At the shore

[IZA]

Iza stopped playing the Lute suddenly the sound like a screech that echoed off near by pillars of stone. “…” she wanted to say right out what they meant, but a voice in her head stopped her. “it’s nothing…” she whispered biting her lip for a moment before forcing a smile and continuing to play. “Nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing” she sang softly rocking a bit more on her tailbone. “Nothing but nothing” she sighed as she hummed continuing to play.

She looked up at him as he asked a question, join his crew? Was he a pirate? Yes he was, he already said that, but he had no ship so he really was not a pirate now, just a bandit. Iza looked to the sky, “Yeah I’ll join your crew; I’ll even help you get a ship, and help you keep it up… we might want to get a metal ship though, less likely to be ripped apart by the sea.” She noted with a chuckle. “Besides, I enjoy making fires, I doubt you’d want me on a wooden boat” she smirked coldly humming softly.

“…” she paused her playing again and looked at the notches, “These are 23 notches for each dwelling of the unloved and forgotten that I’ve destroyed, but they don’t count toward all the others I’ve destroyed and burned away from this earth” her voice was cryptic and disturbing but she smiled at him, “It’s.. It’s nothing you need to worry about though,” she said her voice soft, “You’re a nice person and to know the utter truth would only destroy your humanity” she chuckled a bit and played a more upbeat song. ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfTVPj5Zmkw& )

[SAZA]

Saza blinked unloved and forgotten the first thing that came to his mind was bankers. Some how that didn’t make sense with her MO and for some reason he was compelled to ask no more questions. Until she said it would destroy his humanity. He laughed.

“You forget Iza I am a pirate. There isn’t much humanity left in me. ive taken lives. Sank ships, stolen from good people. Ive done things most people would regret, that most people would say I am a monster for doing. I have sent more people to see there maker then I can remember, and not just men oh no. Passenger ships carrying refuges innocent woman and children sank with their ships. And I would do it all over for a gold piece, I wouldn’t say that a human life is worth less then the gold he carries, I would just say that the gold is far more useful to me then the mans life. Give me the choice between killing a man for his purse or saving his life… ill choose the purse every time.”

Saza then did something he was unsure of. he leaned forward, and began to stand up. it was slow in doing and he wobbled slightly but eventually he succeeded in standing at his full height. He took a step under his own power and found that his legs were more then willing to carry him. he smiled. “There is something more you should know about me… there is a reason I have been so successful in my carrier up until now.”

Saza tilted his head back breathed in deep and then let out a roar that sent a stream of fire into the air. A continues jet of flames not unlike a flamethrower. When it finished he fell back into his sitting position with a thud suddenly being light headed. He had moved to fast and made himself dizzy but felt it was worth it with the demonstration he had just given.

[IZA]

Iza did not even pause her playing as he told her how 'awesome' he thought he was... killing for gain? Heh that was an interesting way to live. "Human life is worth as much as dirt," she murmured, "and the younger it is the more useless it is" she mouthed breathing in the words so no one else would hear. iza was a real bitter woman, a bitterness that had no rational root or meaning, but it was there and she inflicted those around her with it whom she blames for no reason.

Hearing him say he could handle who she was, and telling her all he had done made her smirk, he would never be on her level. He was sane, he was 'normal' she was differently, but he was still the weirdo. She took lives to take them, not to gain anything unless it was just an unseen perk. A random coin purse, new clothing, it was all random, but the killing she did was what she killed for. A pirate would not understand the cardinal desires of killing... he was just materialistic.

Iza stopped sharply as she watched Saza starting to stand, She rose a hand up to tell him to sit back but let her hand fall as he stood up on his own. He wobbled, and Iza smiled a bit. "You're going to fall over.." she whispered then trailed off watching him perform the firebending. Her eyes widen in amazement, she had only seen a few firebenders do that move, and even fewer with such burst. Iza laughed a bit as he fell on his rump and started to play again, "you're going to pass out or something if you keep that up, you're weak and breathing fire takes a lot of air out of your lungs and can cause you to feel the dizziness you feel.. just relax" she smiled and started to sing a soft song. Her voice was not that amazing but with the lute it sounded perfect. "Here's a lullaby to close your eyes/It was always you that I despised/ ...I don't feel enough for you to cry/ Here's a lullaby to close your eyes.. goodbye... goodbye...goodbye.."

[SAZA]

Saza closed his eyes to the haunting song waiting for the wave of nausea and dizziness to pass. it did in its own time he licked his lips his mouth felt dry. “Do you have anything to boil water with?”

Saza asked curiously he had lived on the high seas he knew full well that one could not drink the water of the ocean. But it could be purified with a few tricks. And right now he was thirsty he wanted water. it was such a shame that neither of them were water benders. He had heard they could purify water for drinking with ease.

