[Closed] A Taste Of Home.

[Konei Kozuki]

Konei had been feeling pretty nostalgic recently. Republic City was an a-ethnic mush to him. He’d been through the Earth Kingdom before, and out there it was still pretty easy to determine where someone came from and what their cultural values were. In the United Republic, it all started to blur together, and by the time you came to Republic City it was downright impossible. People wore tokens of ancestry unrelated to their gene pool, and once you added bending into the equation it became hazardous to make first-glance assumptions of anyone. Dark skin, blue eyes, Water Tribe getup? Nope, turns out they’re an earthbender, but you sure fell for that trick, didn’t you? And Konei did. Almost every time.

The half-wolf tail in his hair had made a reappearance, as well as a tigerseal fang on a cord around his neck and a pair of blue fingerless gloves. The rest of his attire was the monochromatic blah usually seen in Republic City. Yet, lighter-skinned than most Water Tribe kinsmen, and paler-eyed, Konei was just the kind of generic person that looked like he belonged in the city. But he didn’t. Every now and then he’d get nostalgic for home up north, missing the long nights, short days, and cities of ice. It was the world he came from, but that too was a world in which he didn’t belong.

Konei plonked himself against the main counter to make an order, dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, and exhaled deeply. It had been a long and exhausting day. He lowered his hands, fished a few crumpled yuan notes out of his pocket, smoothed out Avatar Aang’s face, and ordered a bowl of sea prune stew, before practically collapsing at a table booth.

Narook's Seaweed Noodlery didn’t just do noodles, y’know.

[Kana Saitou]

When she was a child, before her bending became a regular aspect of her life (In other words, back when her parents still spoke to her and acted like they loved her), her mother would make these fantastic noodles. They were made with seaweed and other bits that just gave it the most fantastic taste.

As Kana aged, the noodles appeared on the dinner table less and less. Needless to say, when she left home to live with the leader of the gang back in the Northern tribe, the noodles disappeared from her life entirely.

At least, until she discovered this particular Noodlery in Republic City. It'd been almost by mistake, to be honest. She'd been wandering around town, looking for a place to eat, when Milah, her small little rodent friend, the White Hamster that really looked more like a downsized house cat, sprung from her shoulder and into the Noodlery, the smell reminding the little creature of home, no doubt.

It'd become Kana's favorite place to eat ever since. One would think it would make her miss the North,... and yet, to be honest, it made her ever more glad to be away from there. No gang, no judgmental assholes, and now,... Noodles!

She sat at a small table by herself (Unless you count Milah, who was sitting on the table sipping from a small saucer with some broth in it), slowly eating her way through her noodles while simply listening to those around her.

[Konei Kozuki]

Konei sat up, arching his spine backwards and felt a few lumbar vertebrae groan in protest. Bending over a furnace and hammering the crap out of sheets of metal tended to have that effect on a person. He’d been intending to get his back, and his right shoulder especially, seen to by a healer, but he just didn’t have time these days. Rolling the shoulder of his hammer-wielding arm around a few times in its socket, Konei glanced around the noodlery, taking in his surroundings for the first time since he’d actually stepped into the place. A few people sat about, poking at bowls of Water Tribe grub tentatively with chopsticks, and then he looked behind him. There, sitting alone at a small table – if you ignored the tiny white mammal with her – was a female. Water Tribe garb, northern too by the looks of it. Bingo.

Konei hung his elbow over the back of his seat and leaned into the chair, his torso half-twisted to face her. His lower spine clicked a few times gratifyingly when he turned. He stared at her, totally unabashed for a few moments. It was like he didn't care if she caught him staring, or perhaps that he hoped she would. She was cute, too; the left side of her hair was braided back, giving him a great view of her face.

"Water Tribe, huh?" He asked her. They were only a few metres away; he didn’t have to raise his voice by much. He clicked his fingers quietly a few times, in thought. "Lemme guess, waterbender?"

[Kana Saitou]

The voice touched her ears, and for a moment she utterly ignored it--mostly because she wasn't completely sure the words were directed at her. She slurped up a bit of noodles, before finally turning her gaze up--Not enough to actually look at the other, but to see him through her peripheral vision.

Yep. He was talking to her.

"Water Tribe," she said rather simply, rather short. Kana looked back at her noodles. She picked up the bowl between her hands, and held it for a moment. Within seconds, the broth was steaming up as she heated her noodles with simply the touch of her hands to the ceramic.
Only then did she raise her gaze completely to the man, expression rather flat and plain.

"Not a Water Bender."

Her dull expression shifted then, a slight, smug little grin pulling at the corners of her lips. She eyed the other then, slowly glancing over his form, before she simply looked back at her noodles, taking some up with her chopsticks, slurping them away.

[/blockquote]

[Konei Kozuki]

"Damn it!" Konei cursed softly, rubbing his forehead. "Every time."

He turned his attention back to the girl, and only fully noticed the amber-gold eyes when she looked at him directly, and with the fresh steam rising from her noodle bowl... "Ah," he said. "Firebender, huh?" Konei was surprised that he hadn’t noticed the colour of her eyes before. Now that he was aware of them, he just couldn’t look away. They were strikingly out of sync with the rest of her, but not in a bad way.

"Listen, I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to make assumptions about your culture or heritage or anything. It’s just a guessing game I like to play. I usually lose," he added with a crooked smile.

