After Hours

Junior Member Posts : 38 EXP : 1075 Join date : 2014-12-02

Da-Zho Yin	The sun was setting in Omashu, and as it disappeared over the highest peak of the earthen city, the Hidden Dragon Forge was officially closed. Da-Zho barred the door and returned to his forge to spend some more time working on new steel. Blades wouldn't shape themselves. The main room of his shop was dimly lit by several candles, and around 9 pm, Da-Zho extinguished some of them and retreated to his home upstairs. He resolved not to make himself too comfortable, he was expecting the Avatar in near an hour, not a visit anyone could take lightly, especially Da-Zho. The room Da-Zho called his living room was sparse, with some seating mats around a table, along with a kitchen to the far side of the stairwell. Da-Zho prepared tea, he was an avid enthusiast, and also steamed some rice, a suitable dinner for such a nondescript day of work. He had on the wall three beautiful longbows on pegs that would present them as decoration, not simply weaponry, although full quivers sat on a shelf underneath them, a reminder of Da-Zho's uncanny skill with the weapon. Da-Zho sat himself on a seating mat and picked up some letters, flyers, and news reports to mull over. The letters came from his Ludine connections, and some carried sensitive information, so he moved them to his underground war room as quickly as possible, then returned to his home upstairs, accidentally leaving the otherwise hidden door slightly ajar. The news reports didn't give much new, although carried news of recent developments in the Water Tribes, though not much of use to him specifically. Probably fallout from Elegys's work around the spirit portals, thought Da-Zho. This reminded Da-Zho, he would have to read over some city reports and come up with some secret plans to solve problems. It was tough, helping to run a city completely behind the scenes.
Mood: Tired Condition: Tired

Subject: Re: After Hours Thu Dec 11, 2014 7:22 pm

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	Zulera was admittedly interested in what this man might have top say that she had organized a meeting with so late into the evening, but on the other hand, Avatar Zulera was a creature of the night, and so things were just barely starting for her. Whatever the case she silently navigated her way through the streets of Omashu. She was doing nothing wrong, and so despite her silence, she was not being terribly cautious or acting suspiciously. She mapped out the place nad found the shop she wished to visit fairly easily after that--the Hidden Dragon Forge. Not wanting to simply barge in, she instead knocked on the door. it was late, and surely past business hours, and so hopefully the owner would be able to find some time for her--such as right now.
Mood: Undaunted Condition: Perfect	Link: Zulera

Junior Member Posts : 38 EXP : 1075 Join date : 2014-12-02

Da-Zho Yin	Da-Zho heard the knocking on his door from upstairs, and got up to answer. He brought down with him an oil lamp, although some candles still flickered in the shop. The blacksmith came to the door and unbarred it, placing the plank of wood on hooks above the door. He opened the door, and outside stood the Avatar. "Ah, Avatar Zulera, it is an honor. I'm glad you could make it to my shop even at such a late hour. Anyway, please, come inside. We have things to discuss, too important to say here." Da-Zho stepped aside, beckoning with his fingertips, and waited for the Avatar's response.
Mood: Tired Condition: Tired

Subject: Re: After Hours Sun Dec 14, 2014 11:42 pm

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	"A pleasure indeed, Mr. Yin," Zulera cooed, stepping inside. She was dressed fairly casually like she almost always was--just her loose shirt and baggy pants, as well as her trademark metallic blue fingerless gloves over her hands and forearms. Similarly, her feet were bare. "So..." Zulera's voice was soft and motherly as she stepped inside so the door could be closed--a bit on the lower side, but it almost seemed out of place for the wild woman it belonged to, "I suppose we should just cot to business then, aye? or should we have some pleasantries before we begin the actual conversation?" she had no doubt that Da-Zho was a civil and mature man, just as she was a civil and mature woman. While they would almost certainly clearly disagree with each other and neither one would probably change any opinions, Zulera liked knowing about people who disagreed with her or people who thought differently. She liked learning the whys and the hows... what made people tick. That sort of thing. That was why she was sure this would be a very interesting conversation.
Mood: Excited Condition: Perfect	Link: Zulera

Junior Member Posts : 38 EXP : 1075 Join date : 2014-12-02

Da-Zho Yin	"A mix of pleasantries and business. I will not believe in dawdling but a conversation is best served over a meal or a drink." Da-Zho walked right up the stairs to his home as the Avatar followed. He made sure to extinguish the candles in the shop as he moved through, a fire would be most unwelcome. He set to make himself tea, "Would you be interested in anything? I find tea and rice to be best at this time but if there's anything you prefer, I probably have it." Apparently, Da-Zho is quite an avid chef, as he revealed a sizeable larder and an extensive collection of cooking implements. "Also, for the business. I understand you have many ambitions. I'd like to know truly why, I find a system so industrially driven would be counterintuitive to our world. Maybe we can come to at least a form of understanding."
Mood: Tired Condition: Tired

