The Land of Heat (open)

[llama]

Ying

It was very strange, this city. Not at all like the Air Temples that were familiar to the bender. Ying flew over the city on her glider, bending the air currents around her to keep her up. Her view was stunning, and she felt, though not for the first time, what it was like to be a bird. Her big, light gray eyes drank it all in eagerly, and a grin was plastered over her face.

Ying dipped down to the ground and detached herself from her glider, spinning it around rapidly until it closed and she floated the last two feet down to the ground herself. "Wow, this place is beautiful," she whispered to herself, wishing Poda was here to see it with her. However, the big sky bison would probably not be able to fit here without attracting a lot of attention. This city was the sort of place you could really use an ostrich horse or something.

After a moment of gawking, the airbender started to walk down the street, looking at everything she could. This was her first time in the Fire Nation, and she felt positively giddy about being able to finally travel to the other nations. Traveling between the air temples was fun and all, but she couldn't see enough of the real world. She, in her traditional yellow and orange airbender outfit, stood out hazardously against the more modern look of the others around her. Her arrows were perhaps the most dominant feature about her, the tattoos practically shouting out to the world her bending abilities. But then again, it was modern times now. No one was going to attack her for being an airbender now.

[nixnight]

Nix sat in a small square in the city and found herself frowning, she did not like cities she had come to decide. Nix wasn't a waterbender who insisted on always have water around her but she was one who liked to be able to bend and sit around reading without having everyone come over and ask her if she was a model or who she learned to bend or about her hair. The model questions really annoyed her, she was tall and slim and quick on her feet and her hair was a beautiful red but that didn't mean she didn't eat to get that way and wasted all her time walking up and down in stupid clothes. Nix was not a fashion kind of girl.

She shook her head as yet another group of giggling girls walked past her and pointed at her and she snapped her book shut and then growled softly to herself before placing her book away in her bag beside her, leaving only her waterskin out next to her. When she looked up she caught a group of boys watching her and she rolled her eyes and then shook her head again ,"right, now I'm moving" she said to herself as she grabbed her bag and pulled her waterskin over her shoulder and she turned to walk away and bumped into another girl.

"I'm so sorry" nix said and her anger was gone in moments as her bag fell from her back and her waterskin hit the floor but she picked herself up and looked at the other girls before her own things. She was in airbender clothing which made nix smile and then nix held out a hand to offer for either greeting or a way to apologise for being so angry that she hadn't looked where she was going

[llama]

Ying

The airbender wandered through the streets, not really paying much attention to where she was going. There was just so much to see, how did everyone else go about without being positively awed by the beauty here? These people missed so much, it was a wonder they even knew where they lived.

Ying noticed a lot of people around her age, giggling and chattering away like a bunch of hogmonkeys. When she turned around to see what it was, she was bumped into by a girl with the brightest hair she had ever seen. She jumped back, thinking for a moment that the poor girl's head was on fire. She was relieved to find that it was normal hair, however, and all was fine. The fiery haired girl had dropped her things, but Ying always had a steady grip on her staff just in case. "It's nothing," she said, waving off the apology as she helped pick up the girl's things. She noticed that she had a water skin, and thought that a bit odd. What would she need that for?

The airbender looked at the outstretched hand, then smiled kindly at her and shook it. "I'm Ying, new in town," she introduced herself.

[nixnight]

Nix smiled as the other girl seemed not to mind about her anger clouding her way of thinking and she then smiled as her offered hand was taken warmly, "im nix, a wanderer whos never in any town so i cant really say im new in, but i haven't been around here long" she said with a chuckle in her voice before she picked up her water skin and then hooked it back over her sholder again. "nice to meet you ying" she said and found herself so happy that atleast one person wasnt giggling at her or giving her odd looks for her hair or her lack of any shoes but that was nice in itself really

"so why have you come here then?" nix asked as a way to try and get some words working between the pair and she dropped the other girls hand and then rested her own hand against her hip before lifting it and running it through her messy red hair and then shaking her hand so it messed up a little bit more

[llama]

Ying

Ying smiled warmly, pale gray eyes bright and welcoming. "Pleasure's all mine," she responded cheerfully. It was in her nature to be kind to strangers, she really didn't have it in her to be an angry mess all the time like some people. That wasn't the way she had been raised, and she certainly wasn't going to start now.

