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Renji paced the bank. "How much longer?"
Mikka shrugged, wobbling a little as she tugged off her boots. "Not sure. He'll be coming, though, I'm sure of it. Who wants to swim?" She untied her sash to remove her tunic.
"I'll remain dry, thank you..." Sachin said, clearly phrasing the refusal in the most polite way possible.
Renji shook his head. "I'll stay on the ground, thanks." He didn't like water, let alone the idea of being on it. Aside from his weekly bath, he had no reason to get wet.
"And that explains why you smell so bad," Yun grumbled, though her eyes were trained on the water rather than the earthbender. She leaned down and pulled off her shoes and walked over to a small overhang so she could simply put her feet in the water. "I'd get in entirely, but I'd rather do so in private."
"I totally understand that," Mikka answered, tossing aside her tunic and stretching, not caring at all if anyone looked at her bared torso. "But the water here is fantastically cool and it's really hot..." She stepped into the water. "Plus there isn't any current right here, so you don't have to worry about getting swept away. And you know I can just get rid of any extra water..." Mikka was trying not to give Sachin any kind of suggestive looks, mostly because she knew that he'd supported/held/touched her more for her in the last few days than he had for anyone that wasn't his family.
"As wonderful as that sounds, it doesn't change the lack of privacy..." Yun murmured, now watching her feet as she swished them about in the water.
"Renji can bend earthen walls around us or something, I guess... But that kinda defeats the purpose." Mikka smiled innocently, hiding her hands behind her back. She twirled her fingers, raising a little bit of water to spray on Sachin and Renji. It was a very hot day, anyway, and she'd been dying to have some fun. With a spin, she brought a wave of water far over Yun's head, mostly avoiding getting the firebender wet, and sent it crashing down onto the bank where Renji and Sachin were sitting.
Yun had reacted — despite Mikka's move missing her — and sizzled the tail end of the wave into steam. With a squeak and a splash, Mikka fell into the water to avoid the stream of fire, even if it wasn't actually headed for her.
Sachin had reacted as well, but the whirlwind he created around himself really only made the wave into a high-speed sprinkler system. His reaction time had also been too slow to keep himself from getting wet.
Renji got a mouthful of water and was sent sprawling onto the ground. He sputtered, slowly drawing himself back to his feet. "Mikka, you have no idea what you've started..." he growled, a devious smirk coming to his lips.
Mikka flipped her sopping wet hair out of her face. She blew water away from her mouth. She was sitting in the river, her toes digging into the mud. "A bit of fun?" she suggested, grinning.
"Oh, no, you don't," Yun growled, glancing between the two. She took a few steps away from the bank, leaning down to grab her shoes. "At least let me get where you're not going to ruin my clothes..."
Mikka waved a hand, bending the water off of Yun. "Better?" she called, not really apologetic.
Renji was making a mud pie, no earthbending involved. At least, not yet. Mud was always so much more satisfying to throw, for some reason. Not that he wouldn't propel it with some bending... This was going to be fun. He'd been contemplating starting some kind of fight, but Mikka had beaten him to it. How sad.
Yun continued backing away, only stopping when she was behind a row of trees and sitting down behind the base of another one. Hui scrambled to join his mistress, hopping up into her lap when she sat down and curling into a ball there with his tail tucked against him. He didn't like water on the best of days and didn't like the way Renji was making a big ball of mud.
Sachin didn't want to get involved, but he also didn't even want it starting. He propelled himself up and away from the conflict before it really got started. Vasu followed, gripping tightly onto the back of Sachin's shirt. Sachin would only intervene once he saw someone coming, as that would likely be Mikka's uncle and Mikka would need to be present for the conversation.
With the two benders not participating out of the way, the two that were intent on the playful fight were free to start their mayhem.
Renji sent the mud flying at Mikka. It caught the waterbender full in the face. As he laughed, she gaped in shock and wiped it off with an expression mixed between disgust and amusement. "So that's how it's going to be, huh? Fine." She dug around in the riverbed to get some sludge of her own to toss as the earthbender. Giggling, she tossed it at him. The mud flopped pathetically into the water, not anywhere near him. "Hey! You cheated! No earthbending!"
Renji laughed, clutching his sides at how Mikka's expression was all the more emphasized by a dirty face. When Mikka lost her footing yet again and toppled into the water, he actually stepped forward. "Are you alright, Mikka? Careful, it's slippery."