[ooc] Sorry for the late reply Razz

Subject: Re: After Hours Wed Dec 17, 2014 7:40 pm

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	"I certainly agree with you on that much. perhaps we're not too different after all..." Zulera chuckled. She wouldn't make light over a serious issue, but she would have no qualms at all with keeping a lighthearted mood. At his offer, she did voice her opinion. "I wouldn't mind a bit of tea, if you are offering--otherwise I think I am content for the moment." Otherwise, she was ready to sit down and cut to the chase, and was more than willing to express such thoughts. "I see industrialization as a way forward and into the future. It is simply progress, and so I feel that it should be encouraged rather than halted. Zulera City is an ambitious project designed to bring people together and to bolster the economy of not only the city itself, but of the Four Nations that trade with it. I aim for it to be the technological center of the world so that the Earth Kingdom doesn't get this part or the Fire Nation gets that... wars have started from much pettier things, really." "But..." she added after a slight pause, "that is merely the basic gist of it. On the other hand, I am curious as to why you are against it." Her question was genuine, but she was keeping it polite and respectful--or simply, treating him as she wished to be treated.
Mood: Excited Condition: Perfect	Link: Zulera

Junior Member Posts : 38 EXP : 1075 Join date : 2014-12-02

Da-Zho Yin	"Progress." said Da-Zho. For some time he did not continue his statement, only made tea for the Avatar and himself. He turned as the water boiled and looked at Zulera, bringing his clasped hands up and resting them on his lip. "Progress is important. Our world can not remain in the past. Unfortunately, progress is also more dangerous than you seem to realize. I see industrialization suspiciously. Industrialization means more jobs perhaps, but that also means more specialization. More economy, but lower assets. In a world where the factory is our blacksmith, all of those jobs are relegated to simple tasks to ensure consistency, yes? Well, to ensure that a job entails only simple tasks, large amounts of workers are hired, more than the employer can offer a good wage, yet there is virtually no escape from these low end jobs. Our people will no longer fend for themselves, but be dependent on the bigger man, while living in an economy that promotes rampant consumerism. These people will become slaves to a system that they don't realize is crushing them. I find that it won't matter what nation anyone is from when they are slaves to the global economy." Da-Zho picked up the tea and brought a cup to the Avatar then knelt on the seating mat. He sipped the tea without breaking Zulera's gaze, then reached under the table and presented a sword. "This is not a threat, it's an offering. I urge you to take this sword, one of my most prized possessions. One of the most beautiful blades I have ever crafted. I have been to the fire nation on my travels and seen fellow blacksmiths, those with more skill than me, crushed under the factory and forced to work in one, as their shop would not be able to compete. Technology betters society as a whole while in this case simultaneously destroying the people who live in it. The artisan of a beautiful sword will not compete against the cheap readiness of the factory produced sword. I urge you to take this sword and realize that with the factory, no more blades will be made that become legend, legacy, beauty. In turn, the swordsman will be lost. The art that we have spent so long cultivating, gone along with a beautiful, unpolluted world. Take this sword, and see if you can still bring it upon yourself to end something so traditional, so beautiful, and so elegant. Realize that you destroy art when you create science. Realize that you will become a monster in more eyes than you become a hero."
Mood: Working Condition: Tired

