KinkyPrawn

Avatar - The Greater Conflict

Manoeuvring through the streets of Goju, Balin needed some walking space to think. Sitting on a rooftop never solved anything before, and he wasn't in the mood to try and be an exception. Though he quickly came to a halt as the rest of the Fire Nation soldiers came through, each one looking worse for wear than the last. The fight must have been hard... though there was a sense of satisfaction as he stood with a small grin.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a stranger next to him. The man wasn't a local. The white hair and odd outfit was a dead giveaway. If he had to guess, the man looked like an Air Nomad... though those monks weren't exactly very adventurous as far as he remembered. "Fire Nation soldiers coming from Meijang. Think they saw their rears without a mirror by the look of it." He snorted as a smirk crept up. "Serves 'em right, but don't get caught saying that by 'em." He continued, looking at the man for a moment.

"You're not from around here, are you? Name's Balin." He introduced himself as he held a hand out for the man to shake. "You an Air Nomad? You folk don't tend to blow this far out." He snickered at his own terrible joke as he gave the man a light tap against the shoulder. "You need anything, friend, feel free to ask." He glanced back at the cohort of soldiers moving through towards the city's barracks. The thought of them using the same buildings he and his comrades called 'home' was sickening. A frown settled in as he looked back at the man. "I'd suggest you don't hang around here for too long. Those steam jockeys only bring bad news for anyone they meet." He spared one last glance before turning to leave. "I need a drink..." He grumbled to himself as he took one last bite of his apple and tossed the core into an alleyway.

@AfroBandit23 @Algarus @Hyyde322 @MightyHorus

Avatar - The Greater Conflict

Sitting on a rooftop close to the entrance of the city, Balin casually chewed away on an apple as he watched the movements of the town below him. The awning above his head helped to shelter him from the blistering heat, though a smirk did appear as he watched the Fire Nation soldiers moving around the city in their heavy armour. "There's a joke in there somewhere." He muttered to himself as he sat back.

Though another sight caught his interest as he glanced over to the entrance of the city. People were moving out of the way for what seemed to be a group of soldiers battered from a fight. Taking another bite, Balin leaned forward to watch the soldiers as they limped their way through the market area towards the main garrison. They've been through hell. Wasn't too much of a surprise. He and some others knew that the fight would be a loss... but they still fought like hell as long as they could. The smile disappeared for a moment as he thought back on the battles. "To hell with it." He muttered, tossing the finished apple off before he hopped and swung down the rooftops towards the ground. It was time to get a closer look at the new arrivals.

Balin fluently weaved through the crowd, helping himself to another apple as he passed a stall. If he was lucky, they would visit the nearby tavern. Probably his best shot at finding out what was going on in the other reaches.

@Algarus @MightyHorus

Avatar - The Greater Conflict

character sheet: Balin Shoho

Name: Balin Shoho
Age: 28
Affiliation: Earth Kingdom
Bending: Earth-bender
Background: The son of a soldier for a father and a merchant for a mother, Balin learned a lot of useful tricks before he joined the military like his father. After his home city of Goju was attacked by the Fire Nation, Balin went into hiding in hopes of finding other soldiers and keeping up the fight against his people's enemy.

Underground

Eddie listened as she spoke, giving a nod at her idea. "No prob. Just don't take too long. Last thing we need now is the local cops turning their attention on us." he spoke, glancing around.

He turned toward the hotel and started walking. "I'll get us settled in so long." he commented as he walked away. Inside the hotel he got their keys and checked out the place. It was certainly more expensive than their usual stops but it seemed to be worth every penny. He dropped their bags by the side of the bed and collapsed onto it, letting out a long sigh of relief as the luxurious bed embraced him. "Worth it." he muttered to himself before sitting up again.

While Scarlett was gone, he explored the hotel's grounds. The swimming pool and bar were two temptations that made him wonder whether or not they should stay on for a night or two more.

By the time she got back, he just got out of the shower and hung his swimming trunks over the shower door. "If you're up for it, they've got a bloody nice pool out back. Water's amazing." he quipped as he brushed his hair back.

@KrystalKleo

Underground

He was not expecting such a strong reaction at all from her. He sat quietly behind the wheel, letting her say her two cents on his comment before finally looking over to her. "I take it I hit a nerve?" he quipped. "Fine then, challenge accepted. A town should be coming up. Check on Maps for a place with a proper kitchen then we'll test that theory. Might make a competition out of it. Next time we find a place with a braai, we can see who makes the better food."

After hours of driving and working on each other's nerves, they arrived at a small town by nightfall. Eddie parked the truck outside their stop for the night and got out with a groan. "Let's get settled in. Food can wait. Unless you wanna take the truck and go buy some stuff while I check us in?" he suggested as he fished his bag and her goodies out of the vehicle.

@KrystalKleo

Underground

A mischievous snicker escaped Eddie as Scarlett got back in the truck. "Hey, I don't hear you complaining over it." he quipped as he shot her a smug grin. He pulled out of the station and got back on the road as she sorted through their groceries.

