She stuck out like a sore thumb; though her mother did warn her that the weather in the Earth Kingdom was significantly warmer than the Southern Water Tribe. Perhaps she should’ve taken her mother’s warnings a little more seriously and packed clothes that were a little, well, lighter. Yoki had her hair tied up a little higher than usual into a pony-tail, her long hair dangling past her waist. She wore a bright blue tunic and a pair of leather boots. Strapped to her waist was a coat she commonly wore back home, however judging by the weather, it was unlikely she was going to wear it anytime soon.

Her purpose here was fairly simple. She decided that in order to be the great healer she strived so hard to become, she couldn’t keep herself locked up within the South’s walls. Perhaps her greatest weakness was the fact that she stowed away in her comfort zone, building up her own walls to protect herself from the outside world. It was a common defence mechanism, and though she knew that her mother was always there to offer support, she knew she couldn’t possibly reach the level of expertise her mother was in if she continued to linger down south. Her parents had faced their own journeys and travels and they both saw far more things in those journeys than what Yoki had seen in her entire lifetime.

She decided to get out of her comfort zone and head to a place she seemed best suited her needs for the moment: the Earth Kingdom. What sparked her interest the most about coming to this place was how different it was compared to the South. Besides that, it didn’t seem as intimidating as the Fire Nation, and the Air Temples seemed downright inaccessible to her.

She couldn’t explain the culture shock once she actually entered the city however. It was quite an enlightening experience venturing out into the big world. She learned several things about herself. One, for a water-bender, she got sea sick easily. Something about the tumbling of waves and the rocking of the boats simply made her feel as though her life was going through the turmoil of lacking stability. Another thing she discovered about herself was that although she loved sunshine, she definitely couldn’t stand the heat. She wasn’t even sure if this was considered warm to most people or not. As someone who literally thrived in snow, the afternoon sun glaring down on her pale skin made her feel like she was about to melt.

She wiped the drops of sweat off of her forehead as she made her way through the city. The most important thing she learned however was how easily she fell in love with the architecture of the Earth Kingdom. The culture was definitely different. She felt as though people here were just a teensy bit louder. The colors were definitely different too; she was so used to the blinding snow white and ice blue that the earthy colors of green, yellow, and brown made her eyes feel desaturated in a good way. She noticed that people here seemed to walk a little faster. It definitely felt busier than her home town.

What she loved most was what you could buy. Yoki was standing in the middle of what appeared to be a market. They had a far wider range of selections compared to the south. She decided to buy things for today’s dinner, and hopefully find a few things she could experiment with for medicinal purposes. Since she was being supported by her parents, her budget was definitely limited and she only had enough money to last her about two week’s stay at most. She had rented out a room at the local inn and she hoped two weeks was enough time to get some work done. Since she was living off of a limited allowance, the sale sign definitely caught her eye. With only books to guide her, she decided she was going to attempt to make chicken stew. “U-um.” She stuttered. “Carrots and potatoes, please.”

Mood: Nervous/ Excited Condition: Feeling Warm

Okay, things were definitely weirder in other countries.

Here she was peacefully buying vegetables for tonight’s dinner and this person shows up and offers to pay her a yuan so that he could buy them instead. This was all confusing for her. Was there something special about these vegetables? Yoki blinked and looked at the stall owner who had already put the vegetables in a small rattan sack, he shrugged.

“Oh, um, well I was thinking of making stew tonight.” Yoki explained. “But, um, well, if it’s really that important to you, I suppose you could have em. I mean, you don’t need to pay me.” Perhaps she just realized that she seemed to talk to much when she was nervous.

“Or well, I could make stew and give you some, if that would be a good compromise. ”

Mood: Happy Condition: Blah

”My parents?” Yoki was confused. She was glad he accepted, it meant she could experiment with her love for cooking. “Oh, my parents.” She shook her head. “I…Well, I don’t actually live here.” She felt as though that was obvious, or maybe there were just way too many different cultures in the Earth Kingdom. “Actually, um, I’m here for research mostly.” She told him.

“I’m a healer.” She felt as though saying that was redundant. Why else would she be here for research? “I’ve been in search of different herbs and ingredients that aren’t available in my village.” She shrugged. “And well, I enjoy cooking too, so there’s that.”

It then struck her that maybe he was asking cause this kind of behavior was frowned upon by society. A flash of red came across her cheeks. “Ah! If you were thinking that I’m some creepy girl, it’s not like that! I’m innocent, I swear!” Yoki was flustered, very flustered.  

Mood:  Embarrassed Condition: Frantic

”As a cover up?" Yoki laughed lightly. "Ah, but I'd understand why they'd want that. They think I'm very... what's the word." Yoki tapped her chin as she thought. "Ah! Reserved. They think I won't learn anything new from staying cooped up inside the village. Ah, but that's not true, I mean, I've learned so much from them." She paid for her vegetables and the man handed over the sack.

"Besides, I do like it here."

"Omelet? To be honest, I'm actually used to making warmer foods, since you know, it's really cold down south. Probably why I'm making stew. We can exchange recipes if you want." Yoki suggested, glad that this stranger shared her interest in the kitchen.

"Ah, well I'm glad you aren't weird either."

Mood:  Chatty  Condition: Normal

”Oh, I actually like the cold a lot better." Judging by his appearance and the way he didn't like the cold, Yoki probably could have guessed that he was probably a native of the fire nation or just seemed slightly not from the earth kingdom. He definitely wasn't a water bender. Yoki knew that much. "I don't think I could survive here long. I love the cold too much."