She bent some water at him in annoyance, but didn't actually try to continue the fight. "Yeah, yeah. I can't even play fight... It's safe, everyone! Renji won!" With a sigh, she flopped back into the water and just stayed floating there.
Renji stripped off his shirt and wrung it out. "Aren't you going to dry me off?" he whined.
"Nope," Mikka answered, closing her eyes as if to nap. "Do it yourself, Rock Boy. Sachin! If I got you wet and you want to be dried off, just say!"
Sachin returned to the shore, easing his descent with a small show of airbending. "That would be helpful," he said, "though I managed to keep myself from getting soaked it wasn't enough to keep everything away."
Renji grumbled and looked around for Yun. Maybe her fire could dry out the shirt... His extra one was so dirty that EVERYONE had told him it was either to be washed or burned. "If this was your way of telling me I need to bathe..."
"Basically," Mikka answered, giggling.
"Better than just telling you," Yun said, slipping out from behind the trees and cautiously returning to the bank. "You don't tend to listen with normal ways."
Mikka sat up and sloshed over to Sachin, deftly bending the water from Sachin's clothes. "If you weren't so grumpy, I'd probably grab you and drag you into the water with me," she told him, winking.
"Good thing I'm grumpy, then," Sachin answered, glancing past her to the water.
Renji shrugged, holding out his shirt. "Help? Please?"
Mikka leaned over to Sachin, whispering, "I think he really does need a mother..."
"Then be one for him," Sachin replied. "You're good at being a mother hen."
"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not..." Still, she went over to Renji and snatched the shirt out of his hands. "Child, you really need to learn to do your own laundry. Now, give me the other one that we're still ALL smelling."
Renji grinned sheepishly and darted off to his pack. "Have I told you that I love you, Mikka?"
"Nope," she answered, snatching the offered dirty clothing. "Just don't fall for me too hard, Renji. Not sure I'd even notice..." She laughed, indicating that she was joking, and went to wash the clothes.
Renji scratched his head. "Fall for her? Is she serious?" He laughed as if that was the funniest thing he'd heard in his entire life.
"He'd make sure you noticed," Yun said, rolling her eyes at the earthbender's ridiculously loud laughter. "He's as obvious as a blacksmith's hammer."
Mikka's cheeks flushed out of embarrassment, or perhaps even a little insult at Renji's mirth. "Well, just let me know if I do miss it... Not that I like him, because I don't..." She went to her own pack to extract her dirty clothes before wading back into the water. "If anyone else has any laundry, you may as well toss it to me now while I'm at it. Since I'm the Mother Hen and all."
Yun was grateful that Mikka was offering. Having grown up with servants, the firebender wasn't completely familiar with how to take care of such chores. Yun was more than willing to learn, but Mikka waved her off. So, taking Hui along with her, she decided to go practice her firebending forms a little. Hopefully no one would be too curious at the sight of the flames, but she was sure that Sachin would see anyone that approached before they were truly in danger.
With Mikka now doing his laundry (which had been his ultimate goal, anyway), Renji could settle down for a good nap. He found the softest spot of ground he could and stretched out in the sunlight like a lazy cat.
Mikka glanced over at Sachin. "What about you?" she asked.
The airbender shook his head. "There is no need, but thank you for the offer." Even if he did have a tunic or two that needed cleaning, he wasn't about to make her do it then and there. When Arrow arrived, she needed to be available, not in the midst of cleaning.
"Oh, alright," she murmured, turning her attention back to the clothing before her. "What did Renji get into his pants? That is not... normal. Whatever this is..."
Sachin glanced up the river. "Do you want help?"
Mikka raised an eyebrow. "You know how to do laundry?"
"I am perfectly capable of caring for myself, so, yes, that would include cleaning my own clothing," he answered with a chuckle. He took Renji's pants from her. "You can't mother all of us."
"Oh, I can try," she answered, bumping her shoulder against his.
"And yet you suggested a water fight," he retorted, almost scolding. Still, a small smile tugged at the edges of his lips.
"What else is a waterbender supposed to do?" She raised her hands, swirling the clothes in a large bubble of water. "Since I can't fight, my uses are significantly more homey than yours. So, I have decided to make fun for all of us. Someone has to make you smile."
