Post by Vera Sa'ari on Oct 4, 2014 20:53:50 GMT -5
Graceful bends and twists of a body that was in as good of physical condition as any warrior, a young woman leaped into the air, holding her breath as she went up and exhaling as she went down. The woman landed on her feet, quickly arching her feet to stand on her tips of her toes before going in a slow circle with her other leg rising straight up before she left it fall just as slowly back down. Her arms echoed her legs with her wrists circling causing her hands to look just as graceful. The woman ended the end of her dance with her a curve of her body standing straight up and her hands out with a huge smile on her face. The woman's long auburn colored braid had wrapped around her body because of the twirling and circling she had just performed.
Vera had a small bowl that she'd placed at the edge of her 'performance' not really caring at that blissful moment who gave any coins and who didn't. Even her dear Vascar looked as if her was smiling at her. Her petite hand reached out and gave her tiger-wolf a quick rub on his black and brown pelt. His fur soft beneath her fingertips. Her brown eyes looked up at an overhang of a building and saw a few bird creatures also watching her. Deciding that it was time to bow, she circled her wrists for effect before bowing gracefully low to the ground. Some clapping started by those who had watched the young woman. Others had already walked on by without even a glance at her performance. Vera didn't mind though, she loved to dance for anyone or even no one if it could make her happy. That was all that mattered to Vera. And she knew that Vascar and herself could always take care of themselves.
Vera went to pick up the bowl and found five coins in it, which was hopefully going to be enough for a small loaf of bread. She would have to keep performing if she wanted to save any money from todays earnings. The sandbender was trying to save up for a better blanket. Within the past few years, their current blanket had gotten really raggedy and not really fit for use. The pillow wasn't much better and neither was the makeshift shelter but she would've had to save for a few months before they got a better shelter. She could've spent nights at Flight's place but she simply couldn't do it after all this time.
Last Edit: Oct 4, 2014 20:55:55 GMT -5 by Vera Sa'ari
A boy of about Vera Sa'ari's age seemed to have taken an interest in watching her performance. His clothes and messy hair seemed to suggest that he was one of the lower class citizens of Ba Sing Se. He had smiled at her while she was performing bu he frowned as he reached down into his pocket, unable to find a coin to place in the girls jar. As her performance ended he shyly backed away and out from the crowd. His form could be seen moving away from the Vera and towards a small corner of some merchant stalls.
He sat back down and placed a small cup of his own out. He held a pipa in his hand that seemed very worn out and was missing several strings. He didn't seem to want to play his instruement and just sat by the merchant stalls with the little clay cup in his hands and he sat with his hands over his head. The merchants of the nearby stalls seemed to give him a snide look and moved their carts slightly away from the beggar in a form of silent protest.
Post by Vera Sa'ari on Oct 6, 2014 12:59:59 GMT -5
The young slender woman watched the crowd disperse after she picked up the bowl. It was time to go find food. A couple birds flew down and landed on Vera's shoulders as if they did so all the time. This happened so often that Vera didn't even get startled and made no move to brush them away. She simply reached up and stroked the birds as they chirped happily by just being around her. Vaskar huffed and rubbed his entire body across Vera's leg, even his fluffy wolf tail. Then Vaskar continued walking away, leading the way. Vera laughed, "Alright, Vaskar, alright."
They didn't get too far before the dancer stopped to ask a vendor how much his bread was. The vendor recognized her as a homeless peasant who danced to earn money. He scoffed at her and asked how much money she had but also preceeded to tell the woman that he'd make sure she got something. So Vera gave all five of her coins to the man. The bread vendor searched through his various breads and handed her a palm sized piece of bread. "There ya go, now get outta here." Vera replied with a simple thank you.
Vera broke the bread in half and then broke one of the halves into another three pieces. She gave one of the pieces to Vascar and gave a few crumbs each to the birds. Vera was just about to eat one of the pieces when her brown eyes saw a little boy. Her heart immediately went out to the boy who was just sitting there with a bowl out like her own. She hated seeing little kids begging. She had been one herself for the avatar's sake. Vera bent down to the boy's level. "Hey there, would you like some bread? I have a half it for you. Vera got out the half that she was going to save for later and held out her hand. The woman had just gave some to Vaskar and she didn't need to eat, she could go a few days without food actually.