Subject: Re: After Hours Thu Dec 18, 2014 11:11 pm

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	Zulera was silent for most of the speech, listening politely and giving him her full attention. She meshed her fingers together, and leaned her chin upon them, her mind wandering and working on a few different things. "Such may be true if we are careless," she pointed out, "but this industrialization will not happen overnight. older, more menial jobs will be fazed out in favor of more efficient ones. Even if machines start making more things, what happens when things go wrong--since things always do? they will not be able to fix themselves. We will teach people how to build and how to create just as I before them have. I highly doubt that the world will have a mechanized army the way I do though..." she chuckled at her joke. She had amassed great amounts of money and resources over her life and career, and was sinking it all into her inventions and other projects. "However," she added, "there will always be those who are enslaved by money. even now there are people that cannot afford certain things that they might be able to afford if they were cheaper and more mass produced. Even that does not mean the end of the arts, however..." She softly sipped her own tea as Da-Zho presented her with the sword. Was he offering it to her as something to keep, or merely something to look at? she assumed the latter, and let him explain its significance before she would make her responding statement. "What I see here..." the avatar ran her gloved hands across the blade, feeling both the sharpness of the age and the smoothness of the sides, down to the ornate craftsmanship of the hilt, "is not only a fine piece of work--nigh a zenith of craftsmanship... but also an opportunity for specialization. Even when the day comes that swords and weapons are able to be mass produced, it removes their originality--it puts things at a lower price to make them more accessible. But... I do believe that some quality is sacrificed as well--not merely craftsmanship. I personally would still pay much more for something that was personalized for me, rather than something that was mass-produced for the masses. the soldiers of an army would have the same, standard-issue weapons, while the commanders and generals would likely want something better--something to symbolize their strength or power--something that makes them unique. Take this for example..." Now it was her turn to show off her creation. It was depicted on a piece of paper, but the image showed a mechanized statue of Zulera herself. "Even if these machines were able to be produced on a mass level... they would not be able to make them as personal as this... I feel like those who would be willing to specialize would continue to still get business, while those who might not have been able to afford things before mass production would then be able to." Taking another sip of her tea, she smiled sweetly again. "So what I see in this scientific progress is not destruction, but change and adaptation. Those willing to adapt to the changes that this intellectual progress provides will be able to compete in this world.Those willing to specialize will be able to carve a niche for themselves for the higher-end market that wishes to have their possessions be a step or two above the yuan-a-dozen items that one could buy from a factory. But... such are merely my thoughts on the matter and how I see it. Clearly both of our beliefs and concerns have validity to them..." she let out a chuckle after that moment. "as for me becoming a monster, who is to say that that has not already happened? I have a long history with countless enemies, and so one more will not faze me much--but I do hope that we do not have to resort to such drastic measures." She did not seem to be making any threats or offers or anything in between though. This was simply, to her, a neutral and civil discussion. She could hardly complain.
Mood: Calm Condition: Perfect	Link: Zulera

Junior Member Posts : 38 EXP : 1075 Join date : 2014-12-02

Da-Zho Yin	"If this conversation has revealed anything to me, it's that you are not my enemy," Da-Zho lowered the sword, placing it lightly on the table. "No, in fact, I find I can agree with much of what you are saying. I agree, that progress is important. I do find that change is difficult for me, and my opinions may be a product of my past, my cautious nature. Nonetheless, I still believe that straightforward industrialization is dangerous. I believe you'll find most businessmen won't completely agree with you. Industrialization, it will pave the way for greed. Greed has been difficult for most in this world, it provides security against it, but when everyone finds that they could be the next businessman, the new billionaire, they will be consumed by greed. They will stop at nothing to suck anything that the less fortunate own away from them. Economically disadvantaged, it is a common problem still, but industrialization won't help it. The poor of our world can feed themselves, grow their food. What happens, when they become so specialized that no longer can they grow grass? They will starve, unable to buy or create food. Poverty can only grow." Da-Zho looked at his hands, then turned around and picked up a glass vial filled with muck water, then placed it on the table between Zulera and himself. "As I mentioned, I travelled to the fire nation not long ago. I went to some bodies of water, and as you can see, I saved some. Yes, this came from a lake in the fire nation. I searched for why the water could look like this, it appalled me. I found a large pipe on the other side of the lake, a pipe that deposited the waste of several refineries and factories directly into the lake. The ecology of this area, it had been destroyed. As I thought, some businessmen had gone too far, utterly disregarded the sanctity of our nature. How can you allow this? This is not progress, this will kill us if we give it that kind of freedom! The water, the land, the air, all polluted! How can industrialization and a new world be justified if we destroy the things that allow us to exist in the first place?"
Mood: Cognizant Condition: Tired

Subject: Re: After Hours Mon Dec 22, 2014 9:53 pm

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	Zulera gave an understanding nod. "I did hardly suspect that we were enemies, but maybe that's just me being soft," she chuckled. "but you are right. taking anything to extremes is dangerous, including my dream of industrialization, and so even I have my limits. there will always be rich and poor. There will be those who can't afford things that would be able to after the industrial revolution, and there will be people who can do that now that won't be able to then... I suppose it's simply a matter of deciding who gets the short end of the stick. What do we do?" This was kind of a rhetorical question instead of a challenge. Zulera understood that they disagreed with each other, but she also was intelligent enough to understand that he made several valid points. When he presented the water, she simply nodded. "Aye," she indicated, "that is the industry of the old age. I would revolutionize it as well so that it could be functional without destroying ecosystems and the environment. I myself am similarly aversive to such practices, and so I go to great lengths to ensure my inventions and creations fit the bill--and damage nature as little as possible--if even at all." Putting her hands together, she leaned forward a little, but intently, for she was passionate about this subject as well. "and that is what change and progress is for... it is to make new from the old, and to make the good things better. we obviously cannot destroy what industrialization we have already produced, but we can find and come up with ways to make it cleaner, safer, or more productive, to name a few things out of many."
Mood: Calm Condition: Perfect	Link: Zulera

