[private - Mai] Taking a break

[Chase Sato]

Though they were not out of danger yet, it was nice to know that all of this was about to be over. The fire bender ate in silence, mulling over all the possibilities that they had. As long as they got out of the fire nation, they would be fine. Other then that, their options were pretty wide open, which was nice. He had to eat slowly, his stomach was a little uneasy from not having eaten anything for a while. When he was finished, he helped Mai clean up the mess, putting out the fire. It was nice to see Mai taking to Hiyro as well. She seemed to have a good maternal instinct with her. It would be good for the girl to have a woman around, he knew that he wouldn't be the best guardian to her.

Hiyro thanked Mai and came over to sit with Chase, running her fingers through her newly combed hair. It was obvious from her appearance that they hadn't been taking care of her properly. Well, who does with prisoners, anyways? It was probably nice for her to be pampered, even only a little. "We need another Emu horse, we can't be on foot for too long. It'll take us too long to get away." he hated talking about it in front of his sister, but he couldn't shield her from unpleasantries forever. "I kind of want to go back to Republic City, to be honest. But they're probably expecting us to go there." Chen was able to find him there easily, it wouldn't take those guards much time either. Maybe Ba Sing Se? The thought of worrying about being found for the rest of their lives loomed over him. It felt wrong to just run away. It wasn't good to be in constant worry for your freedom. Part of him wanted to go back and resolve this once and for all, now that Hiyro was safe. This train of thought was beginning to make much more sense then just running, but he doubted Mai would agree, so he kept his thoughts to himself. It still wasn't out of the question.

Suddenly a realization seemed to dawn on him, his eye widening. "Where's Zala?" he hadn't seen her since... he couldn't even remember when he saw her last. Everything had been so hectic, but still, how could he lose her?! Relief washed over him as he saw a dragon cat flying overhead, coming in for a landing. It was almost too convenient, but Zala always had the best timing. Landing, she strutted over to them, something in her mouth. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a small dragon kitten. They were really common around these parts, Zala must have found it abandoned and took it in. "Hiyro, look, Zala brought you a present." he said to her.

[Mai Toriko]

"well no matter, we need to get on the move first." she rose and then made sure Soru was comfortable on her good shoulder. Her body was completely hidden today unlike all the times before and she kept a little more distance but was still smiling. She made sure the girl was ready to travel and even fixed her clothing in classic Mai fashion with ties, knots, and some quick stitches from her sewing pouch around her waist. Mai put the red jewels back around her neck, ready to bend them should they need daggers for protection. "We'll go to the city quickly." she held Chase's hand, "I know that look..." she warned him carefully with a stern tone in her voice, "You even think about ditching us to go in head strong and you'll only drag me into it in a hectic unplanned mess." she whispered the next part, "if we can find a safe place for your sister, we'll go..." she wasn't going to let him do this alone but running fear wasn't something either of them really agreed with. But they had a child to look out for and she wasn't going to let him put her at risk, even if he didn't mean to.

"For now, let's focus on getting things stable." she meant that about more thing than one. heading off in the direction of the city the group found a farm with emu horses. They were common in the area Mai understood there, and acting quickly she hid the girl and smirked to Chase. He stole the last one, but two would make things easier on the animal than carrying all three of them over long distances. Mai and Chase could switch off carrying his sister from time to time and give the animal a break. They snuck into the barn and saw two that were saddled, as if being ready to head out on a trip. "Perfect..." she whispered, just able to be heard. Moving quickly she rangled the thing and rode out, the other's reined in her hands to drag it behind her as she rode out. She heard a man yelling from the barn but she simply laughed and tossed a pouch of coins on the dirt lane way before riding towards the hiding spot and handing the reins to Chase. "Hurry up there." she warned, knowing the man had more animals he could easily follow them on.

[Chase Sato]

Chase looked away as she read him like a book. He partially hated and loved that she could. "Okay. We'll talk about it later." Hiyro wasn't stupid, she knew what they were talking about, but he would just rather not talk about it in front of her. He wanted her to have a good future, and the more he thought about it, the more he was certain that she couldn't have that if they were always living in fear of being seen. Besides the fact that they both stick out with their hair, there was no where he could think that would be completely safe. His determination for resolving this grew with each passing moment. He wanted to face the cowards who killed his parents.

But he agreed, they had to focus on getting things steady before they thought of any of that. They found the farm, and Mai silently volunteered to take care of getting the animal this time. Though he was surprised when she emerged with two Emu Horses, he was also glad. It was a smart decision, they would need the extra for the extra weight. She didn't have to tell him twice to hurry. Almost throwing Hiyro up on the Emu Horse's back, he lept up after her, flicking the reins, they both took off, the yells of the farmer growing more distant.

