Avatar: Scorching Earth // Not Accepting!

(@Kobi just made up a random name. I'd think the person was very high up in the military or a few regular people know is name. I'll leave it up to you to decide if Seijin knows them or name. Same goes for Rumi; you can have Kohaku ignore Yotem or have Kohaku know this person or not. It's all up to you guys)

Y O T E M \\ 19 \\ waterbender \\ tags; Zasi, Kesuk, Kohaku, Seijin
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Yotem stood with crossed arms as he listened to the banter between Zasi and Kesuk. Not a care in the world, those two. Zasi’s outgoing personality was starting to rub Yotem the wrong way. She acted too innocent, too trusting, always trying to make peace and friends with everyone. It reminded him of someone precious, someone who too wanted to only have peace in the world. But that kind of attitude only killed that someone and taught Yotem no one could be trusted. Yotem suddenly felt a squeezing pain in his left arm. He looked down to see that his hand was gripping his arm tightly, nails digging into the skin. The waterbender relaxed his hand and let out a sigh. The scars of the past were still too new and too painful. He needed, wanted, to forget the truth of the past and to only focus on his mission, the vengeful force driving him forward.

Zasi and Kesuk soon moved their conversation to food. At the thought of it Yotem’s mouth started to water a little and he soon became aware of how hungry he was. Just leave or stay, but don’t distract me over unnecessary things… he thought. He soon saw the two start to head off. It looks like they aren't staying after all. Yotem caught Zasi taking once last glance behind her, a worried look on her face. Was she afraid that Yotem would act out now that he was alone? He knew why; at just the sound of firebenders Yotem was ready to kill. But he had calmed down and could think clearly he knew better. He decided he would only kill them if they tried to go after one of the refugees. Yotem glanced into each of the cells; Kohaku was sitting quietly and Seijin was meditating, or so how it looked. He turned around and leaned against the corner of the cell, staring into the night sky. Despite being by the firebenders, it was very quiet. The silence, along with the cool air, was very relaxing to Yotem. No loud conversations, no noisy kids; just the symphony of echoes created by nature. It reminded him of his home; isolated yet serene. Memories once again occupied his thoughts. Yotem was remembering the cold air, the starry nights, and the mountains that surrounded him. It all gave him a sense of security. He was remembering the times where he would walk through the snowy landscape blanketed by silence, where he could let himself wander and dream without being taunted or cursed at. And then he remembered what awaited him when he returned to his home; his sister, always standing outside in the cold to wait for her brother to return. He remembered how she made him feel; welcomed and warm, as if he belonged in the world. She was Yotem’s only true friend, as any friends he made in the village turned their backs on him as he got older. It was so calming to just dream of good memories…

Then he heard the screams. The smell of smoke, the angry red blazes of fire. He saw the blood, felt the fear. When the flames died off, all he could remember was being drowned by grief and fueled by revenge. And he remembered, once again, why he left his home, why he continued to live, and why he turned into a monster when the word ‘firebender’ rang in his ears; it was to destroy the man who was a cause by great evil. Yotem gripped the hilt of his blades when the name echoed in his head, his disgusting voice triumphantly boasting about the heinous crimes and the thousands that he killed. It made Yotem’s stomach churn; just the thought of him caused Yotem to be sick. Yotem jumped out his thoughts when he heard noises come from one of the cells. He pushed himself off the cell and turned to see Seijin fidgeting. What was she doing? But she soon stopped. Yotem wondered what it was all about. As Yotem gazed at the prisoner, an idea popped into his head. These two in the cells were firebenders and Yotem knew another one. They had to know about that man. Judging by the horrid acts that he committed and of the great people he slaughtered, he must have been an important figure within the Fire Nation. And one of these two had to know them. Since none of the other benders had returned Yotem decided he would ask. It made him frustrated that he would utter the name of a man he hated most, but he had to in order to carry out his vengeance. He crossed his arms as he addressed Seijin and Kohaku. “You, firebenders.” he announced sternly, directing his intimidating gaze to Kohaku before turning toward Sejijin. “Do you know anyone by the name of Azron?” As he said that name the grip on his arm tightened. Too much pain, fear, and hatred belonged to that name. As he waited for an answer He heard footsteps behind him and soon the kind, bubbly voice of the airbender. He held his gaze on Seijin for a bit, wanting an answer, before turning around to face Zasi. He kept his mouth shut before returning his attention back to the firebenders, his notion of silence rejecting offer of food. He would verbalize his thoughts, saying he didn’t want help, but was too focused on waiting to see if one of the firebenders could answer Yotem. He looked into Kohaku’s cell and then to Seijin’s, his heart pounding against his chest as he anxiously stood in silence for a response.