"A wanderer? Like a nomad? That's great, I'm a nomad too!" exclaimed, gesturing to herself. Well, if she hadn't known already, that is. Not a ton of people knew that all airbenders, and Air Acolytes, were nomads. It felt nice to educate the masses sometimes.

"I'm traveling the world, and this just so happens to be my first stop," she explained, leaning on her wooden staff casually. She had not set dates or guidelines, so how long she was here was set to vary greatly.

[nixnight]

Nix smiled at the other girl and her comments before nodding her head ,"wanderer always seemed less formal to me but I guess they are the same thing" she said with a small inward chuckle to herself before she remembered and turned around. The group of males were still watching her and she felt her hands curl up the the giggling group had already gone which was nice in itself, but she still hated being watched by boys. A nice odd thing for a girl of her age but she was happy to disappoint on that front.

"Would you mind if we move?" nix asked for a moment, she felt happier around this girl who didn't Giggle or stare and yet she did not want to remain here, she still had a fair amount of money left from one of her waterbending displays and she could always do another if needed to fund herself a little more so she was up for nearly anything if it got her away from here

[llama]

Ying

The airbender was not all together accustomed to what it was like to be bullied or stared at for being different. Where she came from, while everyone was different on the outside, they were all pacifist people, with room for only kindness and love in their hearts. There was always that childish need to fight and be competitive, but as they grew they matured a lot more than most others.

Ying peered around the other girl curiously, wandering what she was staring at. All she saw was a group of boys around their age, watching them. With a shrug, the airbender turned and gestured for Nix to take the lead. "It is fine with me. Is there something wrong with those boys over there?" she asked the latter question in a softer voice, not wanting to be overheard. Though, the question could be ignored, of course. She would understand it completely if Nix felt she was overstepping personal boundaries. They were strangers, after all.

[nixnight]

Nix gave a little sigh as she walked forwards and she then pointed down to herself ,"I have red hair, I'm tall and I'm a female water bender leading me to be slim. I got so much attention from people thinking I'm a model or I'm "beautiful" and it's annoying, I just want to be someone who can sit and read a book without having guys come over and start showing off to try and win my affections" she said in a rather sharp voice before she took a deep breath. "I know most girls would love it but I hate it, I'm not good on the whole male front" she said before she kicked a stone in the middle of the pathway as she walked.

"but I'm only whining, don't take any notice" she said before looking at the other girl with a smile and then she lifted a hand and ran it through her messy red hair and then flicked her fingers so it messed up a little bit more and then she nodded to herself. She liked having messy hair, it made her more of an odd person and more unique. Her waterbending did that quite well anyway but people couldn't tell that about her from just seeing her and her hair could allow her to show that without even having to introduce herself

[llama]

Ying

The female airbender regarded her curiously, not quite sure why people would make that kind of fuss over her. The red hair was very strange, yes, but there were lots of tall people around. Ying herself was only an inch shorter than the waterbender. "Everyone has a certain beauty to them. It is both inside and outside, and there is nothing you can do but accept it," she said with a shrug. The teen had yet to gain an interest in romance or anything of the sort, and she was very lost on how the whole process went about. If they judged by looks alone here, then it could not be very good in the relationship department then, now could it? So, she stuck to treating everyone as an equal no matter how they treated her. Unless, of course, they really ticked her off.

"It is better to let it all out to a stranger than to let it sit in your mind and harvest black thoughts with it," Ying pointed out while they walked. She looked up at the buildings with a smile, curious about the place. It was so different than what she was used to, she had no idea how people could walk on by without marveling at how intricate and confusing all of the streets were. They must just be used to it, she figured. That, or blinder than a badgermole.

[nixnight]

Nix nodded as the Other girl spoke and she nodded, she felt like she could trust her and she didn't know why but it was nice to think it. She was so used to being hated or looked at for too long and it was nice to have someone who seemed to be friendly and kind, it seemed almost odd as nix tried to think of the last person to act like that to her.

Tain. He was the last one. But that has been different, she had been dying on the ice and he had tried to save her, of course he had come to look at her more but that was because his family adopted her. She shook her head to clear it of thoughts of the icy home she had used to know and she turned to the other girl, "you don't have to stay and listen to my whining, feel free to tell me to shut it and walk away" she said with a little smile at the end of her words

[llama]

Ying

It was no problem, being nice and kind to this flame-haired waterbender. She was peculiar in her own ways. Well, they both were. It did not do well to be mean and judge those who she did not know. Ying glanced around some more, her staff resting lightly on her left shoulder as they walked. The city was interesting, but already she felt somewhat trapped in the street. The view from the sky was much better.

