Post by Teяa253 on Sept 13, 2008 0:13:50 GMT 1
the 4th installment of "The Order of the Avatar Slayer"
this chapter sort of gives Ju Long a little sympathy, but also adds some more towards Mulan. You don't get to find out who Zak is just yet, as I will have to dedicate another chapter to what these two actually DO once they reach the city.
Oh, and the next chapter will be some water tribe characters.
CHAPTER 4: AWAITING THE ARRIVAL
Ju Long’s journey back to his village was not as pleasant as it had started out to be. He would have to go back and report to The Order members that his wife was now part of The Avatar Guard. The whole traveling scheme had just been to get her out in case she WAS part of The Avatar Guard. The city where they had lived was almost completely overrun by Order members, and so most people who supported The Avatar Guard had since moved.
“I assume that the absence of your wife indicates that she is an enemy?” one of the Order members said upon Ju Long’s return to the city. They were meeting in the house of one of the members—a woman named Zhin.
“Aye,” he replied, “just like I had deep roots here, she had deep roots in The Avatar Guard. I guess it’s nothing less to expect from an airbender.”
“Then why did you marry her?” Zhin asked,
“Because we both loved each other at one time,” Ju Long replied, “and we were so young and innocent at the time that I couldn’t tell her I was part of the Order. Similarly she told me nothing about being in The Avatar Guard.”
“So you went for the greater good then,” said a man, “you remember me, right, Ju Long?”
“Of course I do,” Ju Long replied, “you are Tu-Sung, the same man who first convinced me to join The Order.”
“I see that even a few years of being apart hasn’t made you forget.” He said, grinning, “But why did you join us?”
“Because I believe in absolute order and equality,” Ju Long replied, “there is no reason why each nation cannot be equal, and there is especially no reason for one person to be above the rest of us.”
“So you do indeed realize the dangers of the avatar?”
“Aye; and that is the reason I joined many years ago.”
However, Ju Long had a painful memory about something Mulan had told him when he had told her that.
“The world was designed to be different,” she had said, “even me and you are so different. You were raised in a big city, I was raised in a rather secluded temple, and yet here we are getting along.”
“And so she becomes our enemy,” Zhin declared, “she is supporting The Avatar Guard and the spirit of chaos.”
“Then I guess I need to make our separation official,” Ju Long muttered, “I guess I should start on that.”
The whole time though, he had been thinking about Mulan. He had gotten so terse with her, and yet she was just trying to understand him. He had pointed his sword at her so that she would not follow him, for after they parted ways he knew where he wanted to go—he was going to report to The Order, like he was doing now.
“Maybe that had been a little harsh,” he thought, “but I couldn’t have her following me.”
And yet no matter how hard he tried to justify himself, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the way he had treated her. He wasn’t about to go and reconcile, but he had wished that he had thought of nicer ways to do what he had done.
* * * * * * * *
“I am sorry,” said the leader of the mob, “but we are not going to let you talk about our organization that way.”
“Bah,” Zak laughed, “just another one of their stupid rules. You airbenders don’t believe in order this much, do ya?” She had turned to Mulan when she said that last part.
“No, not at all,” Mulan replied gently, “in fact, it is the nature of an airbender to be agile and free—it is part of the chaos spirit within us.”
“Well,” said Zak, “that’s really good, because truth be told, there’s about to be a lot of chaos breaking out.”
Zak and Mulan stood back to back, Zak taking an earthbending stance and Mulan taking one for airbending. Zak looked down and noticed that the streets they were on were covered in sand. After all, they were near the outside of the city, and outside of it was desert, and so it was likely tracked in one way or another.
“Mulan,” Zak whispered, but suddenly the fight broke out with the mobsters trying to attack them. A few sword slashes and bending moves (from both sides) later, they broke free of their ranks and began to run. Luckily Mulan was not hurt, but Zak had received a nasty cut over her forehead. She didn’t seem to mind though.
“That sand,” Mulan exclaimed, “Zak, use your earthbending to try and bend it, and I can help you create a sandstorm.”
“Brilliant plan, kid,” Zak muttered, although Mulan believed her to be younger than she was. She stamped her foot, disrupting the sand on the road. Mulan then turned around and sent swirling winds towards the sand, and it not only obscured the mob’s view of them, but also obscured their view of the mob.