The boy looked up at the woman with a speckle of hope in his eye. He took the bread and blushed a little, obviously embraced that he had to rely upon taking handouts from strangers.
"T-Thank you!" The boy said to Vera. He took a small bite of the bread and put the remainder in the small nap-sack. He was probably going to save it for later, for him food was probably a rarity that he couldn't afford to indulge on to much.
"I saw your performance. It was really great!" The boy said standing up to bow to Vera. "I used to play my pipa to make money every now and again but I can't afford to replace the strings anymore..." The boy said to her. "Hey you! Don't indulge the beggars!" A merchant with a green headwrap said approaching Vera. "Now he is never going to go away!" he said with a harsh voice.
Post by Vera Sa'ari on Oct 7, 2014 12:46:44 GMT -5
The young dancer smiled and nodded, her earrings jingling at the movement. "No problem at all, we've gotta stick together, right." Vera Sa'ari accepted the little boy's bow but she thought it was unnecessary. The bow did show that he had manners though and was grateful for everything he had. Vera knew that this boy was a good person and would continue to be a good person as long as life didn't screw him up too badly. Harsh experiences made a person grow strong. The real strength however, lied in how honorable and compassionate you were after life drags you through the mud.
One of her sleek eyebrows raised, an amused expression crossed over Vera's face, "Well thank you, it's always such an honor to have performed for such a little gentleman." Vera bowed herself to the little boy. Then the girl's expression changed to a sad one, "You know, I might just have enough saved up to where we can get those strings replaced." Vera winked and she was just going to ask what the boy's name was when she sensed that Vascar was tensing.
The next second, Vascar growled deep in his throat just as a merchant told her to not indulge the boy and that he'd never leave. Vera put a hand on her sand pouch just in case they needed to escape, and as a threat to the man that she was a bender. He had no idea that all she could make was sand clouds basically. Before she even acknowledged the man, she took care of everyone else around her, including the birds, "Go, leave Mr. Bluejay and Mrs. Dove. Little boy, please get behind me. Vascar, stand down! No blood will be spilled today, dear." Vascar stopped growling but went to stand in front of the boy, to protect him if need be. Now Vera spoke to the man, "I will take care of the boy. He is not your concern." Vera never used her weapons for offensive means but she will defend herself. She didn't have her bow though.
Words: 363 OOC: awwww, I really like this boy
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Last Edit: Oct 7, 2014 12:47:13 GMT -5 by Vera Sa'ari
The boy grinned when he heard Vera offer to buy him a new set of strings. "Oh wow, if I had new strings I might be able to entertain people like you do!" The boy said to her with a smile on his face. "You would really do that for a complete stranger?"
This is when the unpleasant merchant barged in. The boy seemed to hold his head down in shame as the man yelled. Following Vera's instructions he stood behind her. The man frowned.
"It's idealist like you that keep these filthy beggars on our streets! Look at him, he is old enough to work a field. He is just lazy and begging for scraps." The merchant said, stepping forward with a bakers roll in his hand.
"If he is your problem then get that smelly beggar away from my cart. He is going to scare off all the customers." he yelled with a frown on his face.
It seemed like he was going a good enough job at scaring customers away himself. All of the people walking by the spectacle seemed to be in a hurry, trying to distance themselves from the confrontation.
Post by Vera Sa'ari on Oct 7, 2014 17:17:29 GMT -5
Vera listened to the boy's exclamation and surprise at her offer but then the angry vendor interrupted. His answer to her was horrible to her ears, no man should have such hate in his heart but Vera knew from experience that many people held on to past hurts and hatreds that were based on prejudices from past events or learned from their parental figures. Though she smiled slyly, "Why thank you. I've never been told I was an idealist, it's quite flattering." The dancer actually let out a small laugh. "Actually I'm not the one that keeps them here, in fact, you merchants aren't even the ones to keep them here, it's the rich and those in power that step on the backs of the poor!" Anger had started to seep into her voice towards the end of her statement.
Vera flicked her long braid away from her shoulder so that it swung across her back to hang down, just a couple feet away from the ground. Which was covered in dust from everyone's feet packing down the earth. Good... "As far as the boy working, maybe he's already checked all over the place and no one is hiring. And I don't think for one second that he is the reason that you aren't getting any business, sir." Vera was careful with how she said that, she didn't want to provoke a fight without having learned offensive bending. But her implication might be just enough to cause this man to try and fight her. Sometimes, especially when she was protecting someone, she couldn't keep her mouth shut.
