In Need Of Directions (Éclair, Kouzai)

An island map gripped tightly in her two hands, turning it around multiple times in a confused manner. 'Horse' reins hooked around her wrist, pulling her deer mount along beside her. Her earthy irises darted from each building she passed, eyebrows furrowed worriedly. She was clearly looking for something, and it wasn't clearing out so well for her so far. With only a few coins left in her burrowed skirt pockets, she doesn't even think that she'd even have enough to be able to buy a room at an inn for a night.

She attempted to ask many citizens among the street, but was either replied with a shove or a shrug with the shoulders. "Alright, I'll ask one more person, and if we fail; we'll be sleeping out in the cold." Éclair sighed with a slight frown before taking a glance among the crowd. Her eyes spotted a man that looked to be a guard, a very handsome guard at that.

"I'm sure that a guard would assist on help, right?"She turned to her Cat-Deer companion, Shiki, with a warm smile and tilt of her head. Shiki had replied with a grunt, happily tapping his hooves against the gravel road.

Her hair bounced and waved in the whistling wind as her bare feet scuffled in a hurry to the so called 'guard'. A rosy blush quite evident on her cheeks as she tapped on his shoulder. "Excuse me, sir.."Her top teeth bit on her bottom lip, a little embarrassed to ask this man to assist her.

Morohito patrolled the streets of Ember Island.  Just because it was a hub for vacationing Imperial subjects and upperclass government officials didn't mean it wasn't a haven for runaways, thieves, and stowaways trying to hide from guards in the mainland or trying to spend off their stolen goods in order to amass a fortune and live an easy life on the beach.  Morohito made it his life's job to hunt these people down and put them in jail for what they did.  He didn't want them committing anymore crimes, and he hoped that the jail would be able to set them straight.

They were only petty criminals after all, and not murders, and as such, they wouldn't be in there their whole lives.  But this week, however, was a special week for Morohito.  His uncle Erolass, the Regent Lord of Ember Island, was in the capital this week, meeting his Morohito's father the Emperor, Eldunar.  This made Morohito the acting Regent Lord in Erolass' absence.  It was ironic, how often family sat the throne for one another in the Ezofuji family.  Erolass was sitting throne for his eldest brother in Ember Island, while Eldunar was sitting throne in the capital for his brother Owlan and Owlan's son Izanagi.

Owlan abdicated as Vermilion Emperor to take the throne of the Spirit King for Raiden who at a century and a half old, missed his family and friends and cousins from his youth and moved on beyond his half-dead life to see them once more.  Izanaig was to take the throne soon, now that he reached 20, and preparations were being made for the coronation as Morohito breathed.  That was they reason Erolass was in the capital, he was helping his brother and sister, Eldunar and Naina, prepare for the coronation of a new Emperor and help orchestrate the otherwise chaotic shifting of government officials and ministers.

As Emperor, Izanagi had the right to appoint new ministers upon taking the throne.  Not to mention, Naina was looking to retire from being Ambassador of the Empire and its Imperial Family, while Erolass would return to his villa and vineyard outside of the capital and thus, his art.  Sculpting, sketching, architecture, and painting.  They were his true loves.  Hideyoro, another of Morohito's cousins, would remain Regent Lord of Ember Island.  Morohito's elder brother would return to take the Regent Lord's throne on Ember Island soon as well, as Eldunar also wished to retire.

Raijin was to be made First Minister and advise Izanagi--a decision that was to be a surprise for Raijin, who had never expected to be made anything in government, being the youngest son and youngest child of Owlan's.  Even if he was a triplet, he was still the youngest and the second son.  But Izanagi loved his brother, and knew Raijin was wise in way's Izanagi was not.  Raijin had travelled the world for years, and spent time amongst other nations.  Raijin would know much about the world that Izanagi couldn't hope to understand first hand.

From there Morohito stopped paying attention to his uncle's explanation as it just got boring.  The Ezofuji family was huge, and branched into three sub-houses.  They were all born to rule, and it wasn't always easy organizing who would rule what.  No wonder the Empire kept laying claim to every land it possibly could.  Morohito continued his patrol, his hand on his sword and his eyes on everyone.  No one was exempt from his scrutiny, just in case.  Then someone tapped him on the shoulder.  Eldunar turned around, and saw a girl looking up at him.

