[Kana] Dark Alleyways

[Riko Oshiro]

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[atrb=background, i47.tinypic.com/la49u.jpg] The younger girl listened intently as Kana explained how she had learn. The flame dancing between her fingers set the disheveled teen into a sort of trancelike state, and she was mesmerized by the flickering light. I'm not any weaker or stronger than those guys we fought off, I just... Fight different I guess. Riko closed her eyes again, nodding quietly. That made sense. The waterbender probably could have learned how to fight well if she had had the time to watch the soldiers and students spar with each other. Unfortunately, she had to carry on the family legacy. Riko often wondered, if she had shown a keen interest in waterbending like she had racing, would her parents have encouraged her to keep on with school and to let them take care of the buffalo-yaks? She decided to voice her thoughts to Kana. ”My mom's having a baby,” she started, her fingers entwining with Yukiko's thick pelt. ”and that's why I left. I was upset because she hadn't thought it through. She thought Republic City would change me, make me a more carefree person. And now that I'm gone, that baby's only going to replace me.” She felt warm stickiness, and realized that Yukiko was bleeding. The buffalo yak made a soft nicker. They must have been too cruel, she realized, and she wondered where else her mare was hurt that she couldn't see. Regardless, they couldn't be large woulds. ”The baby will probably be a better fighter than me. And when he becomes old enough to join the military, I'll be called back home to take over the farm.” Her eyes squeezed tight, and a single tear slid out of the corner of her eyes. ”Why am I telling you this, anyway?” Riko said regretfully, realizing she must have sounded like a spoiled brat. She had all the money she needed - every cent she had earned - but to anyone else from the water tribe, it must have looked like she came from wealth, and she was on a little outing to get away from home, because she had acted out too much. I suppose that is kind of the case, she thought to herself. Up north, she had everything she had ever wanted. Down here, she got attacked in the street by rampant thugs. TAGGED !

[/color] Jenni <3
WORD COUNT ! 395
CREDIT ! hand stock from marchetooo @deviantart, water brushes from Project-GimpBC @deviantart[/font][/size]





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[Kana Saitou]

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[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i48.tinypic.com/124a7mb); height: 10px;]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/124a7mb); height: 10px;]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/124a7mb.jpg); height: 10px; width: 125px]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/124a7mb); height: 10px; width:10px][rs=2]
[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/jrr1gi.jpg); border-top: 3px solid #34476f]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/jrr1gi.jpg); border-top: 3px solid #34476f]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/jrr1gi.png); border-top: 3px solid #34476f; border-right: 3px solid #34476f]