"... Can't remember the last time I had turkey. Throw me a turkey there." he commented as he held out a hand to take his breakfast. Her fussing with the pants he borrowed her earned another chuckle as he watched her from the corner of his eye. "If it bothers you that much, you can get out of it, you know." he quipped with his grin returning.

With a bit of a fuss he managed to get his sandwich into a secure grip. A content hum escaped him as he took the furst bite. "Great choice." he muttered before taking another bite. "How good are your cooking skills? I don't think I've ever seen you make anything more than a sandwich when we're in between jobs." he asked her with curiosity as he took another bite.

@KrystalKleo

Underground

Eddie raised an eyebrow at her sudden outburst, not at all expecting it. He studied her for a few seconds before giving her shoulder a light nudge. "Relax! He got dropped, you didn't. Plus he had a chance to get out." he reassured her, though his tone wasn't reassuring in the slightest. A chuckle escaped him as he glanced at her once more. "You see why booty calls in the middle of the night isn't such a bad thing?" he joked as he flashed her a wink.

The rest of the drive was pretty boring. Eddie was focused on the road, discussing some "company" stuff with his partner now and then. Eventually they reached a gas station and he parked next to a pump. "I'll fill us up. Go get us some breakfast." he said as he pulled a hundred dollar. Bill from his pocket and held it out to her. "Any other essentials, feel free to load in as well." he continued as he worked on filling up the truck.

Sometimes he regretted getting the damn thing as he saw the dollars creeping up with seemingly no end in sight. Thankfully it ended after a while of standing there and staring at the price. He was tempted to simply drive off without paying but even hardened criminals had standards they couldn't stoop below. With a groan he paid for the gas and jumped back into the driver's seat, parking close to the entrance of the shop as he waited for Scarlett.

@KrystalKleo

Underground

He immediately felt Scarlett's hand getting a little intrusive the moment the call ended. Eddie laid quietly and listened, a smile forming as she tried to distract him. "While you were showering, hey?" he muttered as he stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

A soft chuckle escaped him, but he quickly snatched her wrists and rolled over to pin her underneath him. They were in a perfect position to simply pick up where they left off, however he did no such thing. "As fun as that would be, sweetheart, we're a little too close to that place fo comfort. So why don't you keep that in mind until we stop somewhere for lunch?" he spoke with a sultry voice as he held her pinned beneath him. He gave her one last passionate kiss befire letting go and getting up.

"We need to move. You can wear one of my outfits for the time being." he commented as he unceremoniously picked up a pair of jeans from his bag and tossed it at her.

With a snicker he quickly got dressed and ready for the road. "Let's go." he said the moment she was done as well. In no time at all they were back on the road, the radio playing songs of whatever station they could pick up. However as the day went on, a news headline caught Eddie's attention on the radio.

"A shootout at a motel? Two cops dead as well as the suspect." he repeated whatbthe presenter said. Looking to Scarlett, he merely shook his head and sat back in his seat. With one hand on the wheel and one on her leg, this day at least had some upsides to the bad start it had...

@KrystalKleo

Underground

The night came and went, along with all the fun in bed. Eddie stirred awake early in the morning with the bare form of Scarlett in his arms. A smile formed as he hugged her closer and enjoyed the few more minutes they hsd before his alarm went off.

Except they weren't so lucky.

His phone rang with Daryl's name displayed on the screen. Immediately he sat up and answered the phone. "You better have a very good reas-" he was cut off when the worried voice of Daryl interjected. "They're outside the motel. I dunno how they tracked us but they're here." he whispered.

Eddie tensed up as he stared off into a corner of the room. "They're searching the rooms. Fucking SWAT teams, dude." his hushed voice continued.

"Either you get out of there somehow... or you make sure they won't get a word out of you." he ordered with a cold voice. "What about Scarlett?" he asked as muffled voices in the background became more prominent. "She will take care of herself. I suggest you do the same." he spoke before ending the call.

With a sigh he dropped back into the bed and looked at Scarlett next to him. "How? How de bliksem did they track your truck?" he asked her with irritation growing more prominent by the minute. "And how flippen lucky are you I managed to lure you in here?" he continued as a faint smile formed on his lips.

@KrystalKleo

Underground

He chuckled at her message, sitting up on his bed. ::Deal. Just drop a location and I'll come pick you up.:: he sent her as he got up from bed. Then the photo came through. He bit his lip as the picture grabbed his full attention for a moment.

He didn't waste a second more as he locked up and hopped into his truck. Once the location came through he drove off. After a while he finally arrived at her motel and parked the truck. ::Stop teasing and come down.:: he sent her as he waited for her in the idling truck. This was starting to feel like some high school stunt.

When she finally arrived, he turned the truck around and drove back to his motel. "Knew you couldn't resist my charm." he teased her with a wink as a hand came to rest on her thigh.

Eventually they got back to his room and he led her inside with an arm around her waist. By the bed he casually dropped down, pulling her along with him on his lap. "Jou gesê, my bed is way better." he joked as his arms wrapped around her.

**********