She stood chest level to him.  He was 6'5" and she had to have been at least a foot shoulder, standing just below his shoulder by an inch or two.  She was long of hair was well, going down to her jaw in straight, brown strands in the front, but was very long to her waist in the back.  Her skin was of olive and her eyes brown.  She wore a two piece outfit.  It was red embossed with golden threat around the edge.  Her skirt was long and red, and her bandeaux was white, covered with a red sash.  She wore no shoes, but she did have noticeably large, golden hoops for earrings.  Beside her stood a Cat Deer--a rare but interesting animal.  Morohito looked down at the very pretty girl.  She was well figured and well developed.  Pretty?  No, Morohito was wrong, she was beautiful.  "How may I help you?" he asked, looking her in the eyes.  She was a mysterious animal to him.  He wanted to know more about her and his heart began to race as he thought about it.

((OOC: Ezofuji men are tall yes XD women too.  Naina is about 6ft, her daughters are 6'1"-ish.))

Her dark mousy brown hair flowed in the breezy wind, bare feet shuffling in the rough gravel, fawn brown eyes twinkling as she constantly batted her eyelashes. Her head slowly ascended upwards, quick to notice the big difference of height between her and the man. She had to admit, this man was a stunner. He was.. handsome. She quickly began to come quite flustered by his attractive appearance.

Her arms crossed over each other, hugging under her large plump breasts. Her earthy eyes had everted away from his eye contact, rosy pink cheeks deepening a deeper and brighter tint, quite flustered. Her eyebrows narrowed, attempting to look a little more stern and proper.

Her heart was racing and thumping loud and clear, something seemed a little different to Éclair. Her right slender hand ascended upwards, tucking a loose brown strand of hair behind her ear. She was never embarrassed in front of somebody like this, it wasn't anything like something she'd do. This hasn't happened since she had left her family in Earth Kingdom Desert, six years ago when she was just a mere teenager. She could clearly remember the scorching hot days in the small sandstone village, the heated competitive battling with her boy crush.

Shiki nudged his snout upon her back, pushing her forward and abruptly bumping her into his muscular chest. She stepped several feet away, swiftly turning her head to her companion with a furrowed glare before turning back to ask for her desired assistance.

"S-sorry, but would you possibly know where the nearest inn is located? I seem to be quite lost." She said sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head with a apologetic smile. It was her first time on the island, and she had absolutely no clue where she was. The map that was gripped in her left hand wasn't very accurate and understandable for her.

Morohito looked down at the girl with a raised eyebrow as she fumbled to come up with the right words. Then chuckled a bit as she bumped into him; the deer was a friend, Morohito was sure of that. "An inn, huh?" thought Morohito deeply, giving thought to the question. He pondered over the prices of inns and the inns nearby. "Well that would depend on how much you've got to spend," started Morohito, he began to point towards the main road that led into the centre of town, "There at least three in the area of town square. Two of them will cost you a silver piece per night--not including food." Morohito stroked his beard thinking.

"The other one is a copper a night and a copper for food," he explained, "But, that's if you like roach-rats in your bed and food..." Morohito chuckled, "Anything else is several gold pieces a night--those places are more for the upper class." Morohito looked at the girl. She didn't seem like the type who would enjoy roach-rats, nor did she seem like someone who would have enough money to stay more than three or four days (at the most) in one of the middle-class places. And forget about the upperclass hotels. It was a shame, but Morohito was determined to help her.

He didn't like to see people in need after all. Even if she didn't take it, he had to offer. "Shall I walk you there and you can take a look?" offered Morohito, "If you like the two places by town square, I can give you the money for room and board. If you are someone with...higher tastes, I can do the same with the upper class hotels." Morohito was acting Regent Lord for the next few weeks, and that gave him complete control over the coffers of Ember Island, which were overflowing with gold. Literally. It required an underground vault beneath the Regent Lord's Palace and two of the island's largest banks, as well as a small ship docked in a secret cove on the island to hold the tax money.

Ember Island taxed everyone. Business owners, the playhouse, people who owned vacation houses here, people who lived in their vacation houses, they even taxed the Emperor and his properties. Ember Island was the second wealthiest settlement in the Empire, right after the capital and right before Nippon which was third. And Morohito knew why; Eldunar, his father, had been generous to the people, but not too generous and thus had stockpiled more gold than he knew what to do with. Erolass wasn't an extravagant spender either, and anything he bought he paid for with his own income.

