Getting Ready To Leave (OPEN)

Lai Bu Wan

A whistled tune bounced happily through the air.

Lai handed the vendor the necessary coin, and plucked a cabbage from the vendor's cart. The wizened cabbage merchant smiled, and asked him, amiably enough:

"That's quite a lot of provisions you've got there, pilgrim. Going someplace far?"

Lai laughed, and shrugged. "Well, I have no idea where I'm going after this. But it never hurts to be well-stocked." He paused for a moment, and asked;

"Actually, I was thinking of heading to the Earth Kingdom Avatar Temple."

The merchant leaned back, and shook his head. "That's a far trip, across the desert, no less."

"I know. I hate deserts particularly. They're hot, dry, and full of Sandbenders, to boot. I'm not sure how I'm going to make it across this time."

"You could always go by boat." The merchant pointed out.

"I hate the ocean even more." Lai answered.

"Well then." The merchant retorted, placing his hands on his hips. "Why don't you try going with companions? Two or three travelers fare better against deserts and Sandbenders than one."

"Companions?" Lai asked. "I don't know of any who'd be willing to risk that trip with me."

"Ooh, I wouldn't know." the merchant answered with a knowing smile. "In Omashu? In a city this large? There's bound to be those willing to travel..."

"Traveling?" Mai pipped up as she stood in line for the Cabbage cart. She was merely picking up a few ingredients from the shops in Omashu before returning home with the items for her Ma so she start cooking her family's dinner. And cabbage just so happened to be one essential item.
The person in line just ahead of her was speaking with the vender, and it was obvious that he was a traveler not only by what he was wearing, but the conversation that she had just subconsciously eavesdropped on. The thought of even meeting someone who could have been to so many places that Mai had only seen in picture seemed amazing to her. She had been born and raised in Omashu. And she had only left once to Ba Sing Se to visit family. The ability to travel all over was a dream of hers. So Mai disregarded her usual quiet demeanor when she interrupted their conversation. "You're a pilgrim?" Mai exclaimed the obvious.

"Hey boss here is some cabbage from the farms." said a young man wearing a straw hat placing the cabbage on the cart.

"Good, Hey Kaida this folk right here is looking for people to travel with." said the merchant turning to the boy.

"Where are they heading? I might be able to help." said Kaida taking off his hat and scratching his head.

"He is heading to the Earth Kingdom Avatar Temple" Answered the merchant

"Ah so your going through the desert huh, might need a sand bender" Kaida said moving to the man.

"Excuse me, but may I come along?" A young man said standing next to the line, overhearing the conversation going on.

"Im needing to head through there."

Mai watched as a couple others offered to join in. "Oh, may I join too?!" She asked excitedly. She knew that she'd have to ask her parents permission and grab a few supplies, so she hoped that she wouldn't slow down the others. But she was an earthbender, and a fairly talented one at that. At least for her age, and she'd love to learn more. Especially how to sand bend.
Mai stood eagerly, bouncing up on her toes, waiting to here the young man's response.

The young man now frustrated with the crowd wanting to join left, insearch of a new party to travel with that hopefully wont end up a frenzy. He walked over to a smallstump on the side of a walkway, sat and pondered on what to do.
"I need elemental advantage incase I run into some thing out there that i cant beat." He said to himself. "I cant bend sand... Theres possibly no metal out there... and Im just a party of one."

Kaida walked to the man on the stump "I know the desert and I am also a sand Bender." Kaida then sat next to him for an answer.

The young man then looked at the other man sitting next to him."Ya but, Im gonna feel helpless since i can only metal band and earth bend and all i can do out there is hand to hand. It would be easy to take me out in the desert and ambush me with some ranged attackes." The young man then sighed in greif, and looked at the ground for a second.

Mai heard the distress in one of the man's voice as he talked about how he felt helpless in the desert where there was no metal or earth to bend. She suddenly became more serious. "If this makes you feel better, I can't even metalbend." She crossed her arms looked down at the two boys as they sat below her. "But I know that I'm an accomplished enough earthbender that sandbending shouldn't be that far of a stretch for me." She waved her hand at the one boy, named Kaida, who claimed that he could sandbend, "If you're willing to show me some pointers, I'd be more than willing to learn how to sandbend."
Mai looked back at the other boy, "I'm sure that you'll be able to learn how to sandbend eventually. I'd imagine that experiencing the desert is the best way to learn!" She smiled at him, trying to get his hopes back up.

"Well I'm not much of a teacher but I can teach you, both of you" Kaida then stood up and held his hand out to help him up.