Zasi waited for a moment for a response, but all she got was a hard look before the waterbender focused his attention back on the firebenders. At first, Zasi wasn't sure how to respond. She turned to Kesuk and shrugged. Sighing in defeat, she opened her sack and pulled out some fruit. She sat it gently on the ground near the holding cells. She was sure Yotem was just as hungry as she was, so why was he being so stubborn? She made sure to leave some extra for Seijing and Kohaku. It left only two pieces of fruit left for her and Kesuk, if he was still eating with her. She turned to Kesuk, a smile on her face. One thing about Zasi that people admired was her ability to smile through things. Sometimes she wasn't super bubbly, but she would still smile. She bounced on her toes a bit, ready to get moving. "So... Ready for dinner? Your tent or mine?"

Kohaku opened his eyes and pushed himself off the wall, leaning forwards to look at the waterbender. He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at the waterbender. The waterbender had a hard-set face and glowered at him before he turned his attention to Seijin, asking about someone named 'Azron'. The name seemed familiar but he couldn't place where he had heard it before. Azron was probably some higher-ranking official, given that even he could recognize his name, although he didn't associate it with anything. Kohaku sat back again, leaving Seijin to answer the waterbender. It wasn't as if he had ever paid attention to politics or the military--it had never been crucial to his survival. He couldn't see any way he could provide useful information. It was disappointing; information may have helped him get on any better side of the waterbender, but he doubted it would have helped much in his situation anyways.

Kesuk watched as the other waterbender ignored Zasi. Well, that was pretty much what he'd expected would happen. Actually, it was exactly what he'd expected. Kesuk wondered why Zasi tried so hard to help those around her. Did it ever benefit her? On the contrary, he could imagine that trait getting her into trouble a lot. Despite being ignored, though, Zasi went ahead and set some fruit down for Yotem. Kesuk guessed that the waterbender wouldn't touch it, but if he wanted to starve, so be it. Kesuk didn't particularly care one way or another. He just couldn't understand why Zasi tried so hard. Didn't she ever get tired of people like Yotem? Or people in general? In the middle of his little analysis, Zasi turned to him and asked where they should eat. Well, she had mentioned that her tent was closer to where they currently were, so they should go with that. Personally, he wanted to get dinner over with and go back to his own tent. Usually, he just ignored other people; dealing with a sizeable group of them all day had worn him down. "Yours," Kesuk said simply, turning around to walk right back the way they'd come.

Zasi let out a small sigh at Kesuk's quick response. He began walking back to camp, and she quickly caught up with him. She rubbed her eye a bit with her wrist, trying to stifle a small yawn. She was very warn out, and her act of charity being shot down didn't help the situation. It was obvious that Yotem was busy fussing about the firebenders, but flat out ignoring someone definitely did not set well with Zasi. Sure, some people didn't want help and she understood that. It always made Zasi feel better when she helped someone or made someone smile. She had always been stubborn when it came to making others happy. This time, she had to accept defeat. "Do you think he ever smiles? There's no way a person can be satisfied with life and not smile at least once. I mean, even you have smiled. Yes, even a small smirk counts." Zasi pointed a finger at Kesuk teasingly, a small smile playing on her own lips.

