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Post by Fateful on Nov 20, 2016 1:39:22 GMT -5
Jet grinned because it pleased him to know she cared about what his dreams where, but this far exceeded any of that. "Yeah, this is mostly what I wanted. Honestly, I never thought it would be this." He gestured to what was around them. As they continued moving, they past half a dozen new structures that had taken on an entirely different forms than the others. The newer houses were build circling the trees in ways the others hadn't yet and although they were the same type of wood, the supports had been slightly bent to form around the trees better and form an entirely new structure.
"Somehow, it all feels like this happened because of you." He added, looking toward her. "I'd probably be dead if I hadn't met you, don't you think?"
Babybee was starting to get tried and curled in Jet's arm, resting her head on his shoulder. This didn't last too long, however, as Jet could tell they were being followed. "What?" He teased. "Don't trust me?" he asked, watching Smellerbee drop down from where she had gotten ahead of them.
Now, Babybee rolled and looked blearily at her mouth and whined, reaching out for her. "Mommy sleepy." She cooed, taking hold of her mother and clinging to her, asleep against her in mere moments.
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Post by belated valentine on Nov 20, 2016 1:56:42 GMT -5
Suyin laughed. "I don't know about that," she said. "I think you would've managed somehow. You're good at adapting." Even so, she felt happy that he'd acknowledged her and told her she was important. She looked to where he pointed, showing her the new houses. She thought they looked great and the idea of wrapping them around the tree allowed for more stability and space without extending the houses out too far.
Smellebree found them rather quickly. "Not that," she said, shaking her head. "It's past her bedtime and if she doesn't get to bed now, she's going to be a demon in the morning." She took her daughter from Jet and bid them goodnight. She looked tired as well.
Suyin smiled and watched them walk off. "She really loves you," she said in reference to Smellerbee's daughter. "And she's very protective of you."
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Post by Fateful on Nov 20, 2016 2:03:50 GMT -5
"Yeah," Jet smirked. "She gets it from her mother. Come on. There's one thing I haven't showed you yet." He started to walk out in a circle out toward the edge of the base on the opposite side of the river. As they walked, he glanced down and looked at her, curious, but knew better than to pry or to ask. "All her life, she's had the three of us, so I'm not that surprised." It had been dark for a while, but the moon and stars were out.
Finally, they made it to the last house on the base, the one that started all the others. If she had seen it, it would have been from a distance. As they approached it, the structure wrapped around the tree entirely and was one of the largest structures, aside from large, public meeting areas. However, most of the space was well divided, even from the outside. When they reached where the approach to the house was, Jet went right instead and to a tree. "Come on, I want to show you something." He started to climb it and when she looked to the base of the tree, she would notice a ladder built into the trunk.
Jet climbed and when he reached the top, he leaned against the railing of what looked like a small gazebo that had been built with the living limbs of the top of the tree, above the house that was about three stories below them. Around the leaves, they were no longer surrounded by foliage, but instead dusted in starlight and moonshine. He smiled out at the sky when he heard her gasp. From here, the ground base could be seen in the distance, the fires burning there, the lights, and amazingly the lights from the tribes met with the lights of the ground base, connected by starlight in the river's sheen.
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Post by belated valentine on Nov 20, 2016 23:57:50 GMT -5
Suyin wondered what else he was going to show her. It seemed as though they'd seen everything, at least as far as the tree base went. Jet had also told her about their new ground base and the way it was set up. She thought it was interesting. It took them a bit to get where they were going, but when they reached it, she seemed amazed. This house must've been a newer one because it definitely was differently than the others, in a way that was more advanced. She could tell that he'd built this one after a great deal of work and practice. This house twisted around the tree, much like the others she'd seen, but it was a bit more intricate. After awhile, she realized it was probably his house. Something about it told her that.
She looked up and saw a ladder that was carved into a large tree. She had no idea where it led, but she followed him up. Once they reached the top, her gold eyes widened at the sight that presented itself. The top of the house extended a bit above the rest of the trees, allowing for an amazing view. "Wow," she said, leaning over the edge a bit to look below at the river. "This is your best one yet." She turned to look at him, a smile on her face. It almost made her laugh to think about how two years ago it took him forever to build himself a bed and now he'd made an entire house. She was happy. "You've been very busy the last couple of years, haven't you."
