Nox actually regretted trying to leave Mio now that she was here. She knew the way to New Ba Sing Se much better than he did.
"Well," she said when Nox asked about it "Before we lived in Taku, me and my mom lived in a small village nearby. My grandparents actually lived in the city, so we'd visit whenever we could. I loved how you could just look up and see all the building stretching up to the sky around you. It made you feel so small, but at the same time it just took your breath away."
Mio was smiling; her eyes looked distant and it was almost like she could see it. She shut them for second and stopped walking. Soon they reopened:
"When you see it, you'll know what I'm talking about. It's amazing."
The remainder of the journey was fairly uneventful. The previously-foresty terrain gave way to a more jagged, rocky landscape. Soft rolling hills were replaced by sharp peaks. Though the sun was beating heavier and the path was becoming rougher, Mio began to hum happily.
"I think we're close..." she said. Her head turned back to look at Nox, and she grinned as she saw the outfit he was still wearing.
"What's with the cloak? Do you know how burning hot it is?"
"Did you forget about my mark? I'd rather get a little warm than have someone see it." Nox was a lie. He was more than a little warm. His face was covered with sweat and he was constantly drinking water.
"But there's literally nobody around here!" Mio said with a laugh "You're being way too cautious."
After another second, she added. "I think I've got an idea anyways. Take off your cloak. I've got some bandages with me."
That was another reason it was great that she had come along. While he had taken a day's worth of food for himself, she'd brought pretty much anything she could carry: food, water, medical supplies and even more. Her pack should have been heavy too, but it was somehow very easy to carry.
Listening to Mio's words, he pulled off his cloak. It revealed a grey training garment underneath, a tight but light shirt that seemed much more suited for this environment. Along his right arm, the inky-black marking appeared. Swirling symbols danced up and down, yet did not move, and in the bright light, it only seemed to stick out more. Each one had an intricate beauty to it; looking at it as one whole piece was special enough, but looking hard enough, Mio could see that even within the markings themselves, there was more symbols and details that flowed inside the shadowy depths.
Mio continued to look at it, provoking an uncomfortable cough from Nox. She snapped out of the trance-like state she had been in and her eyes shifted to his eyes. Nox had an eyebrow raised and a smirk edging out of the corner of his mouth. She quickly apologized. "Sorry...I got distracted for a moment." Regaining some of her composure, she pulled out the bandage and took hold of his arm.
"Stay still." she cautioned as she began to twirl the wraps all along his arm. In a few minutes, his arm had white bandages stretching from the lining of his shirt to his hand (which she used to anchor the wraps and keep it from slipping off).
She took a step back to see it, hands on her hips. The remainder of the bandages were still in the palm of her hand . "Looks good." she muses, nodding slowly.
"What am I supposed to tell people when they ask about my arm?" Nox asked, moving his arm around to make sure he still had motion in it.
"Maybe you got burned in a fight with a fire bender?" she suggested. He shook his head a bit, but simply said "I'll figure it out. Thanks." Silence fell between them as Mio put the bandaging away and they began a trek up a steep hill.
"Mind if I ask a question?" Mio said a bit later, but continued without waiting for an answer "What's up with the marking anyways? They're really unique."
Nox laughed. "More like inconvenient." He inspected his arm again, flexing it back and forth. He sighed, and Mio gave him a look of concern. He didn't seem to notice it, but kept speaking:
"The markings are what each shadowbender is born with. Depending on what caste you're a member of, you'll get a more extensive marking."
"Wow." Mio said with a smirk. "Than you must be pretty high up in society. What are you, nobility? Royalty?"
He turned to face her, and for the first time since meeting the bandits in Taku, he had a serious, almost angry look.
"How about a prince?"
She instantly froze in place, and he continued walking. "W-wait...a prince? You're the son of the ruler of the shadowbenders? You can't be serious..." Mio then realized that she was now alone and talking to herself.
Still stuck in place, Nox called back towards her from the top of the hill. "We're here. Come on."