Junior Member Posts : 38 EXP : 1075 Join date : 2014-12-02

Da-Zho Yin	"I am relieved to hear that you understand industrialization can not be let loose like a peaceful animal. This is an untamed beast, one that will destroy the world if given its full freedom. In spite of this, I still have my doubts. How do I know that you are not going to say this and expect it with the optimism of the most hopeful idealist? Before this, I have seen those excited to change this very city for the better. I have supported them, and their changes definitely had the potential to benefit this city, but in the end, they saw the world through a rose-tinted lens and their movements escaped them, destroying lives and even ending them at some times." Da-Zho took a final sip of his tea and placed the small wooden cup onto the table. He took the vial of water and returned it to its resting place, but left the sword where it lay. The offer, in his mind, still stood. "I admit it makes me feel awful, to tell you only how you have troubled me and try to tell you how to do your job. Being the Avatar is a far cry from being a blacksmith. The only thing I can do, would be to offer you my assistance should you need it." The blacksmith leaned forward and extended his eyebrows to let the Avatar know he was serious.
Mood: Cognizant Condition: Tired

Subject: Re: After Hours Fri Dec 26, 2014 4:47 pm

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	Zulera smiled. "well... I am the Avatar. is it not my duty to protect balance? advancing the technological progress is my life dream. I am willing to defend it to my dying breath, and that includes making sure that I can benefit as many people as possible from it, and protecting those honest or innocent people who might otherwise fall victim to its grasp. It might sound silly on paper like this, but this is something I wish to passionately defend. she took a long drink of her tea and then sighed softly. "as a woman who believes in the value of working towards one's wants and desires... I can respect that. and I feel that it is people like you that should further be protected when their lives are threatened by change that might be nigh inevitable. Thus... I shall also offer you my support in return." and she meant it too--well, as long as Da-Zho meant his word of course.
Mood: Calm Condition: Perfect	Link: Zulera

Junior Member Posts : 38 EXP : 1075 Join date : 2014-12-02

Da-Zho Yin	"I mean my offer. You will defend your want for progress to the dying breath, and I will do the same for my livelihood. Ever since I was young, being a blacksmith has been my dream." Da-Zho motioned to the surroundings, the sparse furnishing of the room which he and Zulera were in. "Obviously I live here, and as you can see, my home is not extravagant, despite the fact I would be able to make it so. My life is not lived through wealth, it is through creation and experience. As a blacksmith, I am an artist, and I have been fortunate to make myself successful enough to improve in all aspects. I would certainly accept your protection, and offer you my abilities and my knowledge, but I also need to know what you might do for the other artisans that will be affected by this revolution. I am but one blacksmith, one of many, and though it would be easiest for you to offer only me your protection, I can not with a good conscience blind myself to the plight of my colleagues. My trade will be my legacy, it is only natural that I feel like I have to preserve it."
Mood: Cognizant Condition: Tired

Subject: Re: After Hours Sun Dec 28, 2014 1:14 am

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	Zulera nodded with a smile. "I understand now... and see more clearly than ever. my dream from childhood was to instigate an industrial revolution... to build and to create and to invent... Zulera City is the realization of this dream." she took a long gentle sip of tea, enjoying the taste and the feel of the warm liquid rushing down her throat. "I do understand the risks. I will not be able to save everyone... but hopefully those I do save will remember the difference it made. I too am an artist, after all, both in the commonly assumed way, using paints, pens, or paper--but also in my creations. Clearly you are a busy man if you are able to produce such astoundingly beautiful work, but perhaps if you get a day off, you could take a trip with me to the Great Divide, where I could show you my artistic creations... I feel that we are not only not enemies, but that we are actually very much the same." she meant this as a compliment, and her genuine smile was further evidence of this. She saw a man who was passionate about the things he did for a living, and that he had been (and surely still was) willing to fight to defend it to his last breath. that was exactly how Zulera herself was. they could destroy her work and set her back, but she would rebound and rebuild. if anyone tried to stop her, she would fight back. that was what Da-Zho was doing with his smithing art--and Zulera admired it. "and just as your trade is your legacy... mine shall become mine... not the legacy of the Avatar necessarily, but the legacy of Zulera Joanna Tallarico. By all means... fight to preserve it to your last breath. you have my full support-as does anyone who is so passionate about their craft, and who is willing to do whatever they can to protect it." again, she knew that she couldn't be everywhere at once, but if she ever came across another person like Da-Zho--a truly dedicated craftsman who devoted his life to what he did... those were the kinds of people Zulera respected, and would defend. After all... she was one of them.
Mood: Happy Condition: Perfect	Link: Zulera