The arrow-marked girl only smiled at her new friend. "I'm not like that, trust me," she assured her. After she mulled in her thoughts a bit, she touched Nix's shoulder. "Would you care to take a fly around town?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

[nixnight]

Nix raised and eyebrow at the offer of a flight and she felt mean when she shook her head ,"I've always found those gliders worryingly small and light to be able to carry one person let alone more, I used to know a male air bender called jaren who had one of the air bisons and I always found Yana easier to fly on. Of course I was a child at the time so maybe it's different" she said as she looked at the pole the other girl carried with her. She didn't dislike flying and she had always loved yana when he and jaren had come to the northern water tribe to see his nonbender sister and her family but she always worried the gliders would snap or break if they had too much weight put under them, they just seemed so fragile.

[llama]

Ying

Ying looked at the waterbender with a frown, wondering why anyone would deny a chance to fly. Well, except earthbenders, They were finicky people. Besides, all of the gliders were incredibly stable. She'd carried many of her fellow airbenders on it without it breaking. "Well, I have a sky bison. I don't know how fanatic she'd be about other people riding on her, though," she mused. Poda wasn't used to other people riding on her, it was usually just her and Ying.

With a shrug, she continued on walking, not quite sure what next to do. It was easier flying, she noticed. Much better than walking. "Where else have you traveled?" she asked at last.

[nixnight]

Nix smiled at the comment of the sky bison and she nodded, she knew most people didn't like meeting new people so it was the same of animals but she wasn't one to mind. She'd walked enough in her time and so more walking could hardly hurt her. "most places for a little bit of time, I was born in the southern water tribe and then moved to the northern when my parents died. I ran away from the abuse when I was about 12 and then was raised kindly until I left the tribe last year. I made sure to to home first and then I just traveled up along the coast" she said with a smile before nodding to herself a little. She had only gone to places on bits of words she has heard from people talking, that was why she was here. She had heard two men discussing earth bending and it all seemed centred around here so nix had decided to come and have a look, it certainly seemed worth the trip.

[llama]

Ying

The airbender listened to the girl's story with fascination. The water tribes seemed like good places to visit soon. She'd heard great things about the Northern tribe, and planned on visiting it after her brief glimpse of the fire nation. First, though, she wanted to see firebenders in action. So far, here in one of the bigger cities in the fire nation, she had yet to see much of it happen. Maybe she should find a master to talk with, maybe get a demonstration or something. "Sounds like a troubled life," she remarked after a bit, not wanting the silence to stretch on long enough to make Nix uncomfortable. They got to a larger, main street, and the hustle and bustle in the air made her feel extra restless. Too many people, in her opinion.

[nixnight]

Nix smiled softly at the comment about her life and she nodded her head stiffly before they turned a corner and came across a much busier street than the one they has been walking up. She looked around at those passing her and she then flicked her fingers sharply and her waterskin shed it's cork before the cord of water following the cork and then slipped it back in to place and nix flicked her hands quickly ,"now, I'm going to say this once and once only. Please don't get in our way" she said darkly under her breath as the water twisted around her hands and she walked. She was ready to set a shield of water in front of her and her company should anyone so much as bump them as she knew well about thieves and she was not dealing with losing anything she had or being hurt or bumped by anyone she didn't know

[llama]

Ying

As they turned onto the busier street, Ying could practically feel the excitement building inside her. The business was affecting her different than she had thought, making her feel more alive. One giant squirming mass was what the street reminded her of. She glanced at her traveling companion, frowning as confusion darkened her gray eyes. "Uh, is that truly necessary?" she asked. The thought was appreciated, but she was well adept at taking care of herself. Not many people thought of airbenders as people who are able to defend themselves well, but they were. Just look at Avatar Aang. Ying shook her head at the thought that even in this day and age you would need to protect yourself during a simple stroll. It almost seemed silly, really.

[nixnight]

Nix smiled as she heard her companion speak and she chuckled softly to herself, "I expect not but I like to have it close and be able to access it, it comforts me I guess" she said a little softer than she would normally before she flicked her fingers and felt the water trickle through them. She always liked to know water was close to hand should she need it and she loved to have it there just to feel it against her. It was something that reminded her of her mother and father in water bending and she liked to do it, it was her way to connect with them in any way she could and this was the best way to do it

*you got a plan for this? I'm out of ideas myself*