[atrb=style, width: 500px, bTable][atrb=style,width:20px][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]	[atrb=style, width:10px; background:#84979e url(http://i48.tinypic.com/124a7mb.jpg);]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/jrr1gi.png); color:#34476f; font-family: Arial; border-right: 3px solid #34476f; border-left: 3px solid #34476f; border-bottom: 3px solid #34476f;][style=font-family: Georgia; font-weight: bold; color: #ac1a1a; padding: 0px 10px; line-height: 1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.1em #003244; text-transform: lowercase]Kana "Aria" Saitou[/style] [style=font-family: TimesNewRoman; text-transform: uppercase; padding: 0px 6px; color: FFFFFF; border-top: 1px dotted #b4cef0; border-bottom: 1px dotted #b4cef0; margin-top: -5px;]We are the Kings & Queens of promise, We were the victims of ourselves.[/style] [style=font-family: Georgia; font-weight: bold; color: #a4b8ce; padding: 0px 5px; line-height: 1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.1em #003244; text-transform: lowercase;]“[/style][style=padding: 17px; color: 4e4b5d; font-family: Tahoma; background: #7e97b7; margin: -20px 20px -23px 20px; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; border: 1px dotted #b4cef0;] She listened to the other in silence, at first her thoughts teetering between pity and understanding, to almost viewing the other as simply selfish. But she did understand, not because she related, but because she saw it happen growing up. When she was in a gang, she'd known a girl, a non-bender. Both of her parents were benders, her mother both a healer and a fighter to some degree, her father part of the tribe's military. But she was just a nonbender. When she was nine, her mother had another child, a water bender like their parents, and a son at that. The girl practically became a slave to her brother. That's why she'd ended up joining the gang rather young. Kana heard the shift in the other's voice, and caught the glint of the tear streaking down her cheek, and she hissed near-silently, moving a hand up to the other's back. "You're telling me because chances are, here in the city, you don't have a lot of people to talk to about it. It's fine." For a moment she considered, staring off to the side as her mind wandered slowly. "At least you'll have family to return to. When I was a younger teen, I ran away from home. I just couldn't stand how my parents treated me and my fire bending. So I left, ended up living with the leader of the gang I was in. Took on a new name, moved to another part of the north... Never saw my parents again. I have no idea how they responded to my disappearance--It'd be nice to find out that they cared enough to search for me, but even if they did, they obviously didn't search hard enough. I'd think it'd be pretty easy to put two and two together when you hear that a young, water-tribe fire bender was seen setting someone's home on fire." Her voice dropped as she spoke, taking on an almost gravely tone as she thought about what things were like for her in the Northern tribe. She sighed then, shaking her head. "I couldn't even return now if I wanted to. I didn't exactly leave the gang on a positive note. If they found out I was back, well..." She forced a little grin on her face, peeking up at the other girl. "Let's not go into that."[/style][style=font-family: Georgia; font-weight: bold; color: #a4b8ce; line-height: 1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.1em #003244; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: right; margin-right: 15px]”[/style] [style=font-family: Georgia; font-weight: bold; color: #a4b8ce; line-height: 1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.1em #003244; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: right; margin-right: 15px]― kana "aria" saitou[/style] [style=font-family: Courier New; text-transform: uppercase; padding: 0px 10px; color: FFFFFF; border-top: 1px dotted #b4cef0; margin-bottom: -15px]NOTES : LOL FINALLY REPLIED HEY[/style] [style=font-family: Courier New; text-transform: uppercase; padding: 0px 10px; color: FFFFFF; border-top: 1px dotted #b4cef0; border-bottom: 1px dotted #b4cef0; margin-bottom: -15px]CREDITS : template by JAWN of AA, OTE, DMB and TC[/style]	[atrb=style, width:10px; background:#84979e url(http://i48.tinypic.com/124a7mb.jpg);]	[atrb=style,width:20px]
	[cs=3][atrb=style, height:10px; background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/124a7mb.jpg);]

[Riko Oshiro]

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[atrb=background, i47.tinypic.com/la49u.jpg] Riko once again fell into a daze as she listened to Kana's story. She watched her, with one cheek on the scruff of Yukiko's neck. It was nice to finally hear the firebender open up to her a little bit. Her comforting voice washed over the disturbed and worn-out girl, and it felt good to be talking to someone from home. Those she interacted with every day had acquired a sort of compiled accent, with bits and pieces of speech taken from every nation. Kana spoke just like she was from the north, though - she sounded just like Riko's parents, just like her friends, or anyone she had known or gotten close to when she lived there. Her story was not uplifting, nor was it really cheerful in any way. Kana and Riko were not in exactly similar situations, but they understood each others' situation. I couldn't even return now if I wanted to. I didn't exactly leave the gang on a positive note. If they found out I was back, well... let's not go into that, said Kana, a small, forced smile on her face. Riko laughed a little. "Are you joking? You were amazing back there. You could probably take your entire gang out if you wanted to. They've got to still respect you in some way, anyhow." Right as she finished her statement, she wondered if perhaps she had gone too far with continuing the conversation about Kana's gang. Briefly, she wondered if the firebender would consider joining a gang up here - even that nasty Agni Kai group that had attacked them just minutes before. Riko realized that Kana would likely feel at home in one of those groups - as a gang member, and as a firebender. In Republic City, she had seen more fire and earthbenders than she had ever seen in the whole rest of her life. It was truly astonishing, and she wondered if it made Kana feel more comfortable, in a way. TAGGED !

