[Zian, Open] Starting Over

[Arruk Onoe]

The sun had just barely started to rise over the skyline of Republic City as the ship entered Yue Bay. The silhouette of the back lit buildings slowly came into view through the fog, like ghosts fighting to be flesh and bone once again. The statue of Avatar Aang loomed overhead, his Air Temple Island not far away. In this eerie silence, Arruk stood on deck. The sound of the water was comforting, but with the images of the city slowly becoming clearer, foreign sounds began to disturb the calm. Within moments, the peace was gone, and Arruk was amidst the chaos of Republic City.

The deck hands rushed about, preparing to dock. Arruk did his best to stay out of their way. For their part, the workers mostly ignored him. He'd paid a minimum rate for minimum space on a ship that had little to offer in the way of hospitality. But that suited him just fine. Arruk certainly didn't need to be waited on.

As the gang plank lowered, Arruk gathered his pack of belongings and said a quick thanks to the captain before leaving. The captain mentioned a nice southern Water Tribe restaurant Arruk might like to try, if he was hungry. At the moment, he was not, but he took note of how he might find the place later.

His feet hit the wood of the docks with a realization that this was the first time he'd been anywhere but his island home. The thought caused the man to turn and gaze back out across the bay, now crowded with ships coming in with goods, and others leaving. Somewhere out beyond that bay and across the sea was everything he'd ever known or cared to known. His father's bones, his lonely mother. Hana. All lost to him now.

The thought put a bitter taste in his mouth. Arruk turned, his ice blue eyes flashing with the sudden well of anger the memory brought up. He started walking, no direction in mind, and found himself quite lost almost instantly. He wandered like this for a few hours, managing to find his way to a park. Here, it was peaceful. Not many people were about just yet, and so Arruk managed to find an empty bench to sit.

And that is what he did. For a few hours, Arruk sat, his eyes wandering from trees to shrubs to flowers and back again. He was at peace, for a time, content to be. But his stomach soon won over, growling to be fed. So Arruk abandoned his peaceful bench and asked for directions to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery.

He found it well enough and noted with pleasure that he seemed to have beaten any lunch time rush the establishment might see. Arruk placed his order and had a seat near a window where he could watch the bustling street.

[Kalanni]

Kalanni stuck to the shadowed alleys as she walked through Republic City, in search of food. She felt her polar dog, Nasa, at her heels. Nasa moaned, and panted. "Thirsty?" she asked. Nasa nodded. Kalanni lifted her arms and closed her eyes. She pulled her arms closer to her body, and she opened her eyes to find a large amount of water floating in front of her. "I just love how Republic City is just so humid," she said cheerily as she led the water towards Nasa's mouth. Nasa pounced on it, and licked the water up. "Better?" Kalanni asked.

Something caught her attention, and pulled her away from Nasa. She realized that she had reached the road, and would have to start paying attention to where she was walking. She spotted the Sourthern Water Tribe restaurant up ahead. Now what was that restaurant called? Oh, yeah! Narook's Seaweed Noodlery. Kalanni's belly growled at the thought of food. Nasa groaned as she smelled the sweet smell of noodles wafting through the air.

Sighing, Kalanni turned to Nasa. "You hungry?" she asked Nasa. She picked up her companion, and walked towards the noodlery. Great. How am I going to pay for the food?

Pushing open the door, Kalanni looked around. No, she told herself afetr an idea pooped into her head. I'm not going to mug someone. Maybe I don't even have to eat. I guess I could just have some company instead.

Kalanni walked inside, and spotted someone sitting by the window. "Hello," she greeted to the stranger.

[Zian Chen]

It was a perfect day for flying, the weather was just right. There were a few clouds in the sky to offer breaks from the hot rays of the sun, and a slight breeze blew over him. Of course on the ground the air was still, hot, and humid, but up here, it was perfect. Zian had taken Bao, his air bison, out for a ride a few hours ago, knowing that the big guy needed a nice long fly. It had been ridiculously hot lately, Bao didn't seem to want to fly anywhere, he just wanted to stay in the shade of the barn. Which was understandable, his fur was thick, and probably unbearably hot. But today was a little less warm then what they had been experiencing lately, and Bao seemed keen on taking flight when Zian went to feed him this morning.