He turned fully, putting both arms over the back of the seat. "Sooo... Water Tribe firebender," he said, raising one eyebrow and warping the scar that bisected it. "I bet that must’ve been fun growing up." There was a slight note of sarcasm in his voice, but he meant it well. The Northern Water tribe held onto old traditions. Men learned to waterbend, women learned to heal, and the north pole wasn’t exactly firebender-friendly, especially since a firebender had killed the Moon Spirit, leading to the sacrifice of the Princess. The same princess after whom Yue Bay here in Republic City was named, apparently.

"You eating here alone tonight or are you waiting for somebody?"

[Kana Saitou]

She gave a quiet snort at the other, simply shrugging as she sipped at the broth of her noodles until the bowl was completely drained.
"Firebender. Unless there are some steam benders somewhere. Now that would be interesting."

Kana smirked a bit as the other stumbled and fumbled over words. She shook her head slowly, giving a slight shrug once more. "Relax, it's no big deal. You wouldn't be the first to guess I was a water bender. I am kinda wearing Water Tribe clothes."

She continued her glance over of the other, taking in his appearance. Tanned, but not quite as dark as her,... Bright eyes, without being overly bright and distinct. Hair dark, styled like some men from the Northern Tribe.
Her attention rested on his eyes once more, and she hummed softly.

At the Firebender in a Water Tribe bit, Kana let out a quiet snerk, turning to stare into her empty bowl.
"Yeah. No. Not really. But I suppose that's why I'm here and not back in the Northern tribe again."
It was safe to say that being a Fire Bender in the north was definitely not fun. Which is honestly quite the shame. After all, Fire was beautiful, useful, and could be gentle. Until you provoke it or try to change it, anyway.

Then, Kana had to smirk once more, peeking at the other again. "Alone? I'm not here alone. Milah's here with me, after all."
As if on queue, the small white hamster-cat creature padded over to Kana's hand resting on the table, pushing her head under the palm with a quiet squeak and purr.

[Konei Kozuki]

Well, what a combination that was. He supposed she’d probably never been cold in the North Pole, at least.

Konei frowned faintly when she mentioned that being a firebender in the north hadn’t been fun. He could imagine difficulties arising from it, perhaps a sense of loneliness, but maybe no worse than what non-benders experienced in a land built for waterbending. But to think she may have been subject to outright discrimination? He’d thought people were past all that stuff now. The war was seventy years ago.

Then she said that she wasn’t here alone, and Konei eyed the white hamster on the table with her.

"Ah, but I bet I’m the better conversationalist," Konei said, and he got up from his table, walked the few metres that separated them and slid into the chair opposite her. "The name’s Konei," he said, offering a hand to shake. "And you are...?" he asked, trailing off as he stared at her eyes. Like molten gold.

[Kana Saitou]

She watched the expressions play over the other's expression with mild curiosity. He seemed to be thinking rather deeply about her prior situation. He, undoubtedly, understood her point of view, where she came from. It hadn't been easy. Not was it fun. But why it seemed to bother someone else, Kana wasn't sure.

'Ah, but I bet I’m the better conversationalist,' His words broke her from her train of thought, and she had to smirk, chuckling quietly as she reached over to stroke above the nose and then just under the chin of the small, cat-like rodent, whose tail flicked cutely at the attention.

"Oh, I'm sure. Milah doesn't exactly hold a conversation very well. I'm not much of a talker, though, so it's fine." She watched the small fluffball as she nuzzled against Kana's hand, basking in the pets and scratches for another moment, before finally pulling away to return to her food.

Soon after, Kana's attention flicked right back to the male sitting with her.
"Kana." She eyed the hand for a moment, before shaking it, her own hand warm to the touch.

[Konei Kozuki]

Her hand was warm. It didn’t surprise him; could firebenders even get cold? If not, it would save them a fortune on central heating. He shook her hand – it was surprisingly small in comparison to his – and relinquished his grip. Her name was Kana, she said. A Water Tribe name. It sounded comfortingly familiar.

"So how come you’re here on your own?" he asked, leaning back into the seat. "Well, minus your hamster friend, that is. Seems odd that you don’t have guys falling over themselves to take you out to dinner."
In a word, she was hot. And he couldn't stop looking at her eyes; they stood in such striking contrast to the rest of her, a hint of the Fire Nation amidst Water Tribe garb and hairstyle.
Staring at her eyes was probably a good thing, though, or else his male gaze would have probably drifted somewhere else and Konei could expect to have his eyebrows singed off for it. And that keyhole panel in her top wasn't making the feat any easier.

At that moment, a server emerged from the kitchens and set the bowl of sea prune stew in front of him. Konei sat up and thanked the guy.
"There you are, sir," the server said, "anything else I can get for you?"
Konei looked straight at Kana. She’d already finished, and he didn’t want to sit there in front of her stuffing his face when she’d already done. "Can I get you a dessert or something?" He asked.

[Kana Saitou]

The other's own touch was cool, but not as cold as a Water Bender's. There was also no power radiating from his touch. 'So he isn't a bender at all. I suppose that makes sense.' After all, most benders are pretty good at recognizing one another. There are exceptions, but not usually. Especially nowadays.

So how come you're here on your own? Her lips had just parted in response, before the other continued on about minus her hamster friend, and she had to snicker quietly, reaching to pet the creature again.
"What? Can't a girl come to a restaurant by herself? Does she have to be on some guy's arm?" Despite her words, t here was a hint of amusement to her tone.

Finally, she shrugged, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs beneath the table. "I don't know. Felt like coming alone. Not to mention the fact that even if I wanted to come with someone, I'd have no one to come with. Perfectly fine with just having Milah, though."

Kana eyed the waiter as he came over, nudging her empty bowl in his direction as he picked it up. At Konei's question, she quickly shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine. Don't eat much, so I'm pretty full already."

[/blockquote]