Finding a Master (Open)

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

There didn't seem to be any particular reason for the people in the street to be so busy- it wasn't Avatar Day and there didn't seem to be any other signs of a different local festival- but nonetheless people seemed intent on rushing around. It wasn't the same sort of carefree rush of air and merriment that followed the Air Nomads when they were excited though. Instead, everyone had their own work to do and didn't seem to have the time for anything that might distract them, even if it was only from putting one foot in front of the other. She'd been in other cities but none of the previous ones seemed quite as singularly focused as Ba Sing Se. Did the people shape the city into its aura, or did the aura of the city shape the people?

The thoughts filtered through the back of her mind as the rest was mostly focused on what Dartan was saying, her expression more curious as they moved along another street, this one lined with various shops and restaurants. "I'd imagine somewhere called Serpent's Pass would be dangerous," Erity remarked with a smile. "But it is sad that you didn't get to see the Bay, I've heard it was lovely. The shore of the island the Temple is on was one of my favorite places to watch the stars at night. The water makes the sky seem more crisp, you see, and there's very little to really block the view." Given that he didn't seem like the kind to do a good deal of stargazing her words may not make a good deal of sense to him but she wasn't one to hold back her thoughts or feelings. Open honesty was one of her trademarks and whether people found it annoying or endearing that was their choice.

There came the question of why she'd come to Ba Sing Se- and it wasn't something she had an exact answer for, or at least not one that came readily to mind as anything but a fickle whim. "When we were younger a friend and I decided to go traveling together and see the world, so now we are. This is supposed to be the wonder of the Earth Kingdom so it seemed like the right place to stop on the way to the Bulwark to help with the problems at the Spirit Rift. I guess we're both good enough fighters but we're more of medics and that can come in handy. Why did you decide to travel here, Dartan? Are you trying to learn more Earthbending?"

[shadnicth]

Dartan simply smiled as Erity began to speak about how it was sad that Dartan didn't get to see the Bay in it's entirety. She commented on how she loved the shore and Temple that had a view over the ocean. Dartan smiled, imagining the scene in his head. While it may not have been what was actually there, the image in his head portrayed a sunset atop a temple that towered into the sky, the wind blowing gently as he sat atop of it, looking at the sunset with a smile.

He snapped out of the daydream as Erity continued to speak, answering his questions about why she was here. She said that she was here to travel. Her and a friend had promised to see the world. So that was exactly what they were doing. She also commented on them heading to the Bulwark to help with the Spirit Rift problem. Dartan seemed shocked that someone would want to go there. He heard stories about how the demons and spirits were set wild there, killing anyone that they laid eyes on. He was about to comment on that, when Erity asked him why he was here, adding if it was due to Earthbending training.

"Um... Yeah. There's no masters in my village, so I decided to head out here and find one. That and maybe send some money back to the village... Help them out a little..." He said, before he took a breath.
"So why the Bulwark? I mean... You know what's there..." He said, not saying it too loudly.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

Erity could understand why people would want to avoid the Bulwark; the stories that came from there were often unpleasant, especially considering the nature of the place. The Temple she'd been raised in was the closest to both the Spirit Rift and the Burning Legion, bringing the difficulties there as well as its importance into a sharper focus than most would need to view it in. Until another Avatar could reappear and find out what had bothered the Spirits and brought them to wish so much violence against the creatures of the physical world all that could be done was to fight them, or to support those who did so.

"Well, Kaoru's a healer and I'm a medic, and it really seems as though they'd be the people who need our help the most," Erity responded with a light smile, the thoughts that swirled in her mind showing as a distracted expression that came over her eyes, giving them an otherworldly expression of wonder. "A lot of Airbenders from my Temple go there to help, it's a good chance to get real-world experience and we are known as nomads." That was her version of a light joke and the cheerful twinkle cut through her usually thoughtful expression. "Being in one place doesn't always suit us I suppose, otherwise we wouldn't have that name."

There seemed to be a lot of commotion in another one of the squares as they walked through it, all of it centered around a group of acrobatic performers with a sloth-bear, and without even realizing it the Airbender stopped to watch, then moved a bit closer, far more drawn to the bear than the other cavorting around it. Plants and animals were one of the topics which most drew to Erity and she'd spent a good deal of her free time simply observing their interactions with the environment. It didn't seem reasonable that the natural habitat of such a creature would be inside of such a populous and developed place.

