[IC] Avatar: Trusting your enemy

[tsubasa]

Jaya looked over her shoulder when she heard Nikko start to hum. She smiled at him and lifted the little boy off his feet, which caused to squeal happily. She spun around with him on her hip before handing him off to his mother, who smiled at her. A man around her age came forward then and held out his hand. She smiled and took it and the two began to dance to the music that Nikko provided. Soon quite a few people were dancing and singing along with Nikko. She looked at him and grinned as she spun this way and that with her partner.

It was amazing, what taking that time to stand up for herself did. She might have just kept running if it weren't for Nikko.... She might still be at the puddle crying. The man she had burnt approached her and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, "May I?"

The boy stepped away. Jaya looked up at the man a little terrified about what might happen. However, he held his hand out her and the two began to dance. She looked up at him, "I'm sorry... I really am.... I was scared and... I didn't mean to... I never would have on purpose.... I-"

The man cut her off with a chuckle, which was shocking, "I think I should be the one apologizing," He said in a gruff voice, "I shouldn't have scared you and I shouldn't have attacked you..."

Jaya stared at him, amazed. His face that could fell a little, "You don't get many apologies do you?"

She slowly shook her head. He nodded, "Well, may I be the first of many... Maybe Firebenders aren't that bad after all," he then left without letting her able to say another word and the boy joined her.

[pyroman]

Nikko simply stood around and continued to hum the tunes that he knew because of the nomads. He was glad to see that the people of the town seemed to have accepted her and forgive her for what she had done, and began to hum with a little more enthusiasm. It didn't take long for others to start singing and dancing as well, and it seemed as if they were celebrating.

When Jaya began to dance with the boy that seemed about their age, the enthusiasm that he had hummed with dropped slightly, but he didn't truly notice it as he continued to look around at the other dancing men, women, and children. He saw that the man who she had burned earlier came up to dance with her, but he wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying. He simply kept on humming songs, and watched as the boy joined her once more for another dance.

[tsubasa]

Jaya left the gentleman after a short while of dancing. She was growing tired and handed him off to an elderly woman. He didn't seem to enthusiastic but couldn't really say no. She walked over to Nikko and rested her head against Senge's neck, who stood behind him. She smiled as she pet him, "You are being an awfully good guy, Senge."

She then looked to Nikko, "You too," She joked before ruffling his hair a little. She smirked, "Why aren't you dancing? I mean, they are willing to dance with me in the mix, I don't think they'd mind you," She caught his hand and started to pull him into the group of people dancing, "Come on, it isn't going to kill you."

[pyroman]

Nikko smiled slightly when Jaya handed the young man over to an older woman. He didn't realize that he was smiling because he was dancing with someone that wasn't Jaya, and simply smiled at her as she leaned on Senge. He laughed slightly when she ruffled his hair, and immediately went wide-eyed as she asked him about dancing. "I-I, uh..." He was going stutter and attempt to say more things until she began to pull him to a group of dancin people. "N-no! Jaya, I'm fine, really. I-I'm, not all that good at dancing, please don't make me do this!"

[tsubasa]

Jaya laughed when Nikko seemed to start worrying about dancing. She looked at him, "You don't have to be wonderful at things like this. You don't even have to be good... Just feel the music!" She said as she spun into him, wrapping his arm around her then back out again so both their arms were stretched out. She came back it and caught his other hand, swaying them to the music. She smiled at him, "See, it really isn't that hard!"

[pyroman]

Nikko remained quiet as Jaya spun herself into his arms, then out wide, and back together again. He was trying his best to stay with the music, but he wasn't all that good at it. He swayed along with his fire bending friend and nodded slightly. "If you say so." He replied somewhat quietly. He was like a whole different person now. It wasn't that he wasn't enjoying himself, but the fear of making himself look like a complete fool while trying to do something he clearly wasn't good at weighed on him more than the fun of dancing.

[tsubasa]

Jaya looked up at him as they danced, he didn't seem to happy. She laughed a little and shook him, "Don't worry about the music," She placed his hand on her ribs and her's on his shoulder, "Just dance. The more you think, the sillier you will look, you know."

She rocked them to the music, making it simple for him to just sway with her. She looked up at him, "See, this isn't too hard."

Senge came over to them and rubbed his head against Jaya. She laughed and petted him, "Are you feeling left out, boy?"

[pyroman]

Taking a small breath, Nikko took what Jaya had to say and relaxed a little, no longer thinking too much about the dancing. She was right and he knew it, and it would probably end badly if he didn't follow her advice. With one hand on her ribs, and the other with her hand, Nikko continued to dance, but noticeably better than the last time. He smiled at his traveling companion and nodded at her as well. "You're right, I was just over thinking it." He explained to her.