Using this to their advantage, Zak and Mulan proceeded to use a combination of earthbending and airbending to get as far away from there as they could. Eventually, they figured they were okay and so stopped. Nowadays, crazy instances of bending were so common that normal passersby no longer cared—sometimes they wouldn’t even turn.
“So,” said Mulan, “I guess this is where we part ways?”
“Eh,” Zak muttered, “I thought you were gonna join the avatar guard.”
“You meant it,” Mulan exclaimed, “I thought you were drunk.”
“I was drunk,” Zak replied, “I’m not gonna lie. And granted, I don’t think I’m completely sober quite yet, but bear with me a while longer. Anyways, the point that I’m trying to make is that even when I’m drunk I’m usually telling the truth, especially about something as important as The Avatar Guard. So if you’re coming with me to Ba Sing Se I’ll hitch you a ride.”
“I can pay for myself,” Mulan replied, preparing to get into her bag,
“Don’t bother,” Zak laughed, “I’m not paying for you. I’m getting us a free ride there, so it’s no cash out of my pocket either.”
Zak flashed some type of card to the person behind the counter and then subsequently pointed to Mulan.
“She’s with me,” she said, and the two of them were able to quickly find seats as the monorail prepared for departure.
Once they were inside, Mulan made her self as comfortable as an 8 month pregnant mother could.
“Wow,” Zak commented, “I’m surprised we didn’t get harassed by The Order or something for that. Usually they try to frame me.”
“You seem to have a pretty bad reputation here,” Mulan commented, “no offense or anything.”
“Eh,” Zak shrugged, “none taken. I do have a bad reputation here. The thing is: I can beat the juice out of anyone who tries to stop me, so no one does. The reason I ran from that last fight was because I didn’t want you hurt. I may not seem like a woman of good ethics, but I am. I’m not gonna let a bunch of potentially drunk guys and girls beat up on a pregnant woman.
“Thank you for showing concern for me,” Mulan said gently,
“Not a problem, kid,” Zak replied, “the thing is: The Order doesn’t care who you are. If you’re a friend with them, they’ll leave you alone. If not, they’ll try and take you out one way or another. The stories I could tell about the matter could fill the Wan Shi Tong Library twice at least—it’s pretty bad.”
“I just have one more question,” said Mulan,
“Go for it,” Zak shrugged, “I don’t bite.”
“How old are you,” Mulan asked, “I mean, you’ve called me ‘kid’ a couple of times, and it just makes me curious.”
“Eh,” Zak laughed, “I’m only 22. What about you?”
“25,” Mulan replied, “so I guess I AM older than you.”
“Eh,” Zak shrugged again, “it’s just a bad habit I get into, kid. Sorry if it offends you or anything.”
“I’m okay,” Mulan replied, “I’m just sort of surprised. You look much older than you are.”
“It’s a gift,” Zak said off-handedly, putting her feet up, “I still say you look a lot like Yangchen—and she looked pretty young.”
Mulan just shrugged.
“I guess so,” she said, “it is not up to me to decide that—rather, the forces of nature which make us grow up.”
Zak didn’t respond. She did stretch and yawn though.
“I’m gonna get a little shut-eye,” she said, “Wake me if anything interesting happens.”
“I think I’m going to do the same if you don’t mind,” said Mulan, “I’m still a bit weary from my trip and that recent scuffle.”
“Alright,” Zak shrugged, “sounds about reasonable. I mean, it’s gotta be tiring to carry a weight like that everywhere,” she pointed at Mulan’s stomach and Mulan nodded, yawning herself.
Ironically, Zak stayed awake and Mulan fell asleep. Knowing how much the city of Fengtai had been influenced by The Order as well, she didn’t trust anyone, and wasn’t about to let anyone come near her or Mulan.
It was rare that the airbenders were seen in places like this in this day and age, and their bright orange clothing always made them stand out, and so anyone who would occasionally pass by would always take a glance at Mulan, and also Zak because of the way she was dressed and because of the way she was built. Zak didn’t care at all though.
Just like Zhin and Tu-Sung had been awaiting the arrival of Ju Long and (they had hoped) his wife, Zak and Mulan were looking forward to uniting (in Zak’s case reuniting) with the avatar guard. And though it was slightly different, they too were Awaiting the Arrival.