[shadnicth]

Dartan knew of the Bulwark and the situation with the Spirit Rift and how the world was being plagued with spirits. He knew that it would only be the Avatar who could fix that problem. While he didn't know much on the Avatar, the stories he was told in his village were that the Avatar was the spirit of the planet in human form. It was because of this, he/she was the only person capable of bending all the elements, as well as cross freely into the Spirit World and back. He/she was the bridge between the two worlds. So until the new Avatar was revealed, there would be this problem with the Spirit Rift.

Dartan snapped out of this thoughts as Erity replied to his questions, since her friend and her were medics in someway, they should be there to help. She also commented that a lot of Airbenders from her temple were going, as they never stayed in one place for too long. He just smiled in response.
"Well that would be a trait for a nomad." He said with a smile.

As they walked, he didn't notice that Erity had stopped and kept walking a few paces before turning around, seeing she had stopped to watch a show going on.
"Erity?" Dartan asked her, as he walked back to her, following her line of sight to the show with the acrobats and the sloth-bear. He turned back to her.
"Do you like the show? We can stay and watch if you like?" He asked her.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

The noise of the people around her would have been oppressive if Erity had been paying any attention to it at all, but instead she was completely focused on the bear gamboling behind the acrobats, all of whom seemed only halfway good their art, not that she would say so. While she was an honest creature she'd learned at a rather young age that it wasn't her place to give her opinion unless it was completely vital, and often times when it wasn't others would take offense. Which was their right, of course; no one was allowed to tell anyone else how they should feel or think.

"I was just wondering why the acrobats had a bear. They don't seem like they'd live in the city naturally," she said to Dartan, glancing at him sideways and giving a slight smile. "It does seem like it's feeling a little low, and a bit thin. Perhaps that's why it's not performing with the rest of the people." She'd heard of such groups from some of the other Airbenders who stopped at the Temple to visit their friends or family but this is the first time she'd had the chance to see it.

As she watched the performance drew near its close, all of the men and women making something of a lopsided pyramid while the bear scratched his head and pulled at the chain around his ankle. Cai chittered in irritation at the noise and the crowd of people, moving herself to Erity's head again and then jumping up into the air to glide above the crowd. "Why do they keep the bear chained up?" she asked her current companion with a more perceptive air to her demeanor, cocking her head slightly. "It's because he wouldn't want to stay otherwise, isn't it?" It did seem counterproductive that they'd keep an animal who didn't want to remain among them, especially when it would take so much effort to do so, but sometimes people didn't have many sensible reasons for doing things.

[shadnicth]

Dartan just blinked a couple of times as Erity asked why they had a bear that was not native to the city being part of the show. He didn't quite know how to answer that, as he never saw a show like this before in his life. The only animals he saw were the badgermoles who lived near his town and the odd Sabertooth Moose.
"Um... I really don't know... Maybe they found it as a cub and raised it?" Dartan suggested as Erity continued with another comment, this time about how it seemed low and was not performing.

"Maybe it's just tired or something?" He replied to her comment, watching the performance with Erity. It seemed that Erity was concerned more for the bear than for the people in the show, as she then asked why they chained it up. He opened his mouth, about to answer her question, before she beat him to it with another question, this time commenting that it was because he wouldn't want to stay. Dartan just shrugged.
"Maybe it's so that the audience is safe, in case something goes wrong?" Dartan suggested, even though he knew what Erity was probably going to suggest next.

He knew that Airbenders were pacifists, and as such, cared for all living things. So he had it in his head that Erity would want to free the sloth-bear from captivity and send it on it's merry way home. However if that were the case, he knew he couldn't exactly stop her. So if that was to be the case, he would be prepared to help.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

It seemed that she'd managed to fluster her new friend, which certainly wasn't her intention, but that wasn't something that was completely new to her either. Most of the new people she met seemed to be completely puzzled and a bit exasperated at the Airbender's way of speaking and questioning the world around her, especially when something seemed not to make sense to anyone but themselves. She'd raised Cai from when the lemur had been very young but she'd never had to tie her up at all- but then the Air Nomads were used to lemurs and they were much smaller than bears. Cities had many odd rules about things, and maybe there was one about creatures of a certain size needed to be restrained inside of the walls, like they did with their zoos.