He raised an eyebrow. "Am I smiling?"
"Yes."
He quickly removed the expression from his face, feeling his cheeks flush slightly at the fact she'd noticed at all. How could he have let his partiality show at all? How could he be partial at all? "Then I didn't mean to."
"What do you mean you didn't mean to?" Mikka almost dropped the water. She barely caught it, but water still splashed over both of them. "It's a smile! You look good with one on, you know?"
"Mikka, please. We aren't going to talk about this..." Even if a part of him was pleased that she was complimenting him, he didn't want to hear anything more. He didn't want to think about it and, unfortunately, wasn't sure how to change the subject. Knowing her, she'd just steer the conversation right back.
"Oh, right, sorry." She deftly bent the water out of his hair. "Better?"
"Yes." He focused on the task at hand, attempting to put his mind on anything but the waterbender next to him.
"I thanked you for watching out for me, didn't I?" Mikka asked after a long moment.
He nodded. "Seven times, if my count is accurate." Even if she did make an attempt to earn his favor, at least it was a pleasant distraction from his own thoughts.
She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."
"You've said that nearly a hundred times."
"Sorry."
"One-hundred-and-one." He was taking a small bit of guilty delight in teasing her, but he had a point to prove: she said that word far, far too often. He also wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't something that needed to be fixed. Everyone always performed better if they believed in themselves — including benders — and they needed her in top form at all time.
She laughed. "That's fair. That's very fair. Sorry — I know, I know, one-hundred-and-two — but I was just taught to take responsibility for my actions."
"There is a difference between owning your actions with pride and shame, Mikka."
She waved a hand in dismissal. "You know what? Whatever. Someone has to apologize, right?"
"That is not how fights are won."
"But it's how they're ended. Isn't that better sometimes?"
Sachin's brows knitted together. That thought had never occurred to him before. His clan prided itself on being near undefeated, although he had suffered more defeats than he'd liked for a lifetime, especially because of the cost. "Peace is a worthy goal, but it is not achieved by lying down," he answered. He sighed and shook his head. "You wouldn't understand."
Mikka carefully bent the water away from the clothes, letting them fall into his arms. Wordlessly, they finished folding and setting aside all of the garments. He could feel the tension between them and, honestly, he didn't like it. The thought slowly dawned on him that he may have actually said something to hurt her feelings...
Once they were through, Mikka sank down onto the bank and pulled her hair over her shoulder. She ran her fingers through her braid, undoing it. Even if it would take hours to redo the complex weaving, she was trying to buy a little time to form her answer. "I do understand, Sachin. I'm here, aren't I? I wasn't talking about what's going on now, just about an every-day, good ol' lover's quarrel or family feud kind of thing. I'm not going to agree with the Emperor just to see this war ended. The thought's occurred to me, but..." She pressed her lips together for a moment before sighing. "Then I see you and I can't do it."
"Me?" he repeated, blinking in surprise. Somewhere — in a part of him that he'd told himself he'd buried at least a year ago — he felt a pang of boyish embarrassment from her even more beautiful appearance and her compliment. "What do I have to do with anything? At least with your thought processes..."
Her cheeks flushed, as usual. "Just because I don't like fighting doesn't mean that I don't have to. Wait, that didn't come out right..."
Sachin's lips twitched a little in gratefulness. His clan didn't understand his desire for peace, although they certainly liked the fact that he still fought for them. "I understand, Mikka, so long as you do not take an active part in the fighting itself."
She smiled. "And fight from the sidelines," she finished. "Don't worry, Sachin, I'll run away if we get into too much trouble. Well, assuming I don't run directly into trouble. That kinda defeats the purpose if you have to come and rescue me."
He frowned. "Yes, that would not be helpful in the least." He already knew that he would go save her if necessary, even if it was completely against his better judgement. "It is far more important that you stay safe."
Mikka blushed. "I might've argued that, but I already know that you won't let me. I still don't know what you see in me..."
Sachin took a deep breath, praying to anything that would listen that she wouldn't make him answer. "That makes us even. Because, many times, I do not know what you see in me."
Mikka looked for a moment like she was about to answer, but swallowed whatever words were on her tongue. She didn't know how to respond, honestly, because he was now making her rather confused. Well, even more than normal. After a moment, she thudded a hand against the spot beside her. "Sit down, Sachin. You're making me feel small and stuff. Besides, we're not in danger."