Morohito and the girl began to walk up the main road towards the township. No one lived in town, all the houses were on the beaches. But the shops, the playhouse and everything else was in town, and thus were the only reasons people came into town. "So, where are you from exactly?" wondered Morohito, "You...you dress like an Imperial subject, but you do not look like an Imperial subject." Morohito was truly interested--though his inability to start proper small talk shone through. Usually overconfident to the point of cocky, Morohito had never felt this way before. Yet..it intrigued him.

Éclair looked up to him as he stroked his beard in thought. She definitely preferred to stay in a more proper and clean place rather than a room filled with roaches and creepy-crawlies. That was a big no-no for her. However, by the looks of her sparse money pouch; things were definitely not going to end well. She nodded along to what he said, and followed after him. "Well, I certainly wouldn't want to sleep in a place filled with rat roaches or the sort."She chuckled with a warm smile.

"Really?! that's so nice of y-" She paused her sentence, cursing in her head for how rude she seemed. "Oh, no, no.. I can't let you give me so much. You should spend it on things that you want. I don't want to be a burden here, I'd feel bad if you were to do such a nice thing." She shook her head with a small frown, re-assuring him that she wouldn't need the money.

"Aren't you a guard? I don't want to disturb your work or anything.." Éclair tilted her head slightly to the right, questioning him with a confused look. By the look of the katana that sat in its sheathe, she predicted that he was a guard. However, the traditional robes made her think that he was much than just a guard.

"Where am I from? I'm from Ima City in the Earth Kingdom Desert. It isn't as big and rich as Ba Sing Se and the Vermilion Empire, but it holds up pretty well for its kind community. You probably haven't heard of it," She spoke to the man with another kind smile before continuing her sentence, "This is something that you'd often wear when living in Ima City. Don't laugh, but I'm a dancer, and often perform in hotel restaurants, taverns, festivals, you name it. Dancers would wear things similar to this for when entertaining the crowds." She explained her strange clothing get-up.

"Do you have a hobby or the sort?"

The girl began to accept his offer, but switched mid-sentence and declined. "The only way you could burden me would be the burden it would place on my mind if you didn't accept my offer and had to leave prematurely," said Morohito plainly, "Ember Island is a wonderful place. It would be a shame if you could not enjoy it." A bigger shame of Morohito could not spend more time with her, and if he could not enjoy her or her company. But what he spoke was truth, regardless of his personal feelings. He was a vigilante who took down criminals because he loved his people; all people really. To see a person suffer gave him the urge to help, and while it would not be as bad as starvation or homelessness, to see her not be able to enjoy Ember Island to its fullest because of limited funds would hurt him.

Then she asked if he were a guard, and Morohito let out a resounding laugh. "A guard?" he smiled, "I suppose I appear as one, yes. But no, I am no guard, though I act it." They continued a little further down the road while Morohito pondered over whether or not he should tell her, and while he muddled over his decision she began to divulge a little of herself and her origins. She was of the Sand Bending Tribes, though she did not appear to be a Sand Bender. Morohito noted that his cousin Raijin was currently with a member of the Order of the Elements in Ima City looking for the Warrior of Earth who would assist the Avatar in quelling the oncoming darkness--though this was nothing he needed to mention to this girl, lest he worry her.

It was odd though, to Morohito, how the Takamgahara Clan and other Sand Bending Clans had been attacking Earth Kingdom and other foreign trade caravans, supply routes and travellers in protest against Earth Kingdom hegemony in their lands. Morohito never did enjoy political squabbles, but to have been a non-Sand Bender living amongst often very xenophobic people, she was either highly respected, owed a debt, was a slave, or was just a very good dancer. There was also the posiblity that despite their political prejudices, the Sand Bender Tribes turned away no performers. They were highly religious, and in the world religion of Seishinism, dancing and singing for the Gods was a popular form of prayer, worship and appeasement.

Regardless of the reasons, Morohito finally responded after being asked if he had a hobby. "A dancer, hmm?" he half asked, half stated, bemused by the thought, "I'm sure you were a very good dancer. Your body would suggest so--er, I mean. You have the body of a dancer is all...heh." Morohito gave a sheepish smile and scratched his head, trying not to fumble over anymore words than he had. "As for hobbies, I suppose you could call what I'm doing now a hobby," he explained, more serious now, "I help people, in all sorts of ways. Direct, indirect; it's all the same to me, either way people are helped and their lives are bettered." He dared not use the word vigilante lest she think he was some kind of criminal. Even the citizens who lived on Ember Island, and knew of Morohito's good deeds, calling him the Hero Prince, did not use the word vigilante; it was a word that was known but never spoken. Vigilante's didn't always have the cleanest of records, besides they were usually anonymous, and Morohito was not. He could never be.

