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Post by Fateful on Jan 12, 2016 23:48:15 GMT -5
"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't expecting an honest answer. The war is over, so whatever they said, it doesn't make a difference now." He added with a shrug. He just wanted to know what they said. She made excuses to diminish telling him the truth, but he knew she was probably trying to protect herself from his anger, which she had seen enough of by this point. They were isolated and up in a tree. Hearing what they said about him, he simply nodded and accepted the answer. It made tense. It was close enough to the truth. Jet did have to leave. The freedom fighters remained, but he made it clear they had to lay low for a week or so if they wanted to stay safe. From what he heard, the Freedom Fighters had done well.
Jet laughed too. "I think she deserves the credit, but her and I have different styles. I motivate and speak better than she does. She knows I'm a natural leader, whereas she's better at supporting what I do and helping me with smaller tasks here and there." IT was one of the best parts about Smellerbee. When they were home, she would take a few tasks and do them every few days to make things easier for him. She'd even delegate tasks.
"Dunno, I have no desire to know my future. Knowing me, I'll probably be told of some creepy death where the air is sucked out of my lungs or something." It was morbid, but also seemed fairly true and straightforward for someone for him. "You don't have to be afraid. She's a good person and she does genuinely care. She seemed worried about you, so I'm glad you spoke to her."
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 16, 2016 22:13:48 GMT -5
"I know," she said quietly. "But it still doesn't change the things that happened."
"She kind of seems to what keeps you guys together," she said, looking over at him. "I mean Longshot too but it looks like to me that he doesn't say much." To be honest, she'd probably only heard him speak once and she couldn't even remember what he'd said or if she'd even heard him properly. She just remembered seeing his mouth move once when they were traveling. He was telling Smellerbee something. She just kind of assumed that he didn't talk at all, so even that had been a surprise.
"Yeah right," she said. "The only person that could do that would be an airbender and the only one is Aang so unless he kills you then I doubt it." She laughed slightly. "Yeah I get that feeling from her, but I'm just afraid that's she's going to bring up stuff I don't really want to talk about. She's a good woman and it was nice of her to apologize to you, but it's kinda hard for us to keep a secret identity when she clearly knows it's fake."
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Post by Fateful on Jan 18, 2016 0:58:56 GMT -5
"Smellerbee does keep us together." He nodded. "She's an incredible catalyst, and I'm grateful to have found her. Longshot is quiet, he's much more subtle than most people understand. You'll eventually be able to understand him based on what he does rather than what he says. Give it a month or so." He leaned back on the tree branch. His swords were strapped to his back, out of the way. He felt comfortable here with her. "Whenever Longshot speaks it's usually to Smellerbee. She understands him better than anyone, but normally I hear him say things to her."
Jet watched Suyin as she spoke of Biyu. She was nervous and he understand that fear, given what she knew about them, that she was strong. Still, part of it bothered her and he wanted to make her feel more comfortable, yet really had no idea how to do that. "I don't think she'll bring it up again. If she does, Ill talk to her about it. It makes you uncomfortable. I know you're not used to it, but I'm watching after you. I'm the leader and it's my job to provide for you, to make sure you feel safe. I'm glad to do it, don't misunderstand, but I'll make sure she keeps your identity a secret." He smiled at her.
He looked down at the ground, "Do you want to head back or stay here for a bit longer?"
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 18, 2016 17:22:32 GMT -5
"I'm worried about that too, yeah," she responded. "But it's just something about someone being able to see everything about you. It's just uncomfortable when you don't know the person.." She went on. It was the idea of someone looking into you life and seeing the parts you didn't really want someone unfamiliar to look at. To her, it was slightly scary. Considering the woman seemed to know more about her than she did herself.
She contemplated for a second. "Let's head back," she finally decided. "I think everyone else will be up soon and they might wonder where we went." The apple was great but she was craving a real breakfast. Her stomach grumbled quietly. She peered down at the ground. Mostly likely she could probably make it down by climbing, but her shoulder had healed up not too long ago and still ached every so often so she didn't want to risk falling and dying. She stood up. "Alright, help me down."
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Post by Fateful on Jan 18, 2016 17:37:18 GMT -5
"Sometimes it's good to have a person who can see inside of you and know you better than you know yourself. It's uncomfortable, but sometimes that's exactly what you need," Smellerbee was usually that person for him, his voice of reason and his center. It was odd how well she knew him. Maybe it was because he had someone that knew so much about him, the darkness inside of him, everything he was and was not. There was a strange sort of balance in being so well known by another person, and, in turn, to have them care for you despite all the chaos that spiraled inside of you.