"Oh?" he answered, leaning down. Even if he did know better (which seemed to be a theme with her), he was finding himself quite amused at how she decided to change the subject. It did, of course, help that she had elected to let him keep his opinions of her to himself. "And just how do you know that?"
"I can feel it." She raised her hands, wiggling her fingers dramatically. "Oooh... I have magic powers like that..."
Sachin blinked and then burst into laughter. Mikka joined in, grabbing his wrist and yanking him down next to her.
He rubbed his wrist, the pull wasn't painful, but the action had given him pause. "Determined, are we?" As glad as he was to see that she had a backbone and could stand up for what she wanted, it made him all the more nervous that she was doing it to him. Every time he turned around, she was doing something to take him by surprise. He didn't like surprises...and yet, he was allowing her to continue taking him off guard. He could only hope that his indulgences would get any of them injured or worse.
"Yes," she replied, the grin never leaving her lips. "You have to relax at some point, Sachin."
"And you intend to help me do that?" Sachin had been in this situation before. When a woman suggested that, it meant sulking off to a corner and... bonding in some manner. Although she was a welcome distraction, this was neither the time or place for such things. Part of him wanted to be near her, the other part knew that she deserved much better than him and it would be just short of cruel to lead her on.
Mikka snorted. "Not sure how I would, other than make you laugh at me and make you eat and things like that, you know? Or you could just talk... But you aren't a talker, are you?"
"Or perhaps I will be the one to help you relax, as you enjoy talking very much," he replied, more than happy to tease her a little. But only a little.
"About the only good use for my mouth at the moment."
"I would argue that statement," he murmured. He paused, realizing what that could mean and then speaking again to dismiss that idea. "Being a gifted speaker is far more valuable than you realize."
Mikka raised an eyebrow. "Are you actually asking me to talk? Sachin, I really, really, really hope you know what you're asking for..." She wasn't quite sure how her talking had helped them so far, but she'd just have to take his word for it.
"Even if I didn't," Sachin said. "I could imagine well enough."
"You know that you can just shut me up somehow if you ever need to, right? I hear that kissing —" She clamped her hands over her mouth, her cheeks turning so red that she was certain Sachin would feel the heat of them.
"Yes," Sachin assured her. "That would not be a good way to do that, for any of us."
"O-of course," she mumbled, digging her toes into the mud. "Forget I said anything. Please..."
"I won't bring it up," he said, knowing that he couldn't promise what she was asking. It wasn't very easy for him to ignore or forget the things she mentioned.
Vasu came down and settled on Sachin's shoulder. The airbender actually smiled for a moment, looking over at the furry creature before scratching around his jaw. Even if he never said it, Vasu was very important to him and had been there more than anyone else in his life. Mikka, though, seemed intent on replacing Vasu. If it was intentional or not, Sachin didn't know, nor did he know how he felt about the potential replacement. No, that wasn't the right word. He knew that nothing could replace Vasu, but maybe she could become more important than the lemur. The thought almost frightened Sachin, especially because of what it would mean.
Mikka knew that she should probably leave Sachin be and give Bip and Bop a bath, but another question tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself. "Let's talk about something happy. Like pets. How did you get Vasu?"
Sachin was more than happy to talk about something that wasn't personal at all. "We were far east of here." Sachin's face took on a recollective kind of happiness, just under the surface. "He fell out of a tree and into our camp. His arm was broken. I tried to find his family, but I couldn't. I couldn't leave him... and he did not wish to leave me, so I gave him a name and we have barely parted company since."
"Sorry that I try to steal him so often, but he's so cute sometimes that I just can't resist..." She cocked her head to one side when Sachin smirked. "What?"
"One-hundred-and-three."
She playfully hit his arm. "Sachin!"
Sachin shook his head, almost laughing. "Have I proven my point yet?"
"You may have to work harder than that," Mikka replied, winking. "I'm stubborn."
"Is that so? You have no opinion about what we should eat or where we stay, you wilt whenever Yun looks at you, and let everyone else be right. I would not call that stubborn."
