The Advocates of Badassery

Subject: The Advocates of Badassery Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:42 pm

Shula Njoo	"Shu-yuuuu!" The sound screeched in Shula's ears, and she sat up immediately in her bed, dreams interrupted. She almost hit her head on the bed above her. "JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE THE FIRE LORD DOESN'T MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE CHORES, LAZY BUTT! I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE ON VACATION." Pikya continued, her voice grating through the house; Shula only smiled, letting out a huff of air from her nose instead of a laugh. She climbed out of the bed, tapping on the wood of her bunk-mate above her. Lahra rolled over with a groan, and Shula pointed downstairs with a look of mock-fear, before tossing some clothes at her. Lahra almost threw them back, then thought better of it and dressed as she sat in her bed, then hid under the covers again with a stifled giggle. As Shula tied her hair up to get it out of her face, she could hear stomping on the stairs. "Are you two up yet?! Lah-riiiiiiiii!!!! UP!" Pikya said, and Shula could hear her coming closer. She intercepted her at the door; "My, my, Pikya, don't you look lovely this morni--" Shula began, to distract Pikya from Lahra, but Pikya shoved right past her and dumped a whole bucket of water onto Lahra. "AIIIIII-EEEEEEEEE!!!!" came Lahra's screech of protest, leaping out of bed and almost falling on her face as she fell from the top bunk to the floor with a resounding crash. Shula covered her mouth with her hand to hide her grin as Lahra looked up at Pikya with daggers for eyes, soaking wet and shivering. Pikya seemed satisfied and took Shula's arms in her vise-like grip and dragged her down the stairs of the small yet expensive beach home. "Don't you think the freezing water was a bit excessive?" Shula asked with a small smile, knowing just what reaction she would get form Pikya. Pikya was a pretty Fire Nation noblewoman, twin sister to Lahra and she acted like an actual adult. The two were as different in looks as they were in personality, to which Shula found funny. Pikya looked a little older, with stress-lines from worry and over-work, her hair a dark chestnut color and green eyes--she looked like she was from the Earth Kingdom, although she was a Fire Nation gal to the core. Passionate, instinctive, and quick to temper; she was noble through marriage and was expecting a child in a few weeks. Lahra on the other hand took after her Water Tribe personality traits to a T, choosing to be carefree and 'go with the flow'; she acted more like a disobedient twelve year old, and Pikya was constantly looking after her older sister. She looked like a Water Tribe noblewoman would be expected to look like, too, although she was no where near noble in anyone's courts--except maybe her own. Shula always wondered a little at how the sisters look like Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe girls when they were both Fire Nation (with extremely Fire Nation-esque parents, too), but she supposed such happened when bloodlines were mixed and forgotten. Pikya puffed up a little, as if getting ready to launch a volley of loving curse words at Shula, when someone knocked on the door. She gave Shula a piercing look and bustled off to get it; Shula tiptoed off, finding Lahra at the foot of the stairs. She put a finger to her lips before whispering, "Shh....", to which Lahra nodded with a grin, and headed into the kitchen. She grabbed a bagel and her beach wear and headed out the backdoor. She changed in one of the tents on the beach. Shula took a deep breath as she sat in the sand, watching the waves lap over her legs. Many were running about the island, music playing here and there, a few drunkards attempting to sit in her lap at more than one occasion. She pushed these away easily enough, not really getting upset as she understood what a little too much sake did to a person. She looked over her shoulder more than once in the direction of Pikya and Lahra's beach house, slightly worried of what Pikya might do to her if she were found; pregnant women were not ones to be messed with. Eventually, she grew tired of sitting in the sand, and stood, brushing herself off; she was dressed in a bikini top with a wrap skirt, revealing much of her toned body; a thick puckered scar raced down her bare back. She headed into a theater on the beach, a cool dark place that seemed to be starting a show soon. She bought a ticket from the salesperson at the front, who had ogled at her and then bowed in respect before allowing her entrance. She sat in one of the many seats after searching for one, as the place was quite packed. Many were dressed in their beach-wear, and she didn't feel the slightest out of place. She watched the stage, tilting her head to the side as she began watching whatever it was that she'd just sat down to enjoy. She didn't vacation often, and the trip to Ember Island had been last minute as her adviser had recommended she take a break. Pikya and Lahra--old friends from her childhood (when she had free time)--had happily taken her in until she could wind down just a bit. She was quite frazzled these days, and with another deep breath, settled into her seat to wait.
Mood: Fine Condition: Wonderful	Fire Lord Shula Njoo

Subject: Re: The Advocates of Badassery Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:28 pm

"Again."

Silvery eyes snapped at narrowed blues, expression devoid of mischief. Kiyoko swallowed dryly, cutting her eyes away from familiar wrinkles hardened by years of being a gisaeng master. She slid her feet apart and cocked her arm backward, pivoting on her heel to slash at the air. A trio of shimmering water arcs ripped through the darkness of their rehearsal hall, precisely clipping a pillar of compact wood into three quarters.

"Again."

This time a flash of fire, widened in an arc, yet she was faster. Kiyoko nodded curtly and bent her knees, eyes twinkling and lips pursed. With a flick of her wrists, swirls of water slithered up from the large earthenware pots and hovered above. She moved her arms into counter-clockwise circles, thinning and expanding the tentacles at will. Punching outward, one of the tentacles snaked through the air and smacked against her 'opponents' flaming arc with a hiss!. The whip recoiled and Kiyoko turned, snapping the other in tandem and turning them from liquid to solid in a matter of seconds. When the ice blades collided, the blazing arcs and remaining wood pillars shattered on contact; immediately launching a spinning kick. Her wrists bent themselves in an awkward angle, summoning blobs of water from nearby vessels. They morphed into daggers, targeting random pillar fragments while the rest lined up another in a straight peg-line.