Looking at Senge, Nikko smiled at the hybrid animal and let go of Jaya to pet Senge as well. Nikko had just kind of left the bear to his own devices, being stuck around a bunch of singing and dancing strangers who had feared him only moments before.

[tsubasa]

Jaya looked between Nikko and Senge, "I think we should leave," She said softly. She shook her head, "These people.... A small part of them has changed.... They might be more willing to accept the next Fire Bender who comes here... I want to do more of that. Make people see that we aren't all bad."

She pulled herself onto Senge's back, "I want to show the world that... Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes... even the confused few in the Fire Nation..." She looked around them, "It feels... good to be accepted," She slowly brought her attention back to Nikko, "But... I don't think I can do any of that, if you don't come with me.... Will... you come with me?"

[pyroman]

A small part of them changing was an understatement, Nikko though to himself. This was a one hundred year hate that was quelled in an hour. It might have not been fully been gone from these people, but they probably would be much more accepting if any more passing fire benders.

His eyes followed Jaya as she climbed onto Senge, but looked awy once she was on top. He should do the same, put meaning into his travels by changing the general opinion of the fire nation. He wanted for Jaya and her people to be accepted all around, not just in this one little town in the earth kingdom. He decided that it would be best if he got his goodbyes out of the way as quickly as possible, but those thoughts stopped when she asked for him to travel with her. His eyes widened as he nodded at her. "Uh, yeah! Of course I'll join you!" He said happily as he hopped on Senge as well, smiling at his new possibly permanent traveling partner.

[tsubasa]

Jaya smiled happily when Nikko agreed to join her and hopped onto Senge's back with her. She urged the beast forward and walked through the people. A few of them noticed and looked at them in shock, "Goodbye!" She called to them all, waving happily, "I don't think I'll forget this.... I hope you don't either," Then Senge started to run. Before anyone could stop them and it filled Jaya's heart with joy to see a few people try, not out of anger... Just not wanting to see her go. It was amazing, they had only known her a short while. She supposed, maybe that was why. They probably had never even spoke to a friendly Fire Bender in their lifetime. She looked over her shoulder at Nikko, "I say we head South... Start toward the Water Tribe, what say you?"

[pyroman]

Nikko was quick to nod at the suggestion. He had heard that some water benders had moved down from the north to help the sister tribe, but he wasn't sure who exactly was in the group going south. He hoped that one of his former masters, Master Pakku, was there at the South Pole, but at the sake time he wished that nobody he knew was down south, as he feared what would happen if he were to meet any old friends. He nodded once more, but hesitantly this time. "I think that it's a good idea, let's head down south, and spread good word about fire benders along the way."

((Should we do a few small timeskips every so often until we reach the South Pole? Like every few posts we move a bit firther ahead))

[pyroman]

Jaya, Senge, and Nikko all traveled south towards south pole. They had stopped at a few towns on their way down, and currently the group was making its way to another town. It had been a few days since the last town, but they didn't seem to be in a hurry to get to the South Pole.

Like normal, Nikko sat behind Jaya, looking at the world around them. While he was curious to move east, and to see the lesser visited towns and cities of the earth kingdom, the desert was just too much for him.

"Hey Jaya." He suddenly said out of the blue. "Do you think that we can reach actual peace? It's been a long war, and I'm not sure if everyone can burry the hundred year old hatchet."

[tsubasa]

Jaya looked over her shoulder at Nikko when he spoke. His words tore her out of her head as she looked around at the landscape around them. Nothing had really changed too much in the landscape and that made it quite easy to zone out when they weren't speaking. She shrugged and turned her focus back to what was ahead of them and sighed, "I'm... not really sure... I mean we've gotten lucky in the last couple towns but some of them have been living close to the fire nation towns... They might be more willing to accept me because they've seen good in others," She tugged a little at the red shirt she wore. She had taken to wearing the red a little more as they traveled as it was a nice reminder of home, "I'm sure a girl, a boy, and an armadillo lion are not the answer to the war in the world... But I think it is going to get a little better. If the peace is kept long enough and maybe if people meet nicer fire benders.... The people who lived through the war will die and the war will only live through the memories and stories told... Which makes our job important. The victors get to write history and we have to make sure that it doesn't put the Fire Nation in a position that in years from now they are still going to hate the rest of the world."

She smiled at Nikko, "We have to show the world that I am tolerable."