Jet looked out at the sun, the brightness of it didn't bother his eyes as he stared out across the horizon. "If she brings it up again, she'll likely do it individually. And if you don't want to hear anymore, stick with me."
He knew Smellerbee wouldn't worry where he was, but all the same, he nodded in agreement. As she looked around, he looked down to the ground. Her standing drew his attention and he grinned. "Bossy, bossy." He stood up and pulled his swords from his back as he did so, his balance in trees naturally so that he didn't need to brace himself for support as he moved. As he stood, he slid off the branch and fell, his swords caught another thicker branch a few feet down from where he was and he used his swords to slow his descent toward the ground. When he reached the bottom, he flipped over and landed crouched on his legs. He swung his swords out to the side, which freed any excess bark, sap, and leaves.
"Jump." He called up to her. He put his swords to his back. A grin spread across his face. "Don't look so scared, I'll catch you, promise." He insisted.
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 19, 2016 13:22:40 GMT -5
"Maybe it's not," she answered. The closest person she had to that was probably Angel, and he was another country away. Growing up with him had allowed her to become comfortable with him. He was probably one of the only people on the planet she'd do anything for, beside her family members. He was basically one of them.
It was just strange to her to be in a foreign place and have someone she'd never met be so familiar with her.
Suyin watched as he got up and jumped down the tree. She peered down at him. He was already on the ground, looking up at her. "I don't think so," she answered nervously. The tree was pretty high up and she was sure the fall would either paralyze her or kill her if she landed on the ground. Not to say she didn't trust him, but what if he messed up and didn't catch her properly.
Then again, she thought if she made it this far then if she died by falling then that's just how things had to be. She stepped back for a second and looked up, breathing in. "Here goes nothing," she whispered below her breath before she stepped off the branch.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 19, 2016 13:33:51 GMT -5
"I haven't killed you up to his point, and I would get far more enjoyment out of it in battle than having you jump to your death. Trust me." He repeated. When she moved, he saw that she was about to jump and he moved a few steps back to watch her fall. There was a brief moment where it didn't appear that he was about to move, until he stepped forward and held out one arm while one was at his side. The one at his side came forward and caught under her legs and the the one that was already out braced her back. As soon as she landed in his arms, he bent his knees so her weight and momentum didn't break his legs. Shortly after, he slowly stood and offered for him to return her to the ground.
Falling that far for the first time is invigoration, he loved it whenever he had the ability to free fall, so he wasn't at all concerned with hurting himself. He had done that enough as a kid. However, she likely wasn't as used to this as he was, so he could understand if she needed a few minutes. "You okay?" He questioned, looking down at her when she didn't slide from his arms.
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 19, 2016 14:03:26 GMT -5
As soon as she stepped off the branch, her worries seemed to fade. There was a slight feeling of doubt and wondering if he'd catch her, but it passed quickly. She stopped thinking about her father, the situation she was in, and even the ugly scar on her neck. Instead there was just the adrenaline of falling and the world blurring around her. The fall probably only lasted a few seconds but to her it felt longer.
Then suddenly, she crashed. Only it didn't hurt and she was still alive. Her head was back, eyes slightly wide and looking up at the sky. Her hair was a mess, black falling in different directions. She looked up at him, then down at the ground as he helped her to her feet. "Y-Yeah," she answered meekly. She reached up to push her hair out of her face and black, smoothing it down. Her breathing, she had realized, was quick and her heart beat as well. "That wasn't so bad," she said, clearly shaken. But honestly, it did feel kind of nice. Terrifying but invigorating.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 19, 2016 19:55:56 GMT -5
When she eventually spoke to him, Jet knew she had enjoyed the jump. Good. He was hoping to get her mind off of what happened the night before with Biyu. It was clear she was anxious about it and there was nothing like falling out of a tree to make you feel better about everything that had happened that day. He waited for her to recover, as she was no doubt surging with adrenaline. "It's an amazing feeling, isn't it?" He ignored the fact she said it wasn't so bad. While she was shaken, it was also clear she had enjoyed it to some extent. Now he knew she could make it back in the base. She was going to have to get used to jumping out of trees or moving on ropes, cables, and bridges. If she feared heights, which thankfully, she didn't, this would have been much more difficult.