Saza was no longer in any danger of death but he felt drained and tiered. He just didn’t know what else he could do. Iza was right that display of fire bending had been stupid. And now he was getting tired yet her lullaby was not one that wanted him to sleep. In fact it was kind of creepy. He looked over at Iza with a slight concern. “Think you could play anything more lively?”

Saza was in weird company and for the first time he was really starting to realize it. she was crazy… her mind had broken in some way. it was the song that she sang that made him realize this. He had once or twice before encountered people so broken that nothing seemed to matter to them. People who had no reason to live, driven past the point of a goal. He suddenly felt a vary real stab of pain for this woman, yet at the same time he recognized the benefit of keeping her around she was insane nothing mattered to her. She would gladly fight for anything so why not let her fight for him? She may not care about prophet but her actions would easily create it. He smiled and laughed slightly his eyes were closed but he was awake.

[IZA]

Iza blinked and shrugged switching the beat up to that of a mild tune, but decided not to sing. www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3jN4EyyRmc& "You know i know where we should head to.." she smiled at him, "It's toward a place of many walls, i've seen it from afar, but never within her arms. The loving arms of Ba Sing Se..." she chuckled a bit realizing she was singing her ideas. "It would be a wise place to go, there's no way we would get a ferry ride, but i know a way,it's a way used by many and few"

Iza looked at the sky as she sighed, "And sadly i have nothing to boil water with... but i do have water" she said taking out ANOTHER flask and handing it to Saza, "this should help your thirst, and you should rest.. you should have the energy to move later, and we can rest better at the northern port town i walked through." she smiled at him kindly. "Now just rest a bit..." she whispered repeating the song tapping her foot flaring a flame into the fire to make it larger.

"Do you know what day it will be tomorrow? No one knows... Please moon rise so that i may sleep... and let the stars light my dreams... Sunlight scares my joys away, so moon rise so that i may sleep..."

[SAZA]

Saza blinked as he grabbed the water having a sudden hatred for the woman. He drank thirstily, he felt dehydrated and now as he drank he felt much better. it still hurt to breath he supposed but it was much better the cool liquids filled and recharged him in a way. He coughed slightly as he reminded himself to breath.

Saza sighed as he looked around she was right there was no point to staying here. And they couldn’t really move him in his condition yet. There wasn’t much he could do in this situation. He breathed slightly in pain this was getting annoying and although he was tiered he didn’t want to sleep. “You keep watch Iza… I am going to nod off for a few.”

Saza yawned as he adjusted himself a lot of his skin was still tender as he laid back and it hurt slightly but at the same time the wounds were at least manageable against the cool sand. His eyes closed and he began to breath in deeper and then lighter. And soon he fell into a light and uneasy sleep. He was defenseless now more then ever.

[IZA]

Iza looked at him as he drank the water and smiled a bit looking at the shadows that cast around them it was roughly 2 in the afternoon now. She looked over at Saza again and sighed softly nudging the fire with a stick. "Alright you can sleep.. i'll keep watch" she muttered watching him drift to sleep. She put her lute down, and just started to sing softly a song that many soliders sang to help them get through their first time away from home. "Leaves from the vine....falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, Drifting in the foam....Little soldier boy, come marching home... Braaave soldier boy, comes marching home."

Iza rubbed her nose for a moment then her head shaking her head a bit, "heh... no going home" she muttered before laying on her back curled up slight staring at the flames. The firebending woman would not sleep, she would simply lay there staring into the flames thinking of home and wondering when Saza would wake up and they would be able to go... go somewhere new. Iza grabbed her lute but continued to lay on her back as she plucked the strings, repeating the song with music. "Leaves from the vine....falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, Drifting in the foam....Little soldier boy, come marching home... Braaave soldier boy, comes marching home."

[SAZA]

Saza twitched at the song but slept soundly. He slept peacefully and awoke some time later stretching to the sound of silence. Grabbing the flask that had water in it he drank till it was empty. He stretched standing up under his own power this time. Cauterization of his wounds had helped the healing process. He had bruises along his ribs but aside from some pain as he breathed in deeply he was fine.

For a moment he looked at Iza not knowing if she had fallen asleep at some point during his own nap. A thought came to his mind. If he abandoned her it would make his own travels easier. And it would be fitting she was a fire bender, like himself and although that was useful in the field fire bending pirate had always been his namesake. If she were to join him it was no doubt that she was the more powerful and yet something in him saddened at the thought of abandoning her.

Saza sat down next to her Unsure if she was awake or not he just sat there. He wasn’t going to touch her, but he did watch her. He smiled slightly next to the light of fire.“You saved my life today, I have lost my home much like you, I can never return to the fire nation. I know that everyone that was my family is now dead, and I am now the sole survivor of that lot, and its true I show little remorse for that fact.”