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Last Edit: Oct 7, 2014 17:18:00 GMT -5 by Vera Sa'ari
The merchant seemed to grin as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A few men wearing black vests with earth kingdom symbols on it where approaching from behind. They wore black conical hats. Everyone knew who they were, Dai Li agents.
The boy looked back at what the merchant was smirking at and gulped. He seemed to be very nervous.
"Hey... we need to get out of here. Those guys are going to side with the merchant." The boy said to Vera tugging on her blouse.
Without waiting the boy started to move towards a back alley. He motioned for Vera to follow. The Dai Li agents where moving in, within the next minute or so they would arrive at the scene. The merchant was just grinned at the woman with icy eyes, he had his hands on his hips and seemed very sure of himself that he was going to get the last laugh once the Dai Li arrived.
Post by Vera Sa'ari on Oct 7, 2014 17:46:36 GMT -5
The young dancer had been talking to the mean old merchant when she saw the mean man look almost behind her. Just as she noticed that, the boy tugged on her shirt and suggested that they leave. Vera turned ever so slightly and saw just who was coming up onto the confrontation. She nodded, there was no way she could fight the Dai Li. And the boy was right, the Dai Li would never side with two beggars over a merchant who offered provisions to the city's people. Even if he was a huge jerk.
Vera watched the boy move towards a back alley. The woman in green took one last sad yet angry look at the merchant as well as the Dai Li that were already working on surrounding all parties involved. Vascar had already followed the little boy, stopping to make sure Vera was going to be coming too. Vera ran after the boy, her pouch of sand opened ever so slightly in case the Dai Li gave chase. If they did, Vera knew there was no way of getting away from them, both of them would be captured and put in jail. Vera wouldn't even try to defend herself from them.
The alley that the boy led her down was in the shadow of a large warehouse that the merchants would store their carts in during the evening and the commerce guild hall. The ground was a basic unfertilized earth and seemed to be covered in prints of foot traffic. The Dai Li agents didn’t seem to be pursuing them, all was quiet and peaceful. The boy stopped for a moment. Several figures stepped into the alley from both sides.
“Good work little Lu.” A familiar voice said. It was the merchant from before. He had a terrifying grin on his face, and he now had an ax in his hand. Accompanied by him were the two men with the conical hats. Now that they were much closer it was easier to tell that their uniforms were cheap knock offs of Dai Li uniforms, and they didn’t appear to be in the perfect physical condition that most Dai Li were. Their faces were also somewhat dirty and their hair untrimmed. They each carried two small axes and were behind the “merchant”.
There were two more figures who had stepped out from the other end of the alleyway. Both were burly men, each with ax of their own. They were dressed in simple robes and appeared to be peasants.
The merchant threw a small bag to the boy, untied. A small amount of coin spilled out of the bag and he rushed to scoop up what he could as he ran off behind the two peasant men.
“Well, hello again.” The “merchant” gangster said to Vera. “Shan Long is always looking for new entertainment. Why don’t you ditch the zoo animals and come make some real money?” the man said threateningly as he held his ax up.
Post by Vera Sa'ari on Oct 8, 2014 17:13:47 GMT -5
The woman's long legs caused her to catch up to the little boy swiftly, her long braid trailing behind her as her feet kicked up dust. With a quick look behind her, it was obvious that the Dai Li weren't following them but the merchant had already got washed away into the crowd. Vera got to the ally and slowed her run down until she had caught up with Vascar and the little boy.
But she quickly heard the merchant's voice praise someone and Vera was shocked the see the little catch the bag of gold that was tossed his way by the merchant. And then watched as he ran off, leaving her and Vascar amongst the merchant and the fake Dai Li. But it didn't matter because Vera still couldn't fight them unless it was in self-defense! Vascar stepped in front of Vera, growling a fierce and deep throated warning, his fur standing on end, making him look twice as large as he really was, ears pinned back and his sharp canines bared.
Vera looked steadily at the so-called merchant, only a hint of fear in her brown eyes, "Why are you doing this? And I would never leave Vascar! What would you have me do anyway? Vascar is part of my performance." Just maybe with a little talking, Vera could get both of them out of this mess and if all else failed, her sandbending would. Hopefully anyway. There was also a hope that these men wouldn't actually hurt her, they had asked if she would join them as a performer.