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Post by Fateful on Nov 21, 2016 0:06:57 GMT -5
Jet wondered about this now. With the two of them up here, it reminded him of the time they were on top of the Fire Nation Palace, where they first kissed. Somehow, he hadn't realized how similar this place was to that and it made him realize that he'd built this almost to that memory. Not quite, since it was mostly strategic when he thought of it and created it so he could oversee the Landbase. If he started a fire above them or if they started a fire within his sightline, they could communicate immediate emergencies back and forth. It was a good system, even if he had accidentally modeled it after a relationship he was utterly convinced was over and done.
At least, until she walked back into his base.
"All I could remember was you teasing me about how I never had time for myself." He stated, watching her. "And your enjoyment of kicking me every morning when you got up. Dunno, I figured after sleeping with fire nation criminals, running around in hiding, and lounging in the palace, it was time I did something that was for me." He scratched his chin. "Of course, I built everything else first and made sure everyone else had what they needed. It took me six months to build this." He gestured to the house. "There was a lot of leaving when I was building it, to make sure that things would be done. Inevitably, I took a month off to finish it and I'm glad I took so long and how I decided to do it."
The warm breeze gusted around them, leaving smells from the flowers in Sprout's gardens not far off from where they were. The breeze blew just so to carry the varying scents toward them. It didn't distract him from the way she smelled, the warm spiced smell he'd always associated with her.
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Post by belated valentine on Nov 21, 2016 0:37:04 GMT -5
Suyin was happy to hear this. "It's great that you say that because if I came back and you were still bumming it out on someone's floor I would have ripped you a new one," she joked. She was incredibly glad that he was doing something for himself - or at least that he had. He deserved it. He worked hard and spent most of his time thinking of others that he often neglected himself. It was just the kind of person he was and while it was great that he was so selfless, it was sometimes painful to watch.
To be honest, she was surprised to hear that it had taken him that long to build it. This was the guy that built an entire house in the three days that she was unconscious. However, it likely meant that the house had everything he wanted. It was big and likely meant that he'd share it with someone someday - or that he currently was. Again, she really didn't know. She could only assume that the size of the house meant that he likely wasn't living alone.
"Well, from what I can see I can tell that the six months it took to build was worth it," she said. The breeze brought on the smell of flowers and fruit suddenly. An incredible aroma, honestly. She missed visiting Sprout's garden and basking in the scent of strawberries, oranges, and various other fruits. The pies and tarts she'd made with her fruits were always better. Being back at the base made her realize exactly how much she'd missed it. The thought of leaving it again made her sad.
She laughed a bit then. "It's incredible to think that you managed to raise to fame in the Earth Kingdom and build an entire new section of the base all at the same time," she said. "I spent almost an entire year traveling the Earth Kingdom and almost everywhere that I stopped your name came up more than once. People really think you're something." They were right of course.
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Post by Fateful on Nov 21, 2016 0:44:15 GMT -5
The house had been well worth all that went into it. Somehow, Jet assumed that he would never have built something like this, mostly because he had never really considered it before. He smiled as he thought it over. "I managed to build it this way because you reached me to write. After that, I started drawing and it made a lot of things... easier for me. I could take everything that was up here," he pointed to his head, "and put it down on paper. I could draw before, but my dexterity wasn't great because I couldn't write, I guess." He shrugged.
"Maybe I could show you some of the things I've designed and built." It also made things easier when he started to make contracts and agreements with people. Only once did someone ever comment on his writing, a noble in the far side of the Earth Kingdom who saw Jet's writing and had himself a laugh, a well meaning one of course. Then he looked up at Jet and told him that he looked bloody breathtaking but wrote like a toddler. Jet just laughed and said he was born a peasant. They'd had a laugh together and then a drink. Overall, Jet liked it there and enjoyed the noble more than he thought he would. He had returned to the region a few times, despite the journey.
Stories of him had even reached her. Now, he turned so his back was leaning against the railing and he looked at her. Her traveling the Earth Kingdom for the better part of the year was interesting to him, but perhaps more so was the fact she kept hearing his name. Then, all of a sudden, something clicked. He tilted his head and pursed his lips as he did whenever he figured something out, when he cornered a theory into fact. "You're the Bender that's been traveling and teachig Fire Bending, aren't you?"
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Post by belated valentine on Nov 21, 2016 1:32:12 GMT -5
When he mentioned writing, her memory flashed back to the letter he'd attempted to send her years ago. She pushed the thought aside and smiled at him instead. It made her feel good to know that he thought of her having a part in helping him. She wanted to help him with more in whatever way that she could. Honestly, she owed him her life so it was only fair.