[Mai Toriko]

They travelled to the earth kingdom once more, taking the short boat ride back to the docking area and riding swiftly to the city. It was an uneventful trip but they didn't take any back roads like they had before.e though it made them easier to spot, they could travel much faster and get Chase's sister to a safer environment. Keeping a little girl out in the woods too many days in a row would be rough on her and Mai wasn't too keen on putting her through it after what she had already endured. They arrived after sunset and thought about staying in a hotel but Mai smiled and led them down a familiar path that led to the seamtress's home. Dismounting her emu horse first she had the animal tied up out back before she knocked tentatively on the door and waited for the woman to answer. She gave her a sweet smile and thanked her for allowing them to leave, "I've run into quite a trouble." Mai then motioned to the young girl behind her, "we have business to attend to in the fire nation that does not bode well for a young one like herself. Is the room up stairs still available for rent?" she asked softly, hoping the woman remembered who she was and how well they had gotten along.

The woman smiled and offered the girl a cookie and gave them a silent nod that they were welcome to use the room. Mai paid the woman with some jewels she had from the theft of the slavers and thanked her for her kindess. As Hiyro was getting used to the house, sitting in the living room eating a cookie and being offered some fresh juice, Mai turned to Chase who she knew was getting antsy. "You're sister is safe here, while she gets aquianted we should leave our pets here with her for more comfort and grab some supplies. I need to start carrying a bending canteen and we need some more stuff to travel since the first emu horse ran with most of it." she explained softly. "Then we can leave first thing in the morning. But no sooner, you need your rest." Mai wasn't about to let him go charging into the situation unprepared.

"Young ones, how about some stew?" the woman offered, already serving Hiyro a large portion and prepping two others. Mai smiled sweetly to Chase and took his hand and lead him inside the home. "You two make a lovely couple you know that?" she said with some amusement in her voice as Mai almost choked on her stew.

[Chase Sato]

The journey back was spent mostly talking to Hiyro. Chase tried to explain everything to her as best he could. He was pretty sure she understood, but it was kind of hard to tell. She wasn't always the most responsive, and after everything that had happened, she seemed to be even more distant. It was probably just a coping mechanism. Hopefully she would just get better over time.

Arriving back in the city was a little nerve racking, Chase kept his and Hiyro's hoods up the whole time. Chen might still be lurking around, and though it was a big city, he was able to find him once, it probably wouldn't be that hard to do it again. He was relieved when the seamstress agrees to let them rent out the space again, and to take care of Hiyro. He expressed his thanks to her, bowing to the woman as she invited them in for food. Mai had done a good job at keeping them fed, but a nice meal would be nice.

He would like to have left earlier, but trying to convince Mai otherwise wouldn't work, he knew. "Okay, but no later." he knew he wouldn't sleep well that night, but she was right, they needed to rest. Taking the stew as it was offered, he began shoveling it in his mouth, almost coughing it out as the woman made the comment about him and Mai being a couple. Hiyro giggled at their shared reaction, nibbling away at her own stew. He blushed and continued eating, pretending he didn't hear it.

After finishing, they went up to the attic, setting up some blankets as a bed for the three of them. Zala was in the window, cleaning the dragon kitten, which Hiyro had named Kiku. The girl curled up in one of the beds, Kiku settling in next to her. Chase sat up in the bed next to her, looking out the small window at the stars. "I can't even believe that all of this is happening." he said, running his fingers though his hair. It was so surreal, his life had been so uneventful, and now all of this.

[Mai Toriko]

Mai smiled as she came up the steps. Working with some fabric she made Hiyro a pair of pajamas and got her cleaned up and dressed for the night, proceeding to brush out her hair while Hiyro was given a comb to take car of the kitten she had found. Mai hummed a little lullaby as she helped the girl get pampered before bed and then made sure she was tucked in with pillows and blankets to keep her comfortable. She let the girl sleep next to her brother as Mai slept on the other side of him after patting her head and then getting herself ready. She changed in the other room and came in with a sleeping gown on and her hair let down and braided to the side before she slipped under the covers.

She was quiet for a long while, "well, the best we can do is deal with what's thrown at us.." she held his hand and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight..." she rolled over but held his hand for a while longer before she let go and faced away to allow him to sleep. Soru and the pets crawled onto the end of the bed and snuggled with them to join them in a restless slumber.

Morning came all too quickly but Mai knew they had to get to the market early in order to get on the road. They mounted their horses and headed out as after Hiyro had woken up and been fed breakfast. Mai had gotten into a routine of brushing her hair and helping her dress. She even fixed her dress with some beads and pretty fabric to fix it up nice. But as they walked through the market in search of supplies Mai felt a presence close behind her. She had left the cloak on the emu horse as they wandered to the booths and gathered their things, however it left the scars partially shown up her neck and the redness on her face. As she rounded a corner she felt a hand reach out and yank her against a hard body. "well I wondered where you had gone." laughed a creul voice.

Mai cried out and tried to pull herself away, disleveling her clothings as she fell on her knees and the scars were fully shown. The man laughed in her face, "well you've certainly let yourself go." he reached down and grabbed the wound as she hissed and tried to move away. "Jesus, bet that drops you're value....such a shame, you were such a pretty little dame." he shoved her back down and actually walked away from her as she was left to fix her clothing.