[/color] Jenni <3 blah awful post etc
WORD COUNT ! 330
CREDIT ! hand stock from marchetooo @deviantart, water brushes from Project-GimpBC @deviantart[/font][/size]






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[Kana Saitou]

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[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i48.tinypic.com/124a7mb); height: 10px;]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/124a7mb); height: 10px;]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/124a7mb.jpg); height: 10px; width: 125px]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/124a7mb); height: 10px; width:10px][rs=2]
[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/jrr1gi.jpg); border-top: 3px solid #34476f]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/jrr1gi.jpg); border-top: 3px solid #34476f]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/jrr1gi.png); border-top: 3px solid #34476f; border-right: 3px solid #34476f]

[atrb=style, width: 500px, bTable][atrb=style,width:20px][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]	[atrb=style, width:10px; background:#84979e url(http://i48.tinypic.com/124a7mb.jpg);]	[atrb=style, background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/jrr1gi.png); color:#34476f; font-family: Arial; border-right: 3px solid #34476f; border-left: 3px solid #34476f; border-bottom: 3px solid #34476f;][style=font-family: Georgia; font-weight: bold; color: #ac1a1a; padding: 0px 10px; line-height: 1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.1em #003244; text-transform: lowercase]Kana "Aria" Saitou[/style] [style=font-family: TimesNewRoman; text-transform: uppercase; padding: 0px 6px; color: FFFFFF; border-top: 1px dotted #b4cef0; border-bottom: 1px dotted #b4cef0; margin-top: -5px;]We are the Kings & Queens of promise, We were the victims of ourselves.[/style] [style=font-family: Georgia; font-weight: bold; color: #a4b8ce; padding: 0px 5px; line-height: 1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.1em #003244; text-transform: lowercase;]“[/style][style=padding: 17px; color: 4e4b5d; font-family: Tahoma; background: #7e97b7; margin: -20px 20px -23px 20px; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; border: 1px dotted #b4cef0;]She felt a slight pang through her as Riko spoke, and she had to scoff, shaking her head immediately afterwards. "No. Not know. Besides, every single one of them was loyal to the boss--He was their savior from whatever life they'd lived before. For years I was just the kid who lived with him. His personal murder pet." Kana looked over at Riko for a moment, though her eyes didn't seem to really connect with the girl's. Instead, she seemed to stare straight through her, until finally she shifted her gaze off to the side once more. "I could never beat him. He was a powerful and overly crafty waterbender who always knew just how to dispel my fire. Unless I can learn how to Lightning bend while I'm here, there's just no way." Her attention turned to her fist while she spoke, as a soft plume of flame appeared around it once more. Then it disappeared almost right after, as she finally shook her head, as if shaking away the thoughts in her mind. Thinking about the gang was never good for her. She was trying to get away from it. When she came to Republic City, Kana had no intention of eventually returning home to get rid of the gang. She didn't want that idea in her head. She just wanted to escape. [/style][style=font-family: Georgia; font-weight: bold; color: #a4b8ce; line-height: 1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.1em #003244; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: right; margin-right: 15px]”[/style] [style=font-family: Georgia; font-weight: bold; color: #a4b8ce; line-height: 1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.1em #003244; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: right; margin-right: 15px]― kana "aria" saitou[/style] [style=font-family: Courier New; text-transform: uppercase; padding: 0px 10px; color: FFFFFF; border-top: 1px dotted #b4cef0; margin-bottom: -15px]NOTES : TEXT HERE[/style] [style=font-family: Courier New; text-transform: uppercase; padding: 0px 10px; color: FFFFFF; border-top: 1px dotted #b4cef0; border-bottom: 1px dotted #b4cef0; margin-bottom: -15px]CREDITS : template by JAWN of AA, OTE, DMB and TC[/style]	[atrb=style, width:10px; background:#84979e url(http://i48.tinypic.com/124a7mb.jpg);]	[atrb=style,width:20px]
	[cs=3][atrb=style, height:10px; background:#84979e url(http://i47.tinypic.com/124a7mb.jpg);]

[Riko Oshiro]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,20,true][atrb=align, center, true][atrb=style, background: url(http://i48.tinypic.com/25ywsxt.jpg); width: 400px; border-radius: 20px; box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000; -moz-box-shadow:1px 1px 3px #000; -webkit-box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000;,true][atrb=style, background: #221e1d; opacity: 0.98; color: e8e2ca; border: 1px solid #aaa27d; border-radius: 10px; text-align: center; padding: 5px; box-shadow: inset 0 0 10px #000; -moz-box-shadow: inset 0 0 10px #000; -webkit-box-shadow: inset 0 0 10px #000;][style=font: bold 30px Georgia; text-shadow: #000 -1px -1px 0; margin-bottom: -5px; display: inline;]riko[/style] oshiro [tr] [style=border: 2px solid #aaa27d; display: inline-block;]