"You're most likely right," she stated in a calm tone as the acrobats took their bows and the bear shifted his weight beside them, a bit uncomfortable with the leg iron but on a long enough lead that he could at least move with some freedom. "When I was at the Temple I used to study animals and plants a good deal so I suppose their natures and habits are more interesting to me than most people find them. I've never seen a sloth-bear like that before." With a smile she pushed some of her hair behind her ear and tossed a bit of leechi nut straight up into the air where Cai caught it and quickly popped it into her mouth before landing back on Erity's shoulder.

With a quick pat for the large-eared and fuzzy animal Erity set the rest of the open bag of leechi nuts in reach of the sloth-bear before taking a step back and turning in the direction they'd been heading to begin with. "Those help with digestion and healing so perhaps they'll make him feel better as well," the Airbender predicted absently but with the confidence of someone who knew something about medicine before looking at Dartan again. "I know I'm probably keeping you from your work and I'm sorry I got distracted. Would you like to get something to drink from one of those stands? Everyone else seems to like them."

[shadnicth]

Dartan's mind went at ease once Erity had agreed with him about the situation of the sloth-bear. While it wasn't right to keep an animal chained up like that, it didn't seem like the bear was mistreated in anyway. Dartan smiled as Erity then began to reminisce about her time at the Temple, and how she studied plants and animals.
"Wow. You must be really smart then..." Dartan said, watching as her lemur caught a nut that was tossed to it, and landed on her shoulder, eating it.

After Erity had set the nuts down for the bear to eat, she had mentioned that it would help him feel better. Dartan smiled.
"Wow... nuts can actually do that? If so, I should eat a few more of them." Dartan said with a smile, hoping to make the girl laugh. It was then that Erity asked if they could get a drink. Dartan nodded.
"Of course. I've actually finished work, so I've got some spare time." Dartan said as he walked over to the nearest stand.

"What do you drink?" He asked, pulling out his coin bag from his side.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

"I didn't have many friends so instead of learning about people I watched nature," Erity replied in an easy tone, not at all ashamed by that fact. "The nuts really will help too, there's something about them that seems to help with illnesses. I learned about it when I was training to be a medic, you see." While they didn't have the same skills as the Waterbenders to heal wounds with the use of their element and energy the Air Nomads had found ways around that limitation, mostly with learning to avoid harm but also using the natural world and some more creative methods to give first aid. She'd grown up watching her mother cure various ailments and eventually fall to one she'd kept from spreading to the rest of the Temple, and after her experiences it seemed only natural that she'd go into the same field. Some of her teachers said she had an odd sort of talent, but they thought she had an odd way of going about most things so the Airbender didn't really notice.

The mention he made of being done with his days work was comforting and she nodded, smiling slightly and with a whimsically cheerful air. "I don't know what people in the Earth Kingdom drink but as long as there's no meat in it I shouldn't mind tasting anything," Erity assured her Earthbending friend as she looked around, the noise of the crowds dying down now that the acrobat's performance was finished, leaving only a slight murmur and the sound of the sloth-bear crunching leechi nuts. "And I should be the one paying since you're showing me around. Otherwise it doesn't seem very fair at all. Is there some custom against that?" There was a tone of deep curiosity in her voice but no malice; to her it was a completely valid question, as she'd heard that there were many cultural differences between the Air Nomads and those of the more earth-oriented areas.

[shadnicth]

Dartan didn't exactly know how to comment or reply when Erity said that she had undertaken nature studies as she didn't have many friends. Was he supposed to feel empathic towards her lack of social life? Or praise her on her studies? However her tone seemed somewhat easy, so it would be acceptable for Dartan to comment on it.
"Well, as long as you're doing what you like, I suppose it's ok then." He said with a smile as Erity continued speaking, talking about how the nuts had properties that assisted with healing, and that she had learned it while training to be a medic.