"Well, I haven't ventured into the main city." She said with a soft smile. "Well people have been decent, and well, I guess I find the food to be exotic. But then again, that's really just me." Yoki said laughing. "Where are you from then?" Yoki asked, tilting her head.

"I will protect your omelet secrets with my life." Yoki said, her tone half-serious. She wasn't very good at masking her emotions, and though she was shy, it wasn't like she couldn't hold a conversation. Plus, the man didn't seem like he wanted to attack her.

"I suppose you're right." Yoki nodded in agreement. "You can't be too trustworthy, I suppose. By the way, I'm Yoki." She said, realizing that she never really introduced herself.

Mood:  Chatty  Condition: Normal

”Weird?” Yoki laughed. “I think your people are weird for enjoying the heat. It burns. Literally.” Yoki said with a small smile. “Then again, it might just be because I’m a water bender. And judging by the things you say, I’m guessing you’re a fire bender.” Yoki smiled. “In that case, we can agree to disagree.”

“To be honest, I’ve never been there.” Yoki said, scratching her head. “Buuuuut, if it’s anything like this place, I might have to pass. The heat hurts me enough here.” She said, rubbing her arms. “Maybe it’s culture shock, but I should consider moving up north. I hear it’s better there.” She was thinking aloud.

“Ah!” She giggled when he said she didn’t sound too convincing. “Well, maybe you should convince me that your omelet secrets are actually secrets.” She stuck her tongue out.

“Oh, my place isn’t too far from here, actually.” She said. “Follow me.”She would then lead him to an earthy colored building a few streets from the market. It was a local inn where she was staying.

Mood:  Chatty  Condition: Normal

" To be honest, I'm not really sure about the living conditions there." She admitted, scratching her head. "I'll consider that for my next travel. I'll definitely have money to spend if I started saving up now. Maybe I should consider going to more grocery sales." She laughed as they walked.

"Well, fine." She rolled her eyes at him jokingly, admitting to defeat. She didn't want to press the issue of his omelet secrets any longer.

"Well, we are here." She told him as she led him inside. The room was quiet looking, with earth colored walls and plain accents. It wasn't like she was going to decorate it for the two weeks stay she was there. It looked comfortable, at the very least. She went to the kitchen and started washing the vegetables before filling up the pot with water and lighting a match underneath a cooker so that she could boil it. Stew was a water tribe staple and was something she can make quickly. "Just make yourself at home, I won't take long. " She told him.

Mood:  Chatty  Condition: Normal

He ended up going through her food and making himself a snack. Yoki giggled a little, delighted by this new fellow. She was used to opening up her home for patients in the past, giving them whatever they needed to get comfortable. She was surprised that the man she invited over for food wasn't the least bit shy about it. And well, he did say he was hungry.


It didn't take her too long to do the noodles, and the rest of the ingredients just needed peeling and being dumped in the pot. Since there were only two of them, she made the servings enough for five bowls since she didn't eat that much and Kei might want to get seconds... or thirds. She had put in the carrots, the potatoes, broccoli, and sliced mushrooms. She would then season it with salt and ground pepper. It would take a few minutes for everything to boil and settle. "I think I know what I'm doing. I used to cook a lot at home." She laughed. He probably didn't believe her. "A lot more than omelets too, I'll have you know." She may have been young, but she definitely wasn't incapable.

In the mean time she would make a sauce to go with it just in case he wanted it to be spicier. She would mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, and some pieces of ground chilli pepper. "I figured, coming from the fire nation, you might like spicy food." She would then put the sauce on the table. "Just give it a minute, the pot's almost ready to be served."

Mood:  Chatty  Condition: Normal

“Really?” She was a bit surprised, seeing how majority of fire nation cuisine was hot. She tried some fire flakes somewhere in the earth kingdom colonies. She scratched her head. “Well, the spice is optional.” She said, setting down the sauce on the table anyways. She liked a little bit of chilli in her stew, she believed it heavily contributed to the flavouring but she could understand why some people wouldn’t like it.

She estimated the time and it seemed like the food was ready, she walked back to the kitchen, poured the stew out of the cooker and into a serving bowl. She would set the table, and come back into the kitchen with the serving bowl. “Well, I hope you like it.” She said, a smile on her face. If there was one thing she did better than medicine making, it was home cooking.

“Would you like anything to drink? Water? Tea? Dragonfruit juice?”

Mood:  Chatty  Condition: Normal

She laughed as he said he’d rather put sugar on his food than chili. “That’s pretty interesting. I’ll keep that in mind.” She told him as they ate. He had finished a lot faster than her, and she poured him a second bowl. Perhaps she should’ve made more food although it was unlikely for her to eat a second serving since she didn’t actually eat that much. Yoki had a small appetite and enjoyed cooking more for other people than she did herself.

“Thanks.” She blushed when he complimented her cooking and continued to eat until he asked her if she had any strawberry milk. Yoki got up from where she was sitting. She had milk,but it wasn’t strawberry. “I”ll be right back.” She said as she went to the kitchen.

She did have strawberry preserves in small intricate glass jars. She crushed the strawberries and stirred them into the milk and added sugar. She tasted it, making sure it was sweet enough to be good, yet at the same time balanced. A lot of drinks were far too sugary and although Kei may have preferred that, she, being a person of medicine and health, would rather the people she feed remain healthy.

She walked back to the table. “Here you go.” She told him with a small smile.

Mood:  Chatty  Condition: Normal