"I'd love that," she answered when he offered to show her some of his designs and creations. To be honest, she really enjoyed seeing the things that he could make. He was really talented. The only other person who'd managed to grab her interest this much when it came to art was her father. Suyin had a feeling that he would have really liked Jet, or would have at least appreciated his trade. Creating things made Jet happy and so it was interesting to her.
She straightened up then when he mentioned her. Her golden eyes lit up suddenly. "You heard about me?" she asked. There was a childlike essence to her voice as she spoke, a large smile on her face. She had no idea that she'd had enough of a presence that it reached him. "That could've been me at least, I mean," she said. "I think there are others too, but I've been mainly focused on training children and youth. To be honest, Bellamy had always inspired me to want to do something." She said, a small smile on her face. "When I first came back to the Earth Kingdom, I was lost and didn't really know what my purpose was and what I wanted. I wasn't in that great of a place, honestly. Frost found me in one of the towns I stayed in and she took me to the mountains. One night I was so cold and I couldn't sleep and that's when I figured out what I wanted to do," she said, looking down at the base and the river, the light of the fire bouncing off the water. "Since then, things have been amazing."
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Post by Fateful on Nov 21, 2016 1:45:00 GMT -5
Jet laughed when her fire surged at the mention of his knowledge of her. Somehow, he found it strangely captivating and he heard the torches below increase. She had so much strength and skill and maybe she was finally starting to see what she was worth. In all the time he had known her, never had he seen her so happy and so... at peace. It was a strange thing to notice, he knew, but he knew it all the same. Suyin was stronger than ever and she had an incredibly tranquility to her that made him want to reach out and touch her face. Of course, was much as he wanted this, he refrained and just found himself staring into the fire in her eyes.
"Yeah, I've heard a few things about you. Never by name, but I knew someone was teaching fire benders. It's why I started to bring benders here, to help to train and guide the ones that ended up here. There were no benders originally, but things have changed and I needed something to be here for those like Bellamy who the rest of us couldn't guide." He smiled, but looked incredibly surprised to hear that she had met Frost, since she had never mentioned it to him. Not that she had to, it was her life, choices, but Jet just found it so strange that Frost wouldn't have mentioned running into Suyin, especially since almost a year passed since then.
Curious. He wondered about the last year of her life, about her husband, the life they had together and where he was now. From the sound of things, he loved to travel, loved the idea of her teaching and wanted to see her happy. Jet never imagined that being in love could bring such happiness, peace, and... ecstasy to someone's life. Then again, Suyin always did have a habit of being swept into someone else's chaos. He hoped she loved herself, because that's something he realized brought happiness. Still, he was so captivated and curious about her, but knew better than to ask, than to pry. It would be difficult for her to bring up her husband... it was no wonder Suyin had yet to mention him. Somehow, Jet assumed she left him out of her stories to spare his feelings.
"I'm glad you finally found the happiness you've wanted. You were so scared and held yourself back before, but now... I barely recognize you. I'm willing to bet you're fire is stronger than it was the last time I saw you, like a dragon's fire."
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Post by belated valentine on Nov 22, 2016 1:45:21 GMT -5
Suyin smiled. She was happy that he thought what she was doing was helpful. To be honest, when she'd first started, barely anybody had even shown up and she'd thought about stopping. A lot of people were afraid to let their children learn something they'd feared for awhile, or something that they couldn't control.
One mother had expressed concern to Suyin after she finally let her son join her classes. She'd been afraid that people would see her son as a monster if she allowed him to pursue his firebending. Suyin assured her that she wouldn't allow that to happen, however, she understood why she worried. When Suyin met the boy, who was probably fourteen or fifteen, she told him that as a firebender, he would be held responsible for his actions and that it was their job to present themselves in a respectable manner. And if anyone shot low, it was their job to remain high.
She thought that the separation problem the community seemed to be having could eventually be solved over time. One of her ideas was that if there was some sort of united bending academy where children could learn their bending in close distance of others learning their own, it would help them grow closer. In the past century, too many children were raised to believe their elements served to separate them rather than to unite them.
Suyin watched him for a moment as silence fell between them. He seemed to be pondering something, that familiar look of contemplation on his face. The way he rose one eyebrow just a tad bit higher than the other when he thought about something made her smile. She really had missed him and yet, she was afraid to talk to him about something that'd really bothered her. She wanted to bring up the letter, but she was afraid that too much time had gone by. He had yet to find out that she wasn't even married and still, she couldn't figure out a way to tell him without just blurting it out. They both seemed to be avoiding that aspect of her life.