"Whenever you're ready," He said, encouraging her to decide when they should head back. While she collected herself, he cleaned up the area where he had sharpened his blades and put everything back into the sack and strapped it to his armor. The two started to walk back in relative silence, which didn't last long. As soon as they returned to Meng's home, the girl's were awake and outside playing. The smell of food billowed around them, and once again they were invited in for breakfast.
The day followed with Jet and Meng leaving not long after. They worked for a few hours and Jet returned just as he had before.
Jet had returned with a few extra items and handed some of them to Smellerbee and Longshot. They silently took these things and placed the into their satchels and in the things they carried. The only think Jet brought to Suyin was something that looked like a coat. "It's for the rains. Just in case." He told her. "We'll eventually need them." Longshot and Smellerbee were used to the rains each year and knew what sort of heavy, long lasting rain it was. The jackets were welcome, even though they didn’t need them now.
After a quick meal, they were escorted to the bridge by Meng and some of his family. They were being seen off to the other side.
The toll to get across the bridge was reasonable, and the people in the village seemed to recognize Jet from helping Meng. The man he had bought jackets from had a stall not far from the bridge, since it was something that sold regularly, especially this time of year. He sent his teenage daughter over to give them each a pau bun and to thank them.
Jet nodded and let them all take one. AS they were about to leave, Jet turned to Meng and smiled. "Thank you for all you've given us while we were here. I don't think I'l be able to pay such a debt."
"Oh, don't you worry, you paid me plenty, Anquan. Thank you."
"Still," Jet took something from one of his pockets and gave it to the man, who accepted it gratefully. What Jet offered was fairly small, fitting in both of the man's hands. It was hard to see because there was a scroll covering part of it.
Once safely across the bridge, the four of them walked together, not in a scouting party as they had before. They ate and walked at a comfortable pace, enjoying one another’s company.
“I need you to stay close to me until we get home.” He told Suyin, who was walking beside him.
- - - -
Within three days, the rain was painfully close. It was roughly an hour passed sundown and Jet hadn't stopped moving yet. They were still walking, but they had gotten a slow start that morning. The woods here were unlike any Suyin had likely seen before. The threes were hundreds of feet tall and it was impossible to see the tops of them through all the foliage. There were sounds of animals, specifically owls hooting back and forth to one another.
Movement on the ground made Jet stop. A signature grin spread across his face and he turned, looking to a thicket and waited, not bothering to put his hands on his swords. A boy, probably aged sixteen or so, came from the bush at Jet at a full charge. He picked up the boy and tossed him to the ground and then disarmed another boy who ran at him and tossed the knife into the ground. "Not the best way to sneak up on someone."
"AH!" One of the boys said, rubbing his arm and then jumping to grab his knife and lift it. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Jet answered.
The other boy looked surprised. "That was fucking awesome. Come on, Striper, even you have to admit that was pretty badass. Fighting like that is worthy of being a freedom fighter."
"No way! They're inexperienced and they could be spies, remember?" Striper insisted.
"Dressed like that? No way. The armies always come in fancy matching armor. That's not the type of armor or weapons these guys have, and they didn't bend at us. All the soldiers in the Earth Kingdom Command are benders."
"Yeah, Swampy but.."
"Yeah, but I was right and they should totally be freedom fighters."
Jet looked back toward Smellerbee. "That's why we're here. Take us to see your leader."
The two boys exchanged glances for a few moments. "Well..." The one called Striper finally said. "We can't do that."
Jet reached onto his back and pulled off both of hisi hook swords, which made the boys hesitate and take a step back. "Bring that to your leader and tell them I want to talk to them."
"Yeah but.. who are you?"Swampy asked.
"Sneers will know."
Now the two exchanged glances once again. "Alright." Swampy finally pipped up. "I'll bring them back. Striper, you stay with them."
The boy called Swampy darted off into the woods and not long after, a faint owl call could be heard in the distance.
Jet just eased himself into a sitting position against a tree and looked through his bag for some water. He took a sip and then offered it to the boy. "Want some?"
Striper hesitated, but then nodded and took it, letting the water pass over his chap lips. "Thanks. Did you guys come all the way here to join the freedom fighters. That happens a lot... I mean, even after Jet was forced to leave. The Freedom Fighters helped push the fire nation out, even after the war ended."
Jet looked almost pained to hear his own name and nodded. "Yeah, we came all this way." He took the water back and went through the inside of the sack. He tossed Longshot a peach and Smellerbee some nuts. He knew what they liked by this point. He glanced to Suyin, who was sitting closer to him than the other two. Other than guessing, as he had been mistaken in the past, he just offered her the bag.