[pyroman]

Jaya was right. The three of them weren't going to make the world the peaceful place that they want it to be by themselves, but they were helping bit by bit, making people see that not all people of the Fire nation were full of hate and evil. She was also right in the fact that most of the towns they had been to were near Fire nation villages that were set up when Ozai was colonizing the Earth Kingdom. He didn't feel right with saying that they had to show the world that she was tolerable. it didn't seem like the right word to use, but he couldn't come up with any words to replace it. So he left it was it was, and looked around them.

"I guess." he replied back. "Fire and water are opposites, but I think that the Water Tribes would be much more open to accepting the Fire Nation as an ally again. It's the element of change and adaptation, where Earth is about standing your ground and being unwavering." He then smiled at the thought of being back in a place where snow was everywhere, and didn't melt away the next day. "We should probably get some warm clothes for you before we get there. Your fire might keep you warm, but you won't be immune to the cold, and your bending will be less powerful."

[tsubasa]

Jaya looked over her shoulder at him when he mentioned that there might be a chance that the Water Nations would be more forgiving due to their ways. She smiled at him, "I hope so."

However, when he mention how they would need to find her something warmer, she frowned a little. She laughed a moment later, "Did you know that I've never been anywhere cold?" She looked at him, "I lived in the Fire Nation all my life and when I started travelling... I didn't dare go anywhere that I thought might be cold..." She looked ahead of them, "I get cold when it gets dark here... I'm a little scared about how cold it is going to be there," She smiled all the same clearly not letting it bother her too much. She thought a bit about what he mentioned with her bending being weakened due to the cold. She bit her lip a little, "Well... Maybe they'll trust me more because I can do less damage..."

Of course, that had never stopped the Fire Nation from doing damage. They just found other ways to do it. Machines or weapons, firebending was dangerous no matter the temperature. She leaned back against Nikko and sighed a little, "Tell me more about the Water Tribes?"

[pyroman]

Niokko thought for a brief moment. He had been in the Earth kingdom for so long that he had been starting to forget about his home. He still knew a lot about it, though, but there were a few spots in his memory where it was just the slightest bit fuzzy. "Well, the North and South are different places, that's for sure. But for both of them, Tradition is key. We've been doing things the same ways for forever, since the founding of the Tribes, I think." He explained to her. "In the North, it was only recently that the chief allowed women to learn traditional waterbending, not just healing. The South used to have a bunch of female warrior waterbenders up until several years ago. Katara is the last native Southern Tribe waterbender." We used to talk to the spirits too, not sure if they still do that, though. The South is a bit more wild than the North, from what I've heard. Not as impressive, building wise."

[tsubasa]

Jaya smiled as he spoke of the place they would be going and the place he had come from. She looked at him, "The Fire Nation doesn't seem to pay much attention to tradition... I mean here and there yes but mainly it seemed like we were running. A lot of things became lost in the last few years. My parents used to talk about all the things they did as kids and... it is nothing like now... A little too different for my liking I think."

She looked ahead as the town they were travelling to seemed to be getting closer. She reached into her bag and pulled out a green shirt before she pulled it over what she was wearing. As much as she took to wearing her red now, she also new that it was better that she wear green for a short while while the people got to know her. She smiled at Nikko, "You ready?"

[pyroman]

Nikko wanted to head ocer to the fire Nation once things settled down. He had seen Earth Kingdom cities of all kinds, the Northern Water Tribe, and even a handful of swamp bender colonies. Those swamp bender people surely were interesting, both in a joking and serious way. While they seemed odd, they were connected to the world in a way that few others could achieve. The vines and trees in the swamp connected them to the rest of the world, and they didn't need to take a step outside of the swamp.

Seeing Jaya move around, Nikko looked at her and saw her put the green shirt over her red one. He smiled back at his friend and nodded. "Yeah."

[tsubasa]

Jaya grinned at him, "Good. I say we head in and find out what the people are like then figure out how to tell the big secret," She joked. The secret was pretty damn obvious if anyone took the time to actually look at her. Her hair was a dark black, her skin as though she'd never seen the sun (which was funny since she had most days in the sun), her eyes a golden colour that seemed reserved for those of the Fire Nation. So far, they had lucked out that no one really cared about the two travelers and were more curious about their tamed Armadillo Lion. When they got into town, she climbed down and lead Senge through the town. She looked the creature over and smiled. He looked good in his new saddle and didn't seem to mind it to much. The only thing he seemed to mind was her being gone for too long but she found that sweet. She glanced up at Nikko, "We could probably catch a boat south from here.... Should we look for some gear for me? Do you think Senge's fur will be thick enough to keep him warm down there?"