"I did," she finally said, a smile forming on her face. "It took me a long time though and I stumbled a few times on my way. I fell into a relationship with someone I didn't even know because I thought I had a duty of some sort," she said slowly, her eyes flickering to him. "What's even worse is that I almost married him, until I realized finally that he drained the life out of me." She watched him for a moment, her fingers weaving together nervously. Okay, she gave up. Her curiosity and need to question him outweighed the fireflies in her stomach.
She gulped and pursed her lips. "There's...there's actually something I wanted to talk to you about," she said.
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Post by Fateful on Nov 22, 2016 1:55:35 GMT -5
Jet focused on her when she started to speak once more. His mouth opened slowly as he listened to her and with lips slightly parted, he realized he held his breath to hear what she was about to say. She... she didn't marry him. Suddenly, he felt incredibly overwhelmed and now he knew exactly why Smellerbee insisted on the two of them going for a walk. Frost had to know too. She had been in the earth Kingdom all this time because she must have broken off the engagement.
Now as he stared at her, he saw something entirely different than any way he had ever looked at her. Surprise crept over Jet’s face. “Oh…”
It was all he could think to say. Nothing else came to mind, no other magical thoughts, considerations or actions. Just, oh. He knew. It took him a great deal of time to process what happened, what it felt like she was telling him. Did she come all this way two years later to-- No. There was no way she still had feelings for him, she hadn't then and she didn't now. She answered him years ago by sending a letter to Smellerbee about this engagement. She didn't have feelings for him and this would be no different.
Then, the strangest thing happened, he smiled and rubbed the back of his head, as he always did when he was either embarrassed or nervous. He laughed, despite himself trying to make light of the situation and reverted back to his rather playful nature. “I don’t know what else to say. I’m sorry? Congrats? No, please keep the gifts? Why didn’t you fucking write to me?”
Her mention of wanting to talk made him curious. He arched a brow, calculating what she was doing and saying. "What do you want to talk about?"
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Post by belated valentine on Nov 22, 2016 2:35:49 GMT -5
Suyin was a bit shocked to see that he was as surprised as he was. For some reason, she expected him to shrug it off as being rather unimportant or meaningless to him. Part of her wondered if he still had feelings for her, even just a smidge. But Jet was Jet and he was a good person and friend, so his reaction was probably based on that. She didn't really blame him. It took her a year to find his letter and another year before she even saw him again. There was no reason for him to hold onto it for that long.
She blushed heavily then and turned away from him, laughing a little bit at what he'd said next. "If anything, definitely not sorry. Trust me, I didn't know what I was thinking when I agreed to marry him. I mean, for Agni's sake, he and Sokka were better together. They were practically best friends," she said. Apparently, the two were still very close, from what Suyin had heard from Toph.
Then she looked back at him. The mood felt a bit lighter now, thanks to him, which made her less nervous. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment before she continued. "Two years ago, you sent me a letter.." She blushed, hoping he'd know which one she was talking about. If she had to explain or even bring out the letter - she did have it with her somewhere - she'd probably die. "I found it in Fang's office, a year after you sent it. I'm not..." She stopped for a moment. "I'm not telling you this because I want to hold you to what you said years ago, but I just wanted you to know that the reason I didn't write to you was not because I didn't feel the same but because I didn't get a chance to."
She paused for a moment. "After that, I didn't write to you to tell you about the break up because I didn't know if you'd care. It was a year later and you had every right to move on. I didn't want to drag you backward and also...I wasn't really looking to be with anyone at the moment. To be honest, I just wanted to live for awhile and do things that I'd never done before." She cleared her throat, realizing she was drifting off topic. She looked down at her hands, fussing with the edges of her shirt. "That's really it. I just wanted to tell you that had I seen your letter when you sent it, I would have taken the first boat out of the Fire Nation to meet you."
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Post by Fateful on Nov 22, 2016 2:48:09 GMT -5
"You were engaged to Sokka?" He laughed at the question, because now he pictured Sokka with lighter skin and golden eyes prancing around in robes and swinging a fire nation boomerang, talking about plans and being the leader. Somehow, it made him smirk and he tried to blow off his humor. The image of her marrying him suddenly filled him with rage, but it quickly faded. Jet was a far cry from the man he once was, ruled so easily by anger and the negative emotion it brought to him. With an exhale, he managed to let go of all that anger in a few seconds. Suyin didn't love the guy, so there was no reason for Jet to hate him.