"You want a snack, Striper?"
The boy leaned forward, clearly interested. "How do I know this isn't a bribe or something?"
"If I wanted to kill someone with poisoned apples, I should probably be going for someone a little prettier than you, yeah?"
Striper glanced to Suyin for a moment and then laughed. "Yeah." He grabbed a peach from the bag and took a bite from it, savoring every moment of it.
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 20, 2016 0:40:03 GMT -5
The trip between the village and Jet's place of residence seemed to take longer than the entire trip altogether. Suyin only hoped that it didn't rain during their travels, for Agni's sake. She wasn't a fan of rain or water for that matter. The Fire Nation received a very minimal amount of rain and it was never really invited when it did come along.
She just hoped they would arrive soon.
Almost as if by a miracle, Jet finally told her they were close and she sighed in relief. But the sense of calm didn't didn't last very long. There was someone coming their way. She braced herself but held her firebending back. She knew they were in Jet's forest so they were safe and she didn't want to risk bringing out her flames and creating enemies with anyone. She really didn't have to do anything however, Jet had already disarmed them before she could raise a hand.
"They must be new," Smellerbee mumbled to Suyin. "They don't seem to know us." She laughed slightly.
As the ordeal took place, and the other boy ran off to fetch the current leader, the rest of them waited. Jet passed around the snacks. Suyin reached into the bag and pulled out an apple. She took a small bite but she wasn't all that hungry, mostly just nervous. What if Jet didn't even have control over the freedom fighters anymore and they tore her apart in some weird Earth Kingdom ritual.
The boy came back not too long after. "They rather you guys come up, so follow me and I'll take you there," he said, waving his hand so they would follow. He took them through the forest a bit further in, then he stopped and looked up. "Hey, drop it down!" he called and a few seconds later a ladder made of rope fell down. He turned to look at the others before he grabbed onto it and climbed up. "This way," he said.
Smellerbee made a face, but she didn't say anything. "Think we'll get a tour too?" she mumbled, looking at Jet.
Once they made it up the ladder the boy continued to guide them. They passed by a few other freedom fighters, all of them staring at them, some of them wide eyed and others confused. There were whispers among them. Smellerbee recognized a few faces, but she just held her finger up to let them know to be quiet. It was way more fun this way. Ahead of them a lion-cobra slithered up one of trunks of the trees.
They walked a bit more until they reached one of the treehouses. Swampy pushed aside the drapery covering the door. "We're here," he said, looking back at Jet.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 20, 2016 0:53:46 GMT -5
They had all finished their snack by the time they arrived at the freedom fighter's hideout. They had moved it three miles south and two miles east of where he had originally placed it. That was smart. Their hideout was made so that it could be moved fairly easily. This based looked more permanent than the others, things were more fixed than before. He couldn't explain it, but he knew that was the case.
Suyin was close to him and he glanced back to ensure she was there with him.
When they arrived with the ladder, he put his hand behind his back and he realized he didn't have his swords. He climbed up the ladder and followed them through the hide out until they reached the main tent. He stopped when they reached it and took a deep breath. This... this was his. He built almost all of these houses and it felt so strange. It was strange to see the freedom fighters. Strange that not everyone knew his name.
He walked inside without much hesitation and looked at the table he made inside of it. His swords were on the table. Two men were sitting at it, both of which were boys he had found, boys he had trained. Both of them exchanged glances with one another. "Sneers." He nodded in acknowledgement to him. "Pipsqueak." He did the same.
"I-I can't believe it..." Pipsqueak said, standing there in awe. "You're... you're alive. After all this time, why now?"
Jet relaxed immediately. "The time is right now and I think you realize that too." He glanced between them. "Sorry to have woken you, but we had to beat the rains,"
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 20, 2016 1:05:41 GMT -5
Suyin followed closely behind Jet as they walked through the tops of the trees, over bridges made of wooden planks and rope, through branches and leaves. There were houses up and down the trees with people hanging around, chatting or working on something. It was like a little city, she noticed, and it was amazing. When he said he lived in the trees, he literally meant in the trees.
Some people stared at her in particular. Mostly likely the people that knew Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot, but not her. She wondered if they could tell her nationality. She had a few physical traits that were almost dead give aways if people were observant and knew what to look for her. Her eyes were one of them. While no all those who have gold eyes are firebenders, most were at least from the Fire Nation. At least during the war that was the case. When people were a lot more segregated.