It made Dartan think about his own skills. He knew how to mine, thanks to his Earthbending, and recently learned how to bake bread, cakes and other baked foods. Other than that, he only knew the basics of Earthbending. No real skills to speak of. Perhaps if he enlisted in the Earth Kingdom Army, or even as a Dai Li agent, he could improve his skills, maybe even learn more.

However his mind passed with those thoughts and he had asked Erity what she drank. She said as long as there was no meat, she'd try some. Dartan just smiled.
"No, there's no meat in these drinks. I'd be concerned if there were. It's only a small stand." He said to her as he looked to the attendant.
"I'll take two Jasmine Teas please." Dartan asked the attendant who nodded and began to prepare the drinks.

He turned around as Erity asked him if she could pay, as he was showing her around it seemed only fair, adding that if there were any customs against it. Dartan just laughed.
"No, no, there's no customs against that or anything. I just think since you're new in the city, It's more than fair that one of it's occupants gives you a treat." He said with a smile as he placed 3 silver pieces on the table, taking the teas and giving one to Erity.

"Careful, it's a little hot." He said to her, taking a small sip from his tea.
"So where to now?" He asked her.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

Something she'd said had obviously amused him, but his laugh was a nice one and didn't exactly seem to be aimed at her but more toward what she said so that was alright. There was something more lighthearted about the boy even while he was completely grounded and somehow 'Earthy' and it drew a distracted smile to her face as the Airbender watched him pay for the teas. "Then thank you for the treat," she replied in her wispy, lilting way, giving a bow before carefully taking the steaming cup so as not to spill a drop. "It smells very nice."

With a smooth motion of her hand she blew away the steam gathering at the top of the cup and took a quick sip, then gave the drink a thorough consideration which probably looked a good deal as if Erity was lost within her own head. "I like it even though it is rather hot," she finally pronounced in a calm tone, only the slight flash in her eye showing the humor she meant to infuse into the statement. Of course she liked it- it was good, so anyone would have. Even Kaoru would have enjoyed something like this, even if Yui may not have. They did have quite different tastes for sharing the same body.

Dartan's next question confused her a bit and she cocked her head, cradling the cup in her hands as she considered. "Where is is there to go other than the Inn?" Her experience with cities was a bit limited so she had no idea what there could be within the walls. Of course all of these buildings weren't homes, and most of the ones they passed as they walked seemed to hold shops with various wares, but she was traveling to the Bulwark and buying souvenirs didn't seem like the wisest course of action. Of course they'd need supplies and such but it was best to wait for Kaoru so he could have a say. "I don't really know what there is here besides people and shops."

[shadnicth]

Dartan simply smiled as Erity thanked him for the treat that he was bestowing upon her, and bowed his head to her after she had commented on the smell coming from the tea itself.
"You'll like it, hopefully. This guy works at this tea place called the Jasmine Dragon in the Upper Ring, and that place is known for having the best tea in the Earth Kingdom." Dartan said as he handed her cup to her, smiling.

Dartan took a sip from his tea at the same time as Erity did, the warm liquid travelling down his throat and warming up his body, almost as though there were a Firebender inside him, keeping him warm. Erity commented on the tea and Dartan chuckled at her, noticing the humour in her voice.
"Well I'm glad that you like it." He said with a smile, bowing his head to her once again. He was happy to spend some time with people other than the family he was staying with in the city. And while he did like his baking job, he kind of wanted to do more.

So when he asked her if she wanted to do anything else, Erity replied that she didn't know what there was in Ba Sing Se. Dartan just looked at her blankly, raising an eyebrow at the young Airbender.
"Are you kidding me?" He asked in a playful tone.
"This is Ba Sing Se! There's almost anything you can think of! We've got the Avatar Aang Zoo, Lake Laogai, The Crystal Catacombs, A whole lot of stuff!" He said with a smile, taking another sip from his tea.

"If you want, I can take you to the Crystal Catacombs? They're directly underneath the city and there's tunnels that can reach there" He said to her with a smile.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

Dartan did seem very surprised that she didn't know more about the city she'd found herself in, but the Airbender wasn't perturbed by that fact at all. It was just another place and she'd never had a doubt that if she couldn't figure out what the city, Kaoru would. They were a team and when she got easily confused or distracted either he or Kai would bring her back to reality and explain exactly what was happening. In turn she helped take care of them, cheering up Kaoru or reminding him of what Yui had said or done and helping Cai when she was a bit too small or flighty to accomplish something on her own. They were a family, and the closest the three of them probably had to such a thing.