Then, however, he looked suddenly uncomfortable and serious. He had hoped she would never bring up the letter again, that they could be friends since she didn't feel the same. Despite this, the tale she began telling him took a turn he didn't expect. She... didn't get the chance to? What did that mean exactly? She continued to explain and he watched her closely. Although she didn't say it, he had a feeling she was trying to say someone had taken the letter from her. As she spoke of the time that had passed, he approached her and stood just a few steps away, looking down at her face, focused, hanging on every word, amazed that she had such power over him.
However, he wasn't sure if she still felt the same for him. Then, she would have left, she would have dropped everything and come here to meet him. But she hadn't done that. She was strong, she discovered herself and knew who she was now, better than ever. So, he sighed and turned so he was standing in front of her, fully facing her.
“I don’t know if we can go back to the way things were during the war, before Angel died. We’re different people.” The look that came to her face almost killed him, so he continued, “That being said, you weren’t strong enough then to be in a serious relationship. Maybe that’s why you settled for what you did, for someone who you dreaded, from the sound of it. I think because we’re both stronger people, we can actually make something of this. My feelings for you haven't changed, as much as I tried to run from them. A-And I can't even begin to tell you what it means to me that you still have feelings for me."
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Post by belated valentine on Nov 22, 2016 3:25:58 GMT -5
Even though Suyin didn't know what sort of reaction to expect out of him, she felt much better now that she'd gotten that off of her chest. Telling him was all that she really wanted to accomplish out of this. She wanted to remain friends with him at least. She wanted to pick up contact with him again. She missed writing to him and in return, reading his scratchy handwriting. He was always fairly eloquent even though aesthetically, he wrote like he was five. She loved it though, and she'd never had a problem reading it.
As he spoke, it became clear to her that she was right. He didn't feel the same. Even though she sort of thought so, it still made her stomach drop painfully. However, he kept going and she looked up, meeting his eyes. She wondered if he could the joy that flooded her suddenly, as much as she tried to not to be obvious about it. She wasn't really sure what to say in return, but the smile that crept to her face slowly showed that she was happy with his response. Her hand moved without her thinking, fingers sliding over his forearm and down to his hand, which she lightly grasped. It was warm, like she expected. "So," she started. "Does that mean...that you want to try again?" she asked. What he'd said was true. They were both stronger and had a sense of themselves. Perhaps the way things happened actually worked out.
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Post by Fateful on Nov 22, 2016 3:46:10 GMT -5
A deep smile came to Jet's features as the smile came to her face. Somehow, it was incredible to see her smile this way. a way that he honestly never thought he'd be able to see again. He watched her reaction and the warmth of her skin as she took his hand. Then, he took her hands in his and slowly shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think it's something we have to try at again. If you're here, then it's already started." After that, reached forward, his fingers sliding her bangs from her eyes. His fingers softly grazed her face,until his fingers touched her jawline and his hand cupped her chin and his thumb moved across her face, helping to tilt her head upward.
He stared at her and his eyes focused on her hand, her lips. The pace between his eyebrows was wrinkled in confusion and he brought himself closer to her. When their eyes met, he watched her lean upward and that was all the encouragement he needed. Swiftly and quickly, Jet closed to gap between them, his hand on the back of her neck, fingers lost in strands of her hair. His eyes closed and his lips came in waves, slow, steady currents of strong, firm affection she suspected he’d never forgotten. It was strangely altogether different from the first time she had kissed him; while he had always been sure of himself, this seemed firmer and more knowing. He managed to intensify the inner fire within her and with no warning, his hands left her neck to travel to her hips.
His hands, strong and entirely sure, lifted her from the ground and pulled her against him so he would not have to bend so far. He continued to hold her, not moving from her bottom and her thighs. Without a doubt, he was strong enough to hold her this way with ease, and he did. Jet stood in the enter of the gazebo, holding her there and not bothering to press her to one of the supports or the tree. After all the time that had passed, he wanted to hold her, and he would die before he gave this up for anything else.
Balancing her with one of his arms, one arm went up her back, holding the back of her neck as he continued to kiss her. The more he kissed her, the stronger and more sure he was in the way he did it: his lips strong, his tongue more bold and the less space there was between them.
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