[Chase Sato]

A small blush crept up his cheeks as she kissed him goodnight. He smiled a little, laying down in the bed. "Good night." he said to her quietly, drifting into sleep almost immediately. He was definitely tired from their journey, and a nice warm bed with blankets was like a comfy, fluffy cloud. Morning came too soon, he didn't even remember dreaming. But that was most likely a good thing, his mind wouldn't produce the most pleasant dreams right now, he thought. Sitting up, he noticed he was the first one up. Tip toeing around Hiyro, he went downstairs to see the old seamstress was already awake. He sat with her for a little while, telling her things that might help her take care of Hiyro. 'You're a good brother.' she told him in a sincere tone, squeezing his arm. He gave her a small smile and nodded.

Mai came down after a while with Hiyro, all dressed and ready for the day. He thought that he was going to have to do those kinds of things, but Mai had taken to helping her with things like getting ready. Again, he was thankful to have her around during all of this. Chase explained to Hiyro that she was going to be staying with the lady for a little, while he went and took care of some things. She nodded sadly, not keen on being separated from him and Mai. He assured her that the seamstress would take care of her, he trusted her.

The market was loud and crowded, which was surprising for such an early hour. It must be a weekend or something. He hadn't been keeping track of the days of the week. They bought some supplies, making their way through the sea of people. After exiting a feed store (for the emu horse), Chase noticed that Mai didn't follow. Backtracking, he found her on the ground, a large man commenting on her scar. Scowling, Chase marched up as he turned to leave, punching him square in the jaw. The large man fell to the ground, holding his bleeding face. "What the fuck?" the scum called out, attempting to stand back up. Chase grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him up "She's more beautiful then anything that you could get without paying for." he punched him again. "Don't ever touch her again." letting go, the man crumbled to the ground, only half conscious.

He turned to Mai, helping her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

[Mai Toriko]

Standing up and straightening herself out she found herself a little red in the face and shocked at his words. Did he really think that about her? She nodded to him that she was alright and tried to find her voice again, "I'm fine..he's just...and old customer.." she hide the scare and pulled her collar up higher before they headed quickly to the emu horses and mounted up. Mai immediately pulled her cloak up and over her head without another word to Chase and they rode out of the city. They had made a scene which wasn't a good idea when Chen could have been in that crowd. They rode in silence, actually able to keep at a good pace but again knowing not to ride hard for too long, wearing the animals out would do them no good for a return trip.

After a while, Mai was able to finally get her thoughts together. "I'm sorry,' she told him as they rode side by side. "You didn't have to defend me like that. It's just how people recognize me, nothing major." she told him softly, "Thats why...the scar is hard to deal with. I don't know to value myself because I've only ever been valued for sex." she went quiet for a while before she turned her head and smiled his way, "do you...really think that about me?"

[Chase Sato]

It wasn't a good idea for him to have done that. A lot of people were staring now, and the police were probably on their way. Making sure his hair was tucked under his hood, they made off, riding quickly out of the city. He knew the animal wouldn't last long if they went full tilt, so they traveled at a steady pace, silently as usual. Chase was glad that Mai wasn't a big talker. He was never one to just talk for no reason, a lot of girls got bored around him because of this. But she didn't seem to mind. Well hopefully she didn't.

Her words broke the silence, it almost startled him, having been used to the quiet for so long. Why did she always have to apologize for everything? " I know I didn't have to." He understood why the scar was so upsetting for her, but he wished she could see it wasn't such a bad thing. "Well at least you know you won't be attracting scum like that anymore." probably not the best thing to say, but then again he was no wizard with words. But it was true. Most if not all of her old customers were probably so shallow they would never look at her twice now. To be honest he didn't even see it when he looked at her. To him it didn't take away from her beauty at all. "And of course I think that about you." he returned the smile.

[Mai Toriko]

Mai smiled sweetly and tucked her hair behind in her hood to see more, actually giving a sweet smile to him. She understood his wording, knowing shortly after meeting him that he wasn't terribly good with them she learned to read between the lines. Mai then thanked him quietly before returning to their quiet ride. Again they had to fetch a boat, never using the same one in case they started to wonder what all the trips were about. They arrived on time in the fire nation and Mai looked up at the mansion again and knew this time there would be fighting involve. The moon was waning now but the strength was still there so she could blood bend. Leaving her cloak with the emu horse so not to get tripped up she joined Chase as they approached. "Promise me one thing...no hero stuff. We do this together." she held his hand and gave it one squeeze. "I'm not going back without you right here with me."The young woman then started their walk up the lane.

her heart was pounding in her chest, worried for him and for herself/ she had never been in this situation before and frankly it scared her half to death to be barging in and ready to completely take on an entire house of guards and god knew whatever else was hiding in side waiting for them. These people had murdered before, she had seen the body. It be a far cry if they ended their lives too. But living in fear was no way to raise Hiyro and no way for Chase to live the rest of the life. Mai had been seen also, she was going to be on their roster as blood bender now and certainly either want her to turn on Chase or be killed to eliminate the threat. She released his hand as they entered and followed his lead.