~Azula~
this chapter sort of gives Ju Long a little sympathy, but also adds some more towards Mulan. You don't get to find out who Zak is just yet, as I will have to dedicate another chapter to what these two actually DO once they reach the city.
Oh, and the next chapter will be some water tribe characters.
CHAPTER 4: AWAITING THE ARRIVAL
Ju Long’s journey back to his village was not as pleasant as it had started out to be. He would have to go back and report to The Order members that his wife was now part of The Avatar Guard. The whole traveling scheme had just been to get her out in case she WAS part of The Avatar Guard. The city where they had lived was almost completely overrun by Order members, and so most people who supported The Avatar Guard had since moved.
“I assume that the absence of your wife indicates that she is an enemy?” one of the Order members said upon Ju Long’s return to the city. They were meeting in the house of one of the members—a woman named Zhin.
“Aye,” he replied, “just like I had deep roots here, she had deep roots in The Avatar Guard. I guess it’s nothing less to expect from an airbender.”
“Then why did you marry her?” Zhin asked,
“Because we both loved each other at one time,” Ju Long replied, “and we were so young and innocent at the time that I couldn’t tell her I was part of the Order. Similarly she told me nothing about being in The Avatar Guard.”
“So you went for the greater good then,” said a man, “you remember me, right, Ju Long?”
“Of course I do,” Ju Long replied, “you are Tu-Sung, the same man who first convinced me to join The Order.”
“I see that even a few years of being apart hasn’t made you forget.” He said, grinning, “But why did you join us?”
“Because I believe in absolute order and equality,” Ju Long replied, “there is no reason why each nation cannot be equal, and there is especially no reason for one person to be above the rest of us.”
“So you do indeed realize the dangers of the avatar?”
“Aye; and that is the reason I joined many years ago.”
However, Ju Long had a painful memory about something Mulan had told him when he had told her that.
“The world was designed to be different,” she had said, “even me and you are so different. You were raised in a big city, I was raised in a rather secluded temple, and yet here we are getting along.”
“And so she becomes our enemy,” Zhin declared, “she is supporting The Avatar Guard and the spirit of chaos.”
“Then I guess I need to make our separation official,” Ju Long muttered, “I guess I should start on that.”
The whole time though, he had been thinking about Mulan. He had gotten so terse with her, and yet she was just trying to understand him. He had pointed his sword at her so that she would not follow him, for after they parted ways he knew where he wanted to go—he was going to report to The Order, like he was doing now.
“Maybe that had been a little harsh,” he thought, “but I couldn’t have her following me.”
And yet no matter how hard he tried to justify himself, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the way he had treated her. He wasn’t about to go and reconcile, but he had wished that he had thought of nicer ways to do what he had done.
* * * * * * * *
“I am sorry,” said the leader of the mob, “but we are not going to let you talk about our organization that way.”
“Bah,” Zak laughed, “just another one of their stupid rules. You airbenders don’t believe in order this much, do ya?” She had turned to Mulan when she said that last part.
“No, not at all,” Mulan replied gently, “in fact, it is the nature of an airbender to be agile and free—it is part of the chaos spirit within us.”
“Well,” said Zak, “that’s really good, because truth be told, there’s about to be a lot of chaos breaking out.”
Zak and Mulan stood back to back, Zak taking an earthbending stance and Mulan taking one for airbending. Zak looked down and noticed that the streets they were on were covered in sand. After all, they were near the outside of the city, and outside of it was desert, and so it was likely tracked in one way or another.
“Mulan,” Zak whispered, but suddenly the fight broke out with the mobsters trying to attack them. A few sword slashes and bending moves (from both sides) later, they broke free of their ranks and began to run. Luckily Mulan was not hurt, but Zak had received a nasty cut over her forehead. She didn’t seem to mind though.
“That sand,” Mulan exclaimed, “Zak, use your earthbending to try and bend it, and I can help you create a sandstorm.”
“Brilliant plan, kid,” Zak muttered, although Mulan believed her to be younger than she was. She stamped her foot, disrupting the sand on the road. Mulan then turned around and sent swirling winds towards the sand, and it not only obscured the mob’s view of them, but also obscured their view of the mob.