"Those things don't matter. Wait, what am I saying? Food is very important. I am stubborn about us eating and being fully stocked on goodies. We will NOT go hungry!" She put a fist to her chest in form of a dramatic vow. Of course, her elbow knocked Sachin in the cheek. She paled, water creeping up to cover her hand as she pressed it to his smarting skin. "Sorry!"
Sachin tried to wave her off, surprised that she was even attempting to heal something so minor, but, as with most of her bending, it was probably only a reflex.
"One-hundred-and-four... and, I am unharmed," he assured her. "You're overreacting, Mikka."
Mikka let the water flow away. "Point. I always forget..."
"That I don't need your help?" he offered. "At least, not usually."
"You... need my help?" she asked, almost surprised. "When have you? And I mean you, not just with this whole thing in general..."
"Perhaps not yet," he admitted. "But your power will be helpful to everyone before this mess is through."
Mikka sighed, rubbing her temples as if her head was hurting. She was hopelessly confused, now, and it was beginning to bother her to the point that she really wanted to ask him very directly what he thought of her or... or... She didn't even know what to ask.
Thankfully, she saw the water move in an unnatural way. That meant waterbenders. Dipping her toes into the river told her who was coming; she recognized how the water was being pulled.
"They're coming." She scrambled to her feet, avoiding the subject, but her cheeks were still burning. "Uncle Arrow! Uncle Arrow!" She hopped up and down and waved. "Alright, not tall enough..."
Sachin debated airbending her, but he was more concerned that they not die by ambush. Mikka waded into the river, hardly even paying attention to the strong current.
"Careful!" Sachin called, scrambling to his feet. He knew he could bend her out if necessary, but it always helped if she saved herself.
Mikka wobbled a little, but looked back at him. "Huh? Why? Whoops, it's kinda deep here..." Attempting to keep her balance was difficult, but she knew that they'd see her if she wasn't in the inlet. She took a deep breath and whistled sharply. With that, she lost balance completely and had to start swimming.
"Need help?" Sachin asked, walking to the edge.
"In general? Yes," she answered.
"I meant now." He normally wouldn't have asked, but for the moment she didn't seem to be in danger.
Mikka laughed. "I'm a good swimmer, Sachin, but I appreciate the offer." She deftly maneuvered her way through the waters to the riverbank. Even if she was some twenty feet farther downriver than before, she grinned and ran back to him. "Don't look so surprised, Sachin. Can you even swim?"
"Well enough to save myself. I am, unfortunately, familiar with shipwrecks."
Mikka strongly debated kissing his cheek, but she knew better than to try anything so foolish, especially with Sachin. "Well, then, maybe I'm good enough to save you one day, Sachin." She patted his arm. "Plug your ears." She whistled sharply again.
Renji came staggering out of the undergrowth. "What are you doing?!" he groaned. "I was asleep and dreaming about this feast... It was so fantastic... There was a roasted pig, fish, mangoes... Mangoes... So many mangoes..." He was practically drooling at the thought.
"Well I know what to stuff in your mouth to get you to shut up," Yun grumbled, stretching as she entered the clearing.
Mikka giggled. "You're going to marry a cook, aren't you, Renji?"
Renji grinned widely. "Food is love. Everyone knows that."
"So's chocolate, but I've seen much more love than chocolate," Yun sighed. That was one of the things she missed terribly about home: there weren't any sweets to be had.
A group of men in dugout canoes approached from every angle. They looked wild, to say the least, with leaves for sparse clothing and hats.
Arrow sat in the head canoe, conversing with a well-groomed man that didn't look like the rest of them at all. His dark brown hair was tied back in a warrior's knot. His lean muscles glistened with sweat in the sunlight. Why he was stripped to the waist was another question entirely, but he was laughing at some joke Arrow had just told and hardly seemed to think it out of place.
"Uncle Arrow!" Mikka called again, waving. She did it a little too frantically and almost fell into Sachin. "You're like honey and I'm some kind of bee," she muttered bashfully. "I promise that I'm not falling on you on purpose."
"I didn't think you were," he assured her, helping to stabilize her with the least amount of skin contact as possible. It didn't help that Mikka was now gripping him for support.
Yun might have made a wisecrack about the couple, but she was too concerned about their current company. Both her and Hui were scrunching up their noses in response to the stench that was surrounding the group. She did notice the man that seemed out of place, but that realization didn't overpower the stink by any means.