They entered the tree house and she stood beside Jet, almost behind him. He knew the two guys sitting there and they looked happy to see them.
Smellerbee jumped out from behind them. "Hey, hope you two haven't gotten lazy since we've been gone!"
Sneers sat up. "Hell no!" he said, giving her a smirk. "Where have you guys been?"
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Post by Fateful on Jan 20, 2016 1:21:25 GMT -5
The long standing freedom fighters didn't say anything and seemed content to keep the secret of their return, at least for now.
Jet shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "You know, here and there. And everywhere. We found the avatar wasted in the Earth Kingdom and got Sokka to his wedding on time. Shouldn't have, but I'm a nice guy, what can I say." He said as he looked at the two of them. "I've seen just about all of the earth kingdom. The fire nation withdrawal seems to be going well. So, which one of you are leader now?"
Striper suddenly looked confused. "Wait.. what the hell is going on? Who is this guy? I get that you know him, but he doesn't know who the leader is?"
Jet turned to look at the kid and then glanced back to Sneers. "Who's the leader if not you? Smellerbee picked you, didn't she."
"Yeah, Smellerbee has been known to make mistakes on occasion." A woman's voice came through the room. She was dressed in a sleeping gown that reached mid thigh. IT was tight and a light green. The gown was tight and clung to her skin, which made it so her nipples were visible. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't believe it..." She said, standing there. While her voice sounded almost harsh, she looked happy. "Where the fuck have you been?"
Jet turned and stared at the woman in surprise. "Amaranth..."
"Jet!" Came the voice of a young boy, likely around the age of five. He ran by Amaranth and over toward the former leader.
"Hey!" Jet bent down and lifted the boy and held him. "You should be in bed this late. Why are you up?"
"Cause mommy got woken up saying you were back. I knew I had to come."
"Yeah? You missed me?"
"Of course!" The boy explained loudly.
"So excited? Good, you can put Belamy back to bed." Amaranth added raising an eyebrow toward Jet.
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 20, 2016 1:35:44 GMT -5
"I don't make mistakes. Every decision I make has a reason," Smellerbee explained with a smirk.
"I beg to differ," Sneers replied. "We've been living in tyranny thanks to your decision," he joked.
Swampy widened his eyes. "Wait, you're Jet?" he asked. "Like, THE Jet? The one that founded the freedom fighters?" He was in total disbelief. "Oh my god, we attacked you!" He looked embarrassed.
"Relax kid, you didn't know," Sneers said, standing up to ruffle the boy's hair. He looked toward the small boy. "Surprised he remembers you, Jet. He was practically a baby when you left."
Suyin stood to the side, quietly observing what was going on. A whole shit ton, it seemed. When the woman entered, she was a bit surprised. The boy immediately ran to Jet and she watched as he picked him up. With the way things were happening between them, she would have almost assumed that he was his father. Which he could have been, it wasn't like she'd ever asked if he had kids. When he caught a glimpse of the boys eyes, her own widened. Gold.
Sneers stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a smile on his face. He was happy, the freedom fighters were finally whole again. He watched the scene for a moment before his eyes wandered over to Suyin. "So, Jet. You gonna introduce us to your new friend?" he asked.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 20, 2016 1:43:24 GMT -5
Jet looked at Smellerbee and smiled at her. "I had originally picked you, but you just loved me too much to let me go." He teased, rubbing the top of her head. He hadn't put the boy down yet and didn't want to.
"Yeah, I'm Jet." He said with a smirk at the two boys who had attacked them in the woods. He put his lips together and repeated the whistle they were making. After hearing theirs in comparison to his, Jet's sounded absolutely perfect. "I'm glad Sneers taught you something." He added, looking to him.
At the mention of Suyin, Jet looked back to her and smiled. "This is Suyin. She's someone I found in our travels too. It's important that she stays safe." He shifted the boy in his arms so he could hold the moving boy.
Bellamy was holding onto Jet's shoulder and looked over to Suyin when she was mentioned.He studied for a short time. "Mommy!" He yelled, waving his other arm in the direction of his mother. "Mommy! Mommy! Look, someone with eyes the same color as mine! I found someone with gold eyes." He squirmed to get down from Jet's arms and he walked over to where Suyin was so he could get a closer look at her. "I'm Bellamy!" He said happily. "It's nice to meet you."
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