to all papers in the Norther Water Tribe, his map was made in a scroll, and the appearance of the world also looking different when comparing it to the image on her map. Blue was a common color on his map, and many smaller water tribes were inscribed on the map. There were a few other small tribes in the north, and a few more in the south. They could be compared to small towns or somewhat large groups, as their numbers were few. He also didn't have crosses on his map, and he assumed that the ones on her map marked places that she had been to.

"Not everyone in the world is the same. Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, there are people who forgive your people for what they did in the past." He said with a small smile as he glanced at her map once more.

[tsubasa]

Jaya folded up her map when Nikko made no complaint about travelling south. She put it carefully back into her bag and pulled it onto her shoulders. She smiled at him, "I'm beginning to see that."

Nikko wasn't like many of the people she had met. He didn't seem to care that she was Fire Nation, or that she preferred Fire Lord Zuko to Ozai. She stood and adjusted her bag on her shoulders, "Alright, we'd best get moving. Don't want to have to walk in the dark any."

She waited a moment for him to gather himself and his things before she started to walk south. She pulled a small compass out of her pocket and started to walk south. Then stuffed it away again. She smiled at Nikko as they began their long walk and journey together, "So... What do you think about the Avatar and Fire Lord Zuko?" She figured, it was best to get this conversation over and done with.

[pyroman]

Nikko made sure that he had gathered all of his things before putting his bag over his shoulders. He nodded when she suggested that she should get moving, as it probably wasn't the best idea to be walking around when it got dark, even with a fire bender. While he had seen many of the hybrid animals that roamed the Earth Kingdom, he was sure that there were still many more that he had yet to see, so he wanted to be careful about facing wildlife he had never encountered before.

Nikko walked alongside Jaya as the two of them traveled south. He glanced at her compass for only a minute before it was put away. When he noticed her smile, the young man smiled back at her and thought about the question that she had asked him. "What do I think about them...?" He echoed as he thought heavily. "The Avatar has been through a lot. I never saw him when I was in at the North Pole, but I heard about him from friends who had seen him around. From what I've heard, he's the most forgiving person out there. I don't want to sound rude or anything, but I couldn't have done what he did when he faced Fire Lord Ozai. I want to be able to be as forgiving as he is, but I don't think that I can forgive Ozai for what he did, or his grandfather...." He paused for a moment as he thought about the second person in the question.

"I can't really say much about the new Fire Lord. I only know what I've heard from other people, and that was that he hunted the Avatar for some time so that he could turn him into a trophy for Ozai. I respect him, though. He wants to build bridges between his people and everyone else. People can change, and he's a great example of that." He told her what he honestly thought about them, and he wished he could ask her a question to keep the conversation going, but instead he remained quiet as he continued to think about the Avatar and Fire Lord.

[tsubasa]

Jaya listened to him as he spoke and nodded when he came to an end. She smiled and nodded her head, "Good... I mean not the not forgiving part... The liking the Fire Lord," She shook her head a little, "Not that you have to like the Fire Lord.... It's just..." She looked at him, "I know a lot of good people... who don't... and they haven't been the best since he rose to power."

She sighed and looked ahead on him, her hand resting on her shoulder as they walked, "That's why I came here. The Fire Nation is in a bit of a state of panic... Or... Well... I don't know. Not everyone is happy about the change and they thinking ending the war is a bad decision. Things.... got violent on the streets. So I came here hoping it would be better," She smiled a little, "And it is... If you aren't from the Fire Nation..."

She stuffed her hands into her pockets, "You are a long ways from home... And considering you heard from friends about the Avatar, I assume that you were born in the Northern Water Tribe. What brought you all the way to the Earth Kingdom? And by yourself, no less."

[pyroman]

Nikko sighed as he thought back on the Northern Water Tribe. He did have friends and family up there, but they weren't enough to keep him from leaving. Of course, he did feel bad for leaving them. His head tilted up as he looked up at the sky, and the young man focused on the people that he left behind. "I didn't like how people were treated. Low class citizens hardly got much in terms of living right, the middle class citizens like myself were always put on the spot for things that we didn't even do, and the upper class citizens could do whatever they wanted without a care in the world. They always looked down on the rest of us, thinking that they were just as important as, if not more than, the Water Tribe Chief."

"Chief Arnook probably won't be chief for much longer, and since he doesn't have a son or daughter any more, there's a lot of debate on who should be the next chief. So many middle and upper class people trying to claw their way up to the top in a short amount of time..." He sighed as he thought about it all. He didn't want to live in a place like that, and he assumed that Jaya probably wouldn't want to either. "Well... I guess we could just try to follow what the Air Nomads did and detach ourselves from the world or something like that.." He mused with a small chuckle as he continued to walk.

[tsubasa]

Jaya pursed her lips, "That sounds a lot like the Earth Kingdom... and the Fire Nation. I mean people aren't trying to become the next... Chief but they are, well, stepping on people they believe are less than them."

She stuffed her hands into her pocket and looked around, "You know... I miss wearing red...." She looked down at her travelling clothes, "I mean... I get to wear it now and again but... normally only when I'm getting thrown out or by myself."

She shook her head, "The Earth Kingdom clothes I have aren't even that nice... So, I end up lugging around lots of red and a little of green and only really getting use out of the latter."

She giggled a little when he mentioned the Air Nomads, "That would be a lovely idea... If those temples didn't scare me. It would be quite easy to fall from them and they are so..." She hesitated and looked to the ground, "Empty..."