Renji readied himself to fight. "You sure that's them, Mikka?"
Mikka rolled her eyes, letting go of Sachin to wade knee-deep into the water. "Yes, I'm sure." She cupped her hands around her mouth. "OI! YOU CLOBBER-MOUTHED MUD SON!" she shouted at the canoes.
The shirtless man looked over. "Clobber-mouthed?" he repeated. "What does that even mean?"
Arrow turned around. A grin slowly spread across his face. "Mikki! What're you doin' here, you rascal?" Arrow asked, his accent thick and uneducated. He had a thick gray beard, several missing teeth, and a grin as wide and happy as Mikka's. He whistled, just as she had, and the boats headed directly towards the group.
Arrow hopped off the boat, the wave of water bending Mikka into her bear-hug. "Ain't you a sight for sore eyes! We'd heard some nasty rumors about what happened up north... We'd heard that you'd died alon' with everyone else."
Mikka was trying to keep breathing, but it was growing more and more difficult. She looked to Sachin in a plea for him to help her, although he probably wouldn't because he was intent on staying out of family matters. He would step in if the bending got a little too rough, but other than that there was no reason to intervene.
The shirtless man stood up in the boat. "THAT'S the cousin? Well I'll be damned..." He lightly hopped into the water, laughing when he splashed both Mikka and Arrow. "Father said you were some kind of... How did he put it? 'Idiotic offspring of mud-brained cretins'?"
Arrow frowned. "Watch yer tongue, laddie. Mikki here's smarter than a whip and could whip you from here to the poles and back again if she wanted."
Mikka wriggled out of Arrow's grip. "Oh, hush, both of you." She held out her hand to the other man. "I'm Mikka. And you are?"
In a Mikka-like wave of impulse, he embraced her. "Botta, your long lost cousin."
"Ooooooooohhhhh. That explains a lot." She patted his back. "Uhm, you can put me down now."
"Oh, right." He released her. "Who're your friends?" His eyes fell on Sachin. "Other than him. I know him."
The airbender inclined his head. Botta he remembered. The waterbender was the son of the chief of the Southern Water Nation. Botta was very forward with his thoughts and actions, much like Sachin in his younger days, before experience had tempered his impulse and tongue. They had fought together briefly, but if it was enough for Sachin to remember his name and face, the waterbender was a worthy ally.
"Yun," the noble said, bowing as she held a hand over her heart. "I'm the firebender of the party."
Botta waded forward and kissed her hand. "M'lady," he greeted, winking slightly.
Yun's face flushed quickly, but she nodded to indicate that he had done the correct thing. Hui was at her side, quiet for the moment but clearly glaring at the male newcomer. "A...at least someone knows manners around here."
"The son of the Sothern Water Chief's gotta know a thing or two about that kind of thing."
Renji crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Renji."
Arrow raised an eyebrow. "Well, I don't know who the angry lookin' one is," he muttered.
"That's Sachin of Savitr's Airbending Mercenaries," Botta explained.
Arrow nodded. "Now I see the resemblance. I fought with his father once before. Good man. Good bender." He extended his hand to Sachin. "Honor's mine, son."
Sachin stepped forward, taking Arrow's offered hand shaking it twice before letting go. "It will pain you to know that he fell to Sung Hai, then."
Arrow and Botta exchanged looks. "We'd heard as much," Botta said quietly. "For all we knew there were no survivors. The best we found was my aunt and her twins, along with a few other waterbenders."
"Aunt?" Renji repeated, scratching his head. "The only waterbenders I remember being held were Mikka's tribe."
"Yeah. Her mother is my aunt by marriage. Her father is my father's elder brother. Well... was."
That information added yet another check in Mikka's favor, as far as Sachin was concerned. Not only did she have a silver tongue, but she also held some influence... or at least was related to someone who held influence.
Renji looked at Mikka. "I thought you weren't anybody at all..."
"I-I'm not," she answered, flushing. "I-it's a long story..."
"A story we will have to hear," Sachin said, nodding to himself as well as the rest of them.
Arrow clapped his hands together. "Hungry? We got grub back at camp."
Mikka smiled, glad to not have to talk about her family. "Yeah. We've got some things to talk about."
"Food?" Renji practically scrambled into a canoe, not even noticing that he was getting wet. "When do we go?"