Saza sighed as he looked at Iza he smiled blinking away a tear for his comrades. The loss of captain Takara was something he regretted vary much this was the first time he had ever stood on his own and he had never would have survived with out this woman.“I don’t need to show remorse for those I have lost, its not something I choose to do. My crew is dead, my ship sunk and my captain with it. and yet I am alive, thanks to you. You who are a twisted soul saved my life. If you had left me I would have died. And so I will not leave you. We have no home, and so we shall make one. I don’t know if you even care for that, I don’t know if you care about companionship. But for now Iza… you are my first mate and I will not leave you.”

[IZA]

iza had been resting on her side her back to the camp. Her blades were stabbed into the ground behind her and in her arms she was hugging her Lute. Her eyes were closed, and she looked as though she were asleep. But she was not asleep, she was asked to stand watch and she was, in her own special way. ".." She did not tense up or react when she heard Saza moving, or even act like she had a guard up. She wanted to see what he would do.. her swords were in sight to be stolen, and she was in the position of being robbed and killed. Iza had no trust for anyone, but she liked to test others. He claimed to have no humanity being a pirate.. but she knew that was a lie. Guys like him always lied when they did not want to tell the truth.

Iza's eyes opened a bit as he started to talk, he spoke how she saved him, she smirked, in truth she was half deciding killing him off. she continued to listen about how he had lost so much and how she was the same... homeless and unable to go home. she frowned a bit closing her eyes again clutching the lute tighter to her chest for a moment to compose herself from the emotions unfamiliar in her heart. He had lost so much and she had lost more, well to her she had lost more.

The fire bender opened her eyes and continued to listen to Saza speak. He would not show remorse, but she could hear it in his voice from where she laid. she grinned a bit when he called her a twisted soul, yeah that was true, but hearing him say it was a bit funny. her grin froze and then disappeared when he declared that he would not leave her... for some reason her lips twisted in a smile and she relaxed her body more. As he finished his speech iza sat up and looked over at him, "I'll be your first mate, and i'll help you where i can...I'm insane, just so you know, and you're the one that offered me the job of First mate.. so you can never judge me for whatever i do unless it in some way interferes with the job of being a pirate. " she looked down at her lute for a moment. "Yeah.. that's all i gotta say, and that you give really cheesy yet moving speeches" she smirked a bit and rubbed her nose sniffling slightly.

[SAZA]

Saza smiled hearing her voice it was weird to hear her say that. He already figured that she was probably going to be a problem at some point but hay either she caused chaos alone or with him for his profit… the latter was definitely preferred not just from a business perspective but a personal one.

It was on this personal note that when she finished her speech Saza did something that even he wasn’t sure about. He reached out and put his hands on Iza’s shoulders and then did something he had never done before. He pulled her close and hugged her.

Saza held her close for all of a few seconds before he realized what he was doing. he stepped back and coughed.“I am sorry got caught in a moment or something. Any way I accept the responsibility that comes with taking you on. And I understand that you are who are you are. However even being on the wrong side of the war there must always be a safe port. You need to understand that, if I tell you no harm must come to a town… then no harm must come to a town. Do you understand?”

Saza sighed this was seemingly odd. Allowing her to be on his team knowing full well what it would mean in the long run. And yet he some how didn’t care. It would mean a hell of a lot of stress in his long run and yet he barely cared. In fact he was grateful.

[IZA]

Iza blinked as his hand touched her shoulder, what was he knighting her? then she squeaked a bit as he pulled her into a hug. Her face pinked up slightly a rather natural reaction for a woman. "..." she blinked and gave Saza's back a gentle and quick pat. That must have been the wake up he needed because he pulled back and coughed. "Heh it's fine" she muttered her face still pink. she glanced down at the ground pushing some of her hair behind her ears as she composed herself.

She looked up at him as he explained the 'rules'. "... I can understand and agree to that..some times it will be hard, but i'll do my best, Sir" she gave the national fire nation hand gesture and bow. "I'll do my best not to burn down every village we go to, but at times if i return with blood on me... don't ask" she coughed before standing up and kicked some sand on the fire putting it out. "I say you're well enough to walk, and if you require it i can support you" she tied her lute to her back and picked her sword off the ground sheathing them.

"I know there is a town north of here, or south... eh we'll run into something!" she chuckled and started walking expecting him to follow, or make a statement to let her know he needed help to move. "Walk faster Captain Saza!" she called out to him and chuckled.

[SAZA]

Saza smiled as Iza seemed to blush. He hadn’t been sure what was about to happen with that situation however it seemed to pass. not nearly as awkward as he had thought. He got to his feet.

Iza was right Saza could stand with ease. Aside from some bruising along his ribs Saza felt no pain. He stretched lightly feeling himself standing under his own power for the first time in what felt like days.

Saza began to walk after Iza as she called out for him to hurry up he smiled. It felt good to be alive, but even more then that he felt good to have company to not be alone. Saza began to run after her to try and catch up.“Right behind ya Iza.”

Saza felt a change in the winds as he ran, it was a good sign and even without a boat he felt the wind at his back. He couldn’t help but smile… things honestly seemed like they were looking up for the pirate and his new first mate. lets just hope they would stay that way.

[end of thread]