"Crystal Catacombs?" she repeated quietly to herself as she mused over the possibility, absently taking another careful sip of her tea. It really was rather good, somehow sweet without having anything added to it, and that was a nice touch. "Will there be skeletons there? I've heard that many catacombs are used to store tombs underground." It wasn't that she was trying to be morbid or frightening; she often wondered about such things and took words far too literally, or so she'd been told. Part of what Kaoru such a good friend to her was that he understood what she meant and answered her questions without batting an eyelash most of the time.

Smiling a bit Erity drew herself out of her revelry, then offered Cai her teacup, which the lemur sniffed and then dipped a finger in before tasting it from her fur. "All of those places sound interesting, especially the Zoo, but perhaps the Catacombs would be a good first choice. I've never been underground before so it's a bit hard to imagine." The Airbender had never really understood why some of her fellow Nomads preferred to stay above-ground, and she knew that bison hated to go below ground reason even when their lives were at stake, but it seemed unreasonable to her. Even stones had some kind of air to them. "Have you ever been there?"

[shadnicth]

Dartan smiled as Erity began to ask about the Crystal Catacombs, asking if there were skeletons or tombs, since she had heard rumours of other catacombs. Daratn laughed as he looked at her with a smile.
"No... No, nothing like that... It's actually Old Ba Sing Se. The city used to be underground before they built it on the surface." Dartan said with a smile as he looked down to the ground, and then back to Erity.

Erity said that while the other places seemed interesting, the catacombs would probably be the best place to go. Dartan smiled as she said that.
"Then grab on to your lemur everything loose, because we're going there now." Dartan said as he stomped the ground, moving his hands around a circular motion. The ground split apart, a circle forming around the pair as the ground gave way, the pair dropping into the earth below.

About 10 seconds of falling and darkness later, the ground opened up to reveal the top of a massive chamber, lit up in a translucent green from the crystals nearby, the water glowing a soft shade of green as the pair fell to the ground below, having came out of the ceiling. Dartan landed on the ground, using his earthbending to soften the fall. He looked around to find Erity and see if she landed safely.
"Erity?! Are you OK? Where are you?!" He called out to her.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

When Dartan laughed she was slightly surprised, but she knew that he didn't really mean to laugh at her ideas- it was only that he hadn't heard them before. At least he didn't seem to get annoyed as easily as some of the people who had in their minds that they knew more than she did. "It's not that I mind bones or tombs, but they do seem to change the atmosphere of a place," she explained in a bright tone, nonplussed at the thought. "It will be dark down there, won't it?"

As soon as the question left her mouth she felt the ground fall away; Cai gave a screech of alarm and Erity briefly wondered if there was any chance of someone who didn't mean to stumbling into the hole and hurting themselves, but the air breezing by kept her from elaborating mentally on that possibility. Cai spread her arms and jumped into the air, catching the draft and gliding on it while Erity opened her staff with a quick movement and caught her grip on it. The wind from the fall was more than sufficient to keep her from hitting the ground, and once she had that draft it was easy enough for her Airbending to keep her aloft.

Now that she didn't have to worry about the ground, which really was pretty far below, the Airbender had a chance to look over the catacombs themselves. There was a good deal of green crystal that seemed to hold onto the light and refract it through the caves until there were only mid-afternoon shadows. A few careful turns kept her clear from hitting any of the outcroppings and she heard Dartan's landing on what had to have been softer ground; at the distance he'd fallen landing on stone would have broken his legs.

Evidently he hadn't thought to look up yet and seemed a bit anxious that she hadn't landed next to him, but Cai was far from impressed, swooping around the Earthbender's head and continuing to screech in a scolding way, her lemur eyes wide with panic and annoyance. "I'm fine, don't worry," Erity called down, continuing to swoop along the walls until she landed on one of the flat-topped pieces of crystal. "It didn't seem like landing right then was a good idea so I decided to stay up here. Should I come down now?"