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Last Edit: Oct 8, 2014 18:59:07 GMT -5 by Vera Sa'ari
One of the men whispered to the "merchant". He frowned for a minute but then let out a horse laugh.
"Well, boss probably wouldn't care to much about the animal. We will just have to knock it out and cage it while you are our special guest," the "merchant" told Vera.
He began moving cautiously closer with the blunt end of his ax in his hand.
"You should be excited! If he likes you the boss will make you his new wife... easy now." The man said as he got very close to Vaskar. He looked like he was going to club the very protective Vaskar in the head with the blunt end of the ax. He raised it up high, telegraphing his attack to the beast- who likely wasn't going to just let the merchant attack him.
Post by Vera Sa'ari on Oct 8, 2014 23:32:39 GMT -5
Vera paid close attention to what the men were doing around her as well as what the merchant was saying and how he said what was spewing out of his mouth. Her face hardened and her eyes narrowed, "You won't do anything to my tiger-wolf! And who said...." Anger rose in Vera's voice, her one hand going for the pouch, ready to release her sand. They might be able to get away still.
But what Vera heard next caused the dancer's mouth to drop over, surprise caused her eyes to widen, "That is not going to happen! Ever!" Vera started taking steps backward to match the merchant's steps towards her. Vaskar stood his ground though, his fury escaped through his mouth as saliva started to drip onto the ground. The tiger-wolf gave a half growl and half bark as his final warning. The merchant kept advancing towards Vaskar and Vera. He also raised the blunt end of his ax towards her precious guardian.
Just as Vera screamed, "No! Don't hurt him!"; Vaskar lept into action. The tiger-wolf leaped into the air, ready to strike at the merchant with his claws while at the same time bite down fiercely with his powerful jaws. He would defend Vera with his life if that is what it took for her to survive.
Fresh off the ship from the Northern Water Tribes, Cheng was openly welcoming the warm air. Everything in the north seemed so frigid. He was glad to be back on more solid ground, and once again be graced with a job in Ba Sing Se.
The ride from the ship to the city was tough. He almost wished he could have walked instead, but the cart he rode on was the only way to get him here in time. A store in the town's square needed a stage built for a sales event. When he was caught by an old contractor friend, Kail, he couldn't say no. Or shake his head rather. Kail was a good guy, one who kept his nose clean and didn't put his workers in dangerous situations. Not something Cheng could say about other bosses he'd had.
They needed him there as soon as possible. Well, himself and the three other men cramping the back of this cart up. Cheng wondered why they didn't just get Earthbenders to raise a stage, but then again Cheng wasn't going to question his job he was given. Each one is a blessing. This one turned out to be even greater of one than he thought.
The job was short, it took the four hours to put the stage up, and another half hour to make sure that the shopkeeper was satisfied. After that, they had a nice lunch, and Cheng had the rest of the day to explore the city.
What should have been a leisurely stroll was interrupted by the scream of a young woman. "No! Don't hurt him!" Reacting instantly, Cheng took off in a dead sprint towards the screams, dropping his bag in the street so he'd not be weighed down. He skid to a stop behind a group of creepy looking men, approaching a woman and her tiger-wolf. If he'd not seen it with his own eyes, he'd say it was right out of a folk tale. He stood, looking at the men and looking for an opportunity to step in.
(Once Buzama Kokoro joins in as well you guys can feel free to run the NPC's actions in the encounter as you see fit ^^, if you end up being subdued i'll run the crime boss and all that for you. Just give me a holler.)
Eona: SO... is this sight still active?
Dec 21, 2014 19:04:15 GMT -5
Psychosynchrony: Hmmm... was popping in to see if this was still going. Guess not.
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Wei Shen: If any of the admins are still here, e-mail me at Nexocidal@gmail.com, I would love to get the site started up again. I'll try to help
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Wei Shen: If anyone does come back, I'll be checking on this site for at least once a day~ Hope to see some old members maybe
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Guest: Is this still active?
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Mordred: i'm here somehow
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Wei Shen: If you see this Mordred, I PM'ed you my chat info!
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Mordred: well i still need you to answer the pending info
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Mordred: also i can't shoot you a message on discord since you disabled it
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