Junior Member Posts : 38 EXP : 1075 Join date : 2014-12-02

Da-Zho Yin	"I would enjoy travelling to see your creations. Part of practicing my own art is respecting others' as well. I could travel anytime, the great thing about owning your own shop is choosing when you don't open it." Da-Zho laughed at his statement, but it was a slightly awkward, perhaps even forced, laugh. Da-Zho was trying to be friendly, but he didn't enjoy laughing at his own jokes. "I hope you can tell how much it means to me, that you would come here and take my side into account. Surely you can tell I'm not against you, in fact, I wish you luck with your city. I was worried that you would slip into a film of idealism, blinded by your success to the destruction you could cause." Da-Zho rose and removed his tea and empty bowl. He was unsure whether or not the conversation was over, so he tried his best not to make the Avatar feel she had overstayed her welcome.
Mood: Cool Condition: Tired

Subject: Re: After Hours Mon Dec 29, 2014 10:11 pm

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	"ah..." Zulera nodded, "then whenever you are ready to travel, I could arrange it. it could be as early as tomorrow if you wished it." though she figured maybe a day in between would be better, since it was late. "I can provide transportation of course." it would also allow her to show off something she had built, although she wasn't so much trying to impress Da-Zho as much as simply show what she created, just as he had shown his work to her. Luckily for him, Zulera also chuckled at his statement, since she was easy going and had a cool sense of humor like that. Perhaps she was just more charismatic than she realized. Either way, she continued. "I will be honest... I might have slipped into that trap if it were not for this meeting and the discovery of the flier in the first place." the avatar confessed, "but it seems that we have both benefitted greatly from this conversation, just as I hope to ensure happens from my revolution and my city. I will do what I can as the avatar to monitor the damage, and control it to the best of my ability. Just as long as you remember that I am not all-powerful..." despite her wondrous abilities, Zulera was actually very honest and humble about them. She knew that she could not be everywhere at once, but she would honestly do what she could to curb corruption wherever she could find it. as long as Da-Zho understood that (and Zuzu suspected that he would) they would get along swimmingly.
Mood: Happy Condition: Perfect	Link: Zulera

Junior Member Posts : 38 EXP : 1075 Join date : 2014-12-02

Da-Zho Yin	"Avatar or not, we are all human. I will always understand some things are not within our power." Da-Zho knelt back down behind the table, Zulera across from him. Travel was one of the blacksmith's great passions, and he could be ready to leave at a moment's notice. "I am always prepared to travel. If you'd like to leave today, I will come. If you'd like to wait a day to revive yourself from whatever travels you've been taking already, I offer my hospitality. If you have more urgent matters to attend to, I have vast patience. This journey would be at your discretion."
Mood: Cool Condition: Tired

Subject: Re: After Hours Fri Jan 02, 2015 1:03 am

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	"Aye..." Zulera nodded, "I am not about to understate my capabilities for the sake of shirking duties, but my limits exist. However, until I reach them, I will do everything in my strength to make it happen..." at his remarks and eagerness to travel, Zulera thought about it before answering. "I think I will give a day or so, tops." she explained, "the hour is late tonight, but I think by tomorrow afternoon I should be ready to depart." she was something of a drifter, funny enough, and so she could come and go on a whim. "Does that sound good?" she asked this more just for verification rather than thinking it wouldn't work for him.
Mood: Happy Condition: Perfect	Link: Zulera

Junior Member Posts : 38 EXP : 1075 Join date : 2014-12-02

Da-Zho Yin	"A day would be good. Now, the night grows late, and I feel sleep calling me." Da-Zho cleaned off the table, leaving only the sword. "I don't know if you have a hotel or somewhere else you are staying, but I have an extra room and you are welcome to stay if you wish. I'll be ready to set out whenever you believe it's best to go, just let me know."
Mood: Cool Condition: Tired

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