Kesuk watched Zasi yawn and rub her eyes. It made her look rather like a defenseless child. She started asking him about Yotem and whether or not Kesuk thought he ever smiled. How should he know? Moreover, why should he care? Other people's facial expressions were not an interesting topic of conversation in his opinion. So he just shrugged, his non-verbal way of communicating that he really didn't care about this subject at all. But as they reached her tent, a thought struck him, so he stopped and faced Zasi. He asked her in return, "Have you considered that he's not satisfied with life?"

Zasi sighed when Kesuk shrugged. She smiled and gave a mock over exaggerated shrug back. Chuckling silently she glanced over at Kesuk. When they got to her tent, Kesuk turned to her. 'Have you ever considered that he's not satisfied with life?" Zasi thought for a moment, biting her lip. "How can you be unsatisfied with life if you have barely even experienced it? I'm not sure how old he is, but he doesn't look much older than us -just assuming. There is no way he could have seen everything there is too see. Life is so full of emotion. Sometimes we get too caught up on one emotion we can't take in life in it's entirety." Zasi gives a small smile and a decisive nod, liking the way she worded her thoughts. She glances at her tent and decided to take a step towards it. Looking over her should she called back to Kesuk before completely entering her tent. "You coming or not?"

((Zasi is over talking like she understands the world, even though she just barely turned 16 XD))

Kesuk blinked when Zasi started talking philosophically. Maybe something had come out of her temple training after all. Still, she hadn't exactly grasped what he'd meant. "Perhaps that's true," Kesuk replied as he followed behind her, stepping into the tent, "but think about it. He's a refugee, like the rest of us on this island. We're here for a reason. The majority of us have seen our families or friends killed. We've seen a lot more than most people have. Besides that, there's his general attitude. Both of these lead me to conclude that he was traumatized, and he's probably seen a lot of death. When one's life is steeped in death or pain and they know hardly anything else besides that, how could they be satisfied with life?" Well, that had gotten far deeper and far more personal than he'd meant it to. Why was he discussing the waterbender anyway? It wasn't like it mattered to Kesuk. In all probability, he'd never see the man again. ((HA THINK AGAIN CHILD!)) Kesuk stepped to one side and seated himself in a corner of the tent, opening his own bag to pull out some food.

Zasi opened her own bag, pulling out the remaining fruit and setting it in front of her. After what Kesuk said, she realized that she might be the only one who had never seen death in the entire camp. She didn't come here because she was forced out of her home by the Fire Nation, she was here because she was sad for these people. She didn't necessarily feel pity or sympathy, but she felt like she should help them. She wanted to make sure everyone lived. They had been through so much. It didn't seem fair that they all had to live their lives with nothing but anger and sadness. Zasi glanced up at Kesuk again. "Yeah, I guess you are right." She cleared her throat and opened the tent opening a bit more so there was light seeping into the tent. Sitting back down she looked around her very bland tent. The only things in it were her small amount of personal belongings, a makeshift bed that rested on the ground, and the two benders. She never really spent much time in the tent, so there was no need to decorate. She glanced at Kesuk and blushed slightly. "Sorry there isn't much to look at in here. I don't usually have guests." I've never invited a boy to any housing I've had either. she thought to herself. Even growing up in the temple it was weird for a girl to invite a boy to her tent, no matter what age. She could imagine what the elders would have said if they saw her now.

Kesuk bit into an apple, feeling slightly relieved that Zasi had apparently decided to drop the subject on her own. It wasn't something he wanted to keep discussing, whether he was in a more talkative mood than usual or not. She looked sad though, and that was odd. In the short time that he'd known her, he had never seen her look so downcast and quiet. It seemed like an abnormal expression for the bubbly airbender. Even so, she made a valiant attempt at lightening the atmosphere by changing the subject and apologizing for the lack of decoration in her tent. "What, do you think that any of the others' tents are better? In my experience, refugees generally don't have a lot of home decorations." That was his slightly-sarcastic way of saying that he in no way cared what her tent looked like. It was just a place to sleep and little else. In fact, it probably would have bothered him more if her tent had been filled with flashy, useless things when she was living in a refugee camp.