Knowing that he didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day, Zian pointed Bao's flight path towards the city. The Air Acolyte wanted to just explore the city some more. Maybe get something to eat. The food at the temple was good, but the restaurant food had always been his favorite. The only place he could really take Bao was city hall, so he did just that. It was the only place he felt safe leaving his pet alone in, other then the barn in the temple.

Walking out into the street, Zian strode down the sidewalk, greeting the occasional person that he passed by. Eventually the aromas of a close restaurant lured him in, it was called "Narook's Seaweed Noodlery". The Acolyte had vague memories of eating here a while back, it was good from what he could recall. Pushing the door open, he looked around, all of the tables were occupied. Well the food must be good, it was a full house. The only open seat was close by, a table occupied by a man and a girl. It was a long shot, but maybe they would let him eat with them. If not he could ask for the food to go, eat it in the park or with Bao at City Hall.

He approached the table, his signature smile on his lips. "Hello there. Everywhere else seems to be full. May I sit with you?" he asked politely, his hands clasped behind his back.

[Kalanni]

"Hello there. Everywhere else seems to be full. May I sit with you?"

Kalanni spun around her head at the sound of another voice, her dark brown hair almost whipping the stranger in his face. "Sorry," she muttered. She raised her head, her blue eyes blinking, and looked up at the newcomer. He looked like an air acolyte, judging by his clothes and politeness. Kalanni had no idea what the other person there was doing, so she didn't want to respond and answer his question. Besides, he hasn't answered me yet, either.

At the sweet aroma of steamy noodles drifting around her, Kalanni had to force her stomach not to growl. She could tell Nasa was hungry, as she had begun chewing on the seats. "Nasa, stop it!" she hissed, hoping no one had noticed. I hope I don't have to pay for that damage, she thought worriedly.

Kalanni turned her attention back to the boy that had just shown up, remembering that she had not responded to him. "Um... Well, this is awkward. "Don't ask me. I'm not the one sitting here, exactly," she replied, gesturing towards the other man there. She smiled apologetically, blinking her blue eyes.

He seems so polite. I don't know why I'm having to do this to him, Kalanni thought, suppresing a sigh. She turned back to the man that was there before the both of them, waiting for him to respond.

{sorry, lazy}

[Arruk Onoe]

He'd beaten the rush, but only just. It seemed the instant he sat down, Arruk was surrounded by the shop's customers. This gave him the feeling it'd take some time before he got his meal. With a sigh, Arruk turned his attention to the window and the street beyond. It was mesmerizing to see so many people moving about. It was also quite discomforting. How did they all fit?

Arruk's eyes moved upward at the multistory buildings. He'd never seen structures so tall. The statue of Avatar Aang, the towers, and there... an airship. What was the obsession all these people had with being up so high? The tallest building back home was two stories. And the second was little more than a loft.

Not home. Not anymore. He reminded himself, that bitter taste returning to his mouth. But this place surely wouldn't be home either. Maybe he'd go north. No, too cold. The Fire Nation had many islands, and was a warmer climate. Maybe there. But certainly not here.

"Hello."

At first, Arruk ignored the voice, sure that it was meant for someone else nearby. But the silence that followed carried a strange feeling with it. Finally, it was enough to force the man to turn his head. Standing there by the table was a young girl and a dog. She was looking at him, and for a moment, Arruk's eyes narrowed in confusion. Had she spoken to him? Why? Where were he parents? And what was that dog doing inside the restaurant?

Before Arruk could speak, another approached as requested a seat. This one was young as well, but seemed older than the girl. At least he didn't have an animal with him. The girl spoke, and then turned back. Now Arruk had two strange children staring at him.

This time, Arruk had managed to open his mouth to speak before the next interruption came. This one, however, was quite welcome. A waiter had appeared with his order, placing the bowl down in front of Arruk. Then another was placed across from him.

"For your friend. Enjoy!" and the waiter was gone before Arruk could protest.