The only sound was her heavy breathing, and muffled claps echoing through the dark halls.
Her instructors nodded with approval.
The geisha flicked her manicured fingers and smirked.

[color=red]"Well done Kiyo-san." Mistress Luyen smiled, which ended up resembling more of a grimace. She stooped up with a traditional bow that refused to meet her eyes. Kiyoko and her 'partners' did the same. "Keen, precise eye as always! Fluid movement, and only a hint of fiery aggression. You as well Yume, Narika, Shizuru, excellent firebending forms!"

Kiyoko gathered her ink-colored hair and tossed it over her shoulder, faintly registering it rolling down the grey of her 'training' clothes. "XieXie, Sifu Luyen. Your critical eye is forever appreciated."

"Yea! What Kiyo-chan said sifu Yenyen!" Shizuru giggled behind her fingers mercilessly and ducked as the middle-aged woman moved to swat at her. All fours girls bowed once again and headed for the theatre's Troupe hotspring down the hall.

----

'There's nothing like roiling water and steam to get your chi going. Ah, I could sit here forever.' Kiyoko grabbed hold of a canister of spice oils and turned it upside down, watching it pour into her hands lazily. The purplish-red goop slithered over her slender fingers, illuminating her hands under agni's flickering glow. Slapping her hands together, she lathered the oil and ran her palms over the porcelain of her skin; running her hands over the softness of her shapely breasts. She actually paused before doing so, and looked around to make sure no one was watching her. While she loved her friends, the strange habits they had made her question everything.

'The coast is cle-'

Slick!

A pair of hands ghosted over her bare back and worked her tired muscles. "Hey Kiyo!"

She clenched her hands and sighed, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "Yes. Hello Shizuru."

Shizuru hoisted her legs over the edge of the spring and jumped in with a whoop! She resurfaced moment later and smiled good naturedly. "Ya miss me??"

Sigh. "You're annoying me, Shizuru."
The straw-haired girl pouted and fluttered her eyebrows, resting her chin on a dainty fist. "Come on! I'm your best friend, well...besides Nari and Yuyu, and I wanted to tell you something!"

Something in the way that Shizuru's golden eyes twinkled, told the waterbender otherwise. "No. You came here to gossip." Kiyoko turned and climbed out of the hotspring, sashaying over to a fresh red tunic while her thwacked against her backside. She was aware that her bestfriend's eyes were roving her.

And she did not care.

"Alright so sue me." Shizuru confessed and pouted again. "But I heard from Ryuhei and Shota that the Firelord's here tonight. And you know what that means."

"You don't know that for sure. What did I tell you about lending your ear to such trashtalk?" One sleeve in. "You know better than that."

The firebender sunk into the water until only her eyes and forehead were visible. "I know I know, but THIS couldn't be passed up! Ohhhhhhh Kiyo, d'you know what this means if she IS here?!"

snort. "Oh, I just liiiiiiive to know."

Shizuru frowned and wagged a finger at her. "Unladylike Miss Kiyo. And YOU know, this could be good for us! I've always dreamed to dance before the fire family!"

Kiyoko tied her maroon sash around her waist and bent the water out of her hair, dispensing it in a nearby basin. Quirking an eyebrow, she cast a sideways glance at her wistful friend and tried not to snort. Shizuru's dream was no secret, she'd desired to dance ever since she was a little girl. Her respect for royalty was deep-rooted and bordered on jingoism if the girl wasn't careful. If the Firelady was in fact in the audience, Kiyoko didn't know whether Shizuru would suffer a premature death from excitement.

Best not to stomp on her happiness then.

Instead, she smirked. "Good. In that case, hurry up and meet us in the dressing rooms and get changed. The performance starts in 30; and you'd better have your behind in gear when it's curtain time."

Subject: Re: The Advocates of Badassery Wed Dec 05, 2012 7:22 pm

Shula Njoo	Soft music played in the background--probably some musicians playing behind the curtain to entertain as the customers waited--but was soon interrupted by excited whispering around Shula. She looked to her right to find an excited couple whispering and shooting her glaces; when they saw her looking at them, they both straightened up with their hands in their laps. Shu turned her head slightly, pretending that she didn't notice, and then almost giggled when she saw them look at each other with shocked expression. Alright, so she didn't get out that often; before Novai had taken over, she'd enjoyed in walking the streets of the Fire Nation in various places, meeting as many of her subjects as she could. That was no longer an option. Shula still wasn't always safe from those who believed that, as a male, Novai had true claim to the throne. Her adviser had told her to take a guard or two to Ember Island with her, but Shula hadn't wanted to take an entourage of people who expected her to act regal and royal all the time. At least people on Ember Island payed less attention to her; they were there to relax and have fun too. She blew a strand of hair out of her face as she waited for the dance to begin; she wasn't sure how much longer it'd be, but she didn't mind. It was kind of nice to just sit and relax for a little while and not have to think too much. Every so often her eyes would wander to the door (for Pikya) and around herself (for others). As she did so, someone came to sit next to her; eventually Shula found it to be Lahra, who had come to escape from Pikya as well. Pikya wasn't really all that bad, and at this point it was just a hilarious little prank. Eventually though, Pikya appeared in the doorway of the theater, and motioned silently for Lahra. With a giggle, Shula waved; Pikya waved back with a smile, before grabbing Lahra's ear in her thin fingers and tugging her out of the theater with one hand on her back to help support her growing bulge. Shula turned back to the stage in anticipation.
Mood: Fine Condition: Wonderful	Fire Lord Shula Njoo