A Chance Meeting

Mieko set down her empty mug, hard. "Are you looking at me Kross" she snapped. The black makeup around her eyes make her gaze as piercing as the sharpest swords. There was a silence for a good ten seconds. "Least you know to look for the beautiful women". Mieko sneered, her response was unexpected to say the least. But it was a grant-less jest, it didn't mean anything. "You can make up for your slight by buying me another ale".

Mieko grinned wide knowing the man was lying, but decided to save him some face by not joining in. "If Tsu is paying than I'd be glad to fetch my own drink". Mieko pulled her legs up to the bench, kicking off with a hand on the table to roll over upside down. She stuck the landing, and didn't disturb anything on the table to much. "Off to beer I go"! Mieko trotted off back to the bar to fetch a round for the table, shy one alcoholic one for the boy.

Hirako just sat there trying to read them under the table he played with a mini ball of fire twirling it in his fingers he thought about everything that was going around him everything seemed odd about this bar...It was not about the amount of people in it but most of them seemed to have the same attitudes about them. Not everyone was though occasionally one would stand out more than others but not by very much. Hirako thought these people were fairly different from the others he had seen in taverns across the fire nation. The capital of the fire nation which he is most likely wanted in the capital here there were peaceful hard working people but in the fire nation it was much different. Soldiers roaming the streets guards in every village that were fairly strict about the rules unlike here they were more of a friendly type. A small smile grew on Hirako's face.

Mieko returned with two glasses in each hand. Three ales, and some drink made of fruit they have around here she figured Tsu would of liked. Some big loud guy had just burst in to the bar and demanded drinks for himself, than sad down with the others. "Did it occur to you big guy that you can SAIL to Ba Sing Say, and probably make just as good a time"? She laid the drink out to the others. An ale for Kross, Hirako and herself, and the odd one for Tsu.

Mieko sat down where Kross had been, since the big guy had made Hirako move in to hers. "So Hirako, whos your friend"?

Kako wasn't as worried about his name as his student seemed to be. He was a wanted man, but this woman did not seem to pose a serious threat. If she were a high ranking military officer, he'd probably have heard of her. So the chances were she was just a traveler. "I'm Kako, and although we could take a ship, it means sailing around the Earth Kingdom, which definitely takes longer than going through it. Besides, Earth Kingdom ships and crews are unreliable."

Kako signaled to the innkeeper for another ale. "Assuming intruding into private conversations isn't your primary occupation, what brings you to Gaoling?"

"It's faster to take the desert if the Sandbenders will ferry you, but walking through it is easily twenty times slower than taking a ship, if you even live. And even if you get a lout crew they'll still probably get you there in one piece.". Mieko sipped her drink casually. She thought she knew that name of his, Kako. Somebody with it, maybe.
"That would not be intruding if I was already seated at this table before you barged in hollering like a Hog Monkey for drinks old man. I was just getting some for us". Another old man jab Hiroko wouldn't like. She took an even longer drink through this interval of her reply. "Now that last bit. Guess you can call me a traveling pilgrim. I've no destination though. I'm on a quest to find my place in this world on the advice of a dead friend". She lowered her voice somewhat, "And maybe find myself". The half empty mug found a resting spot on the table. Mieko would of gone on about something to do with Firebending, maybe something else. But memories of Qim flooded back into her mind. Her eyes looked towards the mug, distracted and half closed. She tuned out the sounds of the tavern, old memories took hold of her focus.

Kross had not left to go upstairs yet, he was watching all of the people talk. He felt comfortable enough with these people to at least talk to them and it was quiet, and Meiko had rejoined them... that last factor alone was enough to make him consider staying up longer. He wrestled with the thought in his mind before going to rejoin the group, its not like he had to make use of his room since he wouldn't be paying. He would have to be nice to Tsu, it was the least he could do, and it was never bad to have a rich, generous, earth bender as a friend. and using people for his own good was not beyond him.

He rejoined the group but didn't sit, simply stood nearby, so that he could see Meiko at all times, she was the only one out of the lot worth looking at after all. "If you cant make use of the sand benders. And do not wish to sail, your best option is to join a trade caravan heading up that way, they have pack animals and carts usually and it beats walking and they are more than happy to let benders travel with them as it keeps bandits and thieves away." He shrugged, He had traveled between the two a few times, but always over land or in the air. "Sea is probably the best option though, but more expensive, in my experience anyway."

Hirako smiled at his masters comment and aswell as Tsu's he thought about raveling with more people it did seem beneficial. Although Hirako was still trying to read these people like a book he trusted them some-what as long as they weren't out to get him he would be fine. Hirako didn't really want to travle by sea he was not fond of it. Traveling by land would be more fun he thought of it in a way to see the world for it's beauty. Even though some things in the world can be horrible Hirako wanted to see everything he could and even better he's making friends. Which isn't a specialty of Hirako's. He also didn't want to pick the route because it was probably better if someone else would these lands are different from the fire nation.