Letting out a huff of air, Arruk looked around the restaurant. It really was full. The only two chairs left sat across the table from him. With a grunt, he nodded his head, then ducked it down to dig into his noodles, resolving to ignore the two and leave as soon as possible.

[Kalanni]

Looking strangely at the man, Kalanni tilted her head. What? No "hello" or "Hi, what's your name?" Just a simple nod and a grunt. I guess that's a yes. She sat down, looking over her shoulder to see if the other person had done the same.

"Um, hello...?" Kalanni nervously greeted to him. "I-I'm Kalanni, what's your name?" she asked, trying to start a conversation with him. "A-and this is Nasa, my best friend," she hastily added, gesturing to her little polar bear dog. She cried out, and then settled down contently on Kalanni's lap.

Not the talkative type, huh? Narrowing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on the bustling city behind the man. The streets were filled with people moving about their business, merchants were selling, animals were playing around with each other, and city folk were happily strolling around the streets.

What have I missed all these years, before I ran away?

The sweet aroma of noodles wafted through the thin, clear air. There was steam slowly drifting through the ventilation shafts, looking like clouds as they puffed out through the windows.

Closing her eyes, Kalanni almost felt like she wasn't there, as if she were somewhere else. Like a dream. She blocked out the sounds of the world around her, and enjoyed her small moment of peace. There is nothing wrong with this world. This is a perfect world that we live in, with no beggars or bad guys. Just nice, normal people.

Kalanni snapped back into reality as she opened her sea-blue eyes. Or maybe not.

[Zian Chen]

Zian felt bad that he was impeding on their meal, but he was so hungry. He wouldn't disturb them, plus people did it all the time. It was good for meeting new people, and allowed for more business. It would be a shame to lose the place money just because you wanted to sit alone. But he could order it to go. That was a good idea. He would just wait for the waitress to come over so he could order, then take his food to the park or just eat with Bao. The girl at the table spoke, he wasn't sure who she had said it to, but the man didn't look like he was going to answer anytime soon. "I'm Zian. And Nasa is so cute." he said, smiling down at the canine. He had never seen a polar dog before, but had seen pictured of it in the book his teacher had lent to him about the water tribes. "Are you visiting from the water tribe? it must be really hot for you here." he was going to say 'you two', as the man looked like he was from the water tribe as well, but for some reason he felt like it would just annoy him to be included in the conversation. He was definitely giving off the 'I just want to be left alone' feel.

"But this place must be nice, right? A little taste of home?" he always saw water benders eating in here, more so then other restaurants. He heard that it was pretty authentic from so many people, it must be true. At least the most authentic one could get this far away from the actual source. "I don't know what to order." he said as he looked over the menu, it all looked so good. He wasn't particularly asking her what he should order, just thinking out loud. But he wouldn't pass up a suggestion if it was offered.

[Kalanni]

Aw, how sweet. He thinks Nasa is cute, Kalanni thought. "Thanks," she murmured. Then she remembered the other question Zian had asked. It was almost like a wall, one that was blocking her path. She didn't want to answer that question, but she still knew that somehow she would eventually have to climb that wall. And answer the question.

"Me? Um...I'm just from around here, but my parents grew up in the Northern Water Tribe. When they were younger, they moved here, and then they had me," Kalanni forced her mouth to say. So no, technically I'm not from there? And it's not really hot for me, seeing as I had to be so unfortunate as to grow up here.

At Zian's next question, Kalanni felt like she had come to another brick wall. Taste of home? Yuck. She suppressed a sigh. But this is almost like home. The home I'm trying to get to. She remembered her one dream since she had been a little girl. To escape from her old life, and run away from home, to the Northern Water Tribe.

When Zian mentioned ordering food, Kalanni's stomach crumbled. She had no way to even pay for the food, let alone manage to slip out without paying and not be noticed. She felt like she had come to yet another wall, after crossing to others. But this wall was different. It could not be crossed by answering questions, but holding back from desire.

"So..." Kalanni began, trying to spark up a conversation to get her mind off of food. "Are you from around here?"