[atrb=style, background: #221e1d; opacity: 0.98; color: e8e2ca; border: 1px solid #aaa27d; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: inset 0 0 10px #000; -moz-box-shadow: inset 0 0 10px #000; -webkit-box-shadow: inset 0 0 10px #000;][style=font: bold 30px Georgia; text-shadow: #000 -1px -1px 0; margin-bottom: -5px; text-align: center]like a million[/style][style=font: 9px Courier New; color: #fff; text-align: center]TINY JASMINE FLOWERS[/style][style=font: 11px Tahoma; text-align: justify; padding: 10px; text-shadow: #000 -1px -1px 0;]Riko listened intently as Kana explained why she could never return to her gang. It seemed pretty rough - so Kana had found a way up the ranks, but it was only because the boss happened to like her. The firebender seemed a little disconnected, a little bothered reliving these memories. She played with fire in her hands, and Riko watched for a little bit as her friend got lost in her thoughts. The young woman decided that perhaps it was time to change the subject before her savior got too upset. She thought a little about how Kana had fought off that huge gang back there, and wondered how she could doubt herself - then she remembered that back home, they were all waterbenders, surrounded in their element. Kana wouldn't stand a chance. While they had all been good friends back then, and Kana had been a worthy ally, once she was gone, she became the firebending enemy. "So, you never saw a buffalo yak race back home?" she said with the hint of a smile, patting Yukiko's neck through her thick fur. Trying to wipe off the trauma of the events only a few minutes before, she straightened up a little. Yukiko nickered a bit. "How would you like to see how fast one of these guys can go? I promise, she's the fastest around, and she needs to stretch her legs a bit." Patting the saddle behind her, Riko half-expected Kana to decline her offer, for not being in the mood. But it would certainly lighten the air between them, and it would give her a chance to show Kana a glimpse of her previous life. Kana had surely displayed a taste of hers, and it wasn't as glamorous or happy as one would expect it to be. Maybe some night wind on top of an enormous speed would put a happier smile on the older girl's face.[/style]

[atrb=style, background: #221e1d; opacity: 0.98; color: e8e2ca; border: 1px solid #aaa27d; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: inset 0 0 10px #000; -moz-box-shadow: inset 0 0 10px #000; -webkit-box-shadow: inset 0 0 10px #000;][style=font: 11px Tahoma; text-align: justify; padding: 10px; text-shadow: #000 -1px -1px 0;]TAGGED : Jenni <3 <3 WORD COUNT : 320 NOTES : haha omg had to squeeze this one out... CREDITS : Template by JAWN of AA, OTE, DMB and TC[/style]

[Kana Saitou]

ooc// TOO FUCKING LAZY TO DO TABLE THING UGH /

The sudden change of subject didn't go unnoticed by the seemingly distant firebender. It was an obvious, almost awkward jump in conversation, but Kana was thankful for it. She didn't want to dwell on the past, or the future. Not yet. Not so soon after finally getting away.

How would you like to see how fast one of these guys can go? I promise, she's the fastest around, and she needs to stretch her legs a bit. At the proposal, Kana blinked a few, slow, curious times, slowly coming to a stop in her step. She considered the other for a moment, along with the steed who she was mounted on. "Right now?" Her hesitation stemmed not from a lack of desire to ride the creature, but, surprisingly, out of concern, which wasn't apparent until she continued. "You think she's up for it?" She gently pat the head of the animal, before meeting Riko's gaze once again.

The girl seemed so sure---Sure enough to convince Kana, at least. She let out a quiet hum, before finally shrugging her shoulders, taking a step back, and to a better angle. "Hell. Why not?" She moved her hand to the back edge of the saddle, bouncing once on her feet, before managing to throw a leg over the creature, sliding into the spot perfectly behind Riko.

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