The swampbenders stared at him, not quite sure what to do.
Botta laughed. "I like this guy." He hopped back into a boat, extending his hand to Yun. "May I help you in, my lady?"
"I need to carry Hui," Yun answered, picking up her foxwolf and cradling in her arms. He hated water, ever since he was a pup and Yun never made him go anywhere near water without being in her arms.
"I can get him in Bip or Bop's saddle," Mikka offered. "Or Botta can ride with us. Either way."
"I wasn't sure who we were travelling with," Yun said, glancing to Botta. "Are you going to ride with us, or continue on the boats?"
He shrugged, stretching. "I don't care, really. Not sure there's room for another man in your saddle, with your foxwolf already holding that highest of high honors." He winked at Hui.
The foxwolf sneezed, though it seemed like the action was a response to Botta's words.
Yun giggled, placing a kiss on the foxwolf's neck. "He's not that large. If you're more comfortable on wabuyacks, then you're welcome to join us."
"Then I'm in, so long as he doesn't eat me. May I join your mistress in your saddle?" he asked the foxwolf.
"Hui won't eat you," Yun assured him, adjusting the foxwolf in her arms so that he was looking right at Botta. "Or bite you, right, boy?"
The foxwolf stared at the waterbender for a few moments, then picked up a paw and waved it at him. There was a temporary truce, not that Hui was used to sharing his mistress with another man.
Botta bowed. "I thank you kindly for your permission, Master Hui," he announced grandiosely. "I swear that you shall remain the sole holder of all snuggling and kissing rights for the journey. That right is yours alone and can only be relinquished through a duel of some sort for your mistress's heart. Or, uh, something like that." He grinned at Yun. "So, which wabuyak's yours?"
The firebender actually laughed aloud, gripping Hui tightly enough that he yelped before she hastily relaxed her grip. "They're both Mikka's. I think I usually travel on Bop, but I can't always tell them apart..."
Mikka raised an eyebrow, leaning over to Sachin. "Do guys usually... flirt immediately like that?" she asked softly.
"That depends on the man," Sachin answered.
"Or the girl he's looking at... Yun is really pretty when she's not frowning." Mikka cocked her head to one side, as if comparing herself to the firebender. "I shouldn't have been surprised, though. Men do stare at her a lot..."
"And she usually either ignores them or glares venomously at them," Sachin reminded her. "So it's not just Botta being forward."
Mikka giggled. "She's so cute when she blushes! She's going to be in a much better mood now, I think..." She elbowed Sachin. "Now, I just have to figure out how to make you relax without giving you a massage or something. Because I'm not allowed to touch you. I think..."
The airbender was going to remind Mikka that attraction didn't always end well, but her expressed intent was something he couldn't ignore. "You've touched me before," Sachin reminded her, expression a bit confused.
Mikka hurriedly looked away. "W-well, I-I... Uh..." She flushed deeply, not certain how to continue. "We can talk about it later," she breathed, quickly turning to go to Bip and Bop. "Bip! Bop! Time to go!"
Bip mooed and put his nose down so that she could climb into the saddle. She did so as quickly as possible, her mind concentrating on anything but the fact that she might have to verbalize her feelings to Sachin. The airbender was feeling similarly, though he was trying to find ways to speak his mind without seeming to be too attached. He wasn't attached. Or, at least, he told himself he wasn't.
Bop waddled over to Yun and flopped to the ground. Botta held out his arms. "Shall I put Hui inside for you, Lady Yun?" he asked, giving her his most winning smile.
"I'm not sure he'd let you," Yun admitted quietly. She leaned up enough to release the canine onto the leather of the saddle. "But I wouldn't turn down your assistance."
Botta got down on one knee, holding out his hand. "Then I shall become a living stepping stool! Just, uh, make sure you put your foot in the middle of my thigh. Girls have missed before accidentally on purpose and it hurts like... you know..."
"I'm aware that there's a sensitive area there..." Yun said, chuckling as she took him up on his offer. She made sure to step as lightly as she could while still getting up into the saddle. "Thank you, Botta. You're being far too kind."
He vaulted into the saddle beside her. "Nonsense! I had to learn all those damn manners for a reason, so I'm going to use them when I get the chance. We're ready whenever you are, Mikka."
Arrow got into his canoe. "Move out!"