Using this to their advantage, Zak and Mulan proceeded to use a combination of earthbending and airbending to get as far away from there as they could. Eventually, they figured they were okay and so stopped. Nowadays, crazy instances of bending were so common that normal passersby no longer cared—sometimes they wouldn’t even turn.
“So,” said Mulan, “I guess this is where we part ways?”
“Eh,” Zak muttered, “I thought you were gonna join the avatar guard.”
“You meant it,” Mulan exclaimed, “I thought you were drunk.”
“I was drunk,” Zak replied, “I’m not gonna lie. And granted, I don’t think I’m completely sober quite yet, but bear with me a while longer. Anyways, the point that I’m trying to make is that even when I’m drunk I’m usually telling the truth, especially about something as important as The Avatar Guard. So if you’re coming with me to Ba Sing Se I’ll hitch you a ride.”
“I can pay for myself,” Mulan replied, preparing to get into her bag,
“Don’t bother,” Zak laughed, “I’m not paying for you. I’m getting us a free ride there, so it’s no cash out of my pocket either.”
Zak flashed some type of card to the person behind the counter and then subsequently pointed to Mulan.
“She’s with me,” she said, and the two of them were able to quickly find seats as the monorail prepared for departure.
Once they were inside, Mulan made her self as comfortable as an 8 month pregnant mother could.
“Wow,” Zak commented, “I’m surprised we didn’t get harassed by The Order or something for that. Usually they try to frame me.”
“You seem to have a pretty bad reputation here,” Mulan commented, “no offense or anything.”
“Eh,” Zak shrugged, “none taken. I do have a bad reputation here. The thing is: I can beat the juice out of anyone who tries to stop me, so no one does. The reason I ran from that last fight was because I didn’t want you hurt. I may not seem like a woman of good ethics, but I am. I’m not gonna let a bunch of potentially drunk guys and girls beat up on a pregnant woman.
“Thank you for showing concern for me,” Mulan said gently,
“Not a problem, kid,” Zak replied, “the thing is: The Order doesn’t care who you are. If you’re a friend with them, they’ll leave you alone. If not, they’ll try and take you out one way or another. The stories I could tell about the matter could fill the Wan Shi Tong Library twice at least—it’s pretty bad.”
“I just have one more question,” said Mulan,
“Go for it,” Zak shrugged, “I don’t bite.”
“How old are you,” Mulan asked, “I mean, you’ve called me ‘kid’ a couple of times, and it just makes me curious.”
“Eh,” Zak laughed, “I’m only 22. What about you?”
“25,” Mulan replied, “so I guess I AM older than you.”
“Eh,” Zak shrugged again, “it’s just a bad habit I get into, kid. Sorry if it offends you or anything.”
“I’m okay,” Mulan replied, “I’m just sort of surprised. You look much older than you are.”
“It’s a gift,” Zak said off-handedly, putting her feet up, “I still say you look a lot like Yangchen—and she looked pretty young.”
Mulan just shrugged.
“I guess so,” she said, “it is not up to me to decide that—rather, the forces of nature which make us grow up.”
Zak didn’t respond. She did stretch and yawn though.
“I’m gonna get a little shut-eye,” she said, “Wake me if anything interesting happens.”
“I think I’m going to do the same if you don’t mind,” said Mulan, “I’m still a bit weary from my trip and that recent scuffle.”
“Alright,” Zak shrugged, “sounds about reasonable. I mean, it’s gotta be tiring to carry a weight like that everywhere,” she pointed at Mulan’s stomach and Mulan nodded, yawning herself.
Ironically, Zak stayed awake and Mulan fell asleep. Knowing how much the city of Fengtai had been influenced by The Order as well, she didn’t trust anyone, and wasn’t about to let anyone come near her or Mulan.
It was rare that the airbenders were seen in places like this in this day and age, and their bright orange clothing always made them stand out, and so anyone who would occasionally pass by would always take a glance at Mulan, and also Zak because of the way she was dressed and because of the way she was built. Zak didn’t care at all though.
Just like Zhin and Tu-Sung had been awaiting the arrival of Ju Long and (they had hoped) his wife, Zak and Mulan were looking forward to uniting (in Zak’s case reuniting) with the avatar guard. And though it was slightly different, they too were Awaiting the Arrival.
~Azula~