"You should know something else about me," continued Morohito definitively and with decisiveness, "I am a Prince. Vermilion Prince Morohito Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi, son of Vermilion Emperor Eldunar Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi and Vermilion Empress Han Shu Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi; my eldest brother is Vermilion Prince Hiruko Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi, and I am first cousins with the future Emperor and Vermilion Crown Prince Izanagi Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi. And though I bear the title Vermilion before my name and station, I am Vermilion only by tradition and name; and I shall loose it once Izanagi takes the throne. It is saved only for children and siblings of Emperors."

Morohito never did like to use his full title, it was very long and repetitive; but at least he wasn't the Emperor. He had at least five or six different titles announced after his name. And that didn't include listing all his relations, well, at least the important ones, and that was done after announcing all his titles. The Empire was always formal, even as the Fire Nation, and its royal family always did enjoy the pomp and honour that came with titles. Now all Morohito needed to do was wait for this girls response, hopefully he had not made a mistake, and scared her off because of his title.

Éclair rose her head to look at him as her spoke, her eyes kept in contact with his. "Well, I guess it'd be alright.. but only if I repay you somehow,"Éclair told him with a simper, "Ember Island is a lovely place. Everything is so quiet and peaceful, its like a dream. The things that I could do here is endless. I'm quite sick of travelling all the time, I might settle down here in the future." She expressed with a delighted calm smile. Even though she had only just entered the island, the happy and calm atmosphere had convinced her that it was a blessing to be living on the island.

"Oh you're not a guard? How embarrassing of me, my apologies." She awkwardly apologised, tapping the tips of her pointing fingers together; abashed. There was an awkward and stiff silence between them while she followed beside him, reins that connected to Shiki clenched and wrapped around her right hand; keeping him close.

The twenty year old laughed at his kind compliment upon her appearance, "Heh, thank you, it means a lot. I don't get a compliment like that ever so often." She flushed a deep crimson red, chuckling with a delighted grin.

Éclair angled her head slightly to the right, amazed at the fact of how he had a love for helping those in need. "Wow, you must be a wonderful kind man. Not many people these days do something like that. I'm impressed." She admitted, fascinated by his kind heart. Éclair was glad that she had asked this man to assist her, she had never had a conversation as long as this in years! She never liked talking much, but something about this man made her want to talk more than she had ever talked before. She was surely going to remember this moment for the rest of her life.

The dancer dozed back into reality, picking up the big four words: 'I am a Prince.' Her eyes widened, quite surprised at the fact that she was talking to a prince.

"A prince.. No wonder you are so handsom-- um, I mean so nice and smart," She stuttered in a bashful matter, "Morohito.. what a nice name. My name is Éclair Kakihara, my companion here is Shiki. It is an honour to meet you." She introduced herself and her mountable friend. Her hands intertwined behind her back, interested to what Morohito's life as a prince would be like.

"May I ask what it is like to be royal?" She asked with interest.

Eclair talked about wanting to one day live here on Ember Island. Something Morohito could only encourage, for a multitude of reasons. "Ember Island is truly a wonderful place," insisted Morohito, "You should settle here as soon as you feel ready. I could even help find you a place of your own--and you'd always have me here to come visit if you really need a familiar face; and don't apologize about the guard thing, truly, it's a common mistake. I do often patrol with them." This was true, Morohito did do that quite a bit, but only because he cared for the safety of his people, and the guards were among his few friends.

Morohito smiled and stroked his beard once more as the girl accepted his compliment. He didn't know what to say without getting tongue tied, so he simply gave a small bow and the two continued walking and talking. She returned the compliment, to which, once more he bowed, though this time thanking her. He supposed he was a kind man, yes. He just enjoyed helping people, though he was never sure where he got it from exactly. They were almost at town when he told Eclair who he was, and then she too seemed to fumble with her words, making Morohito chuckle. "It is a pleasure to meet you Eclair," this time, Morohito stopped in his tracks, placed an open hand over a closed fist in front of his body, and gave a full, formal bow, "To you as well, Shiki."

"Being a Prince is...different, depending on whom you ask," started Morohito, "I am but a minor prince, sadly. Though I am the current Emperor's son, I will not be taking the throne and regardless I am sixth in line for the throne. Raijin has a better shot of being Emperor than I. Nor will I be handed the Regency of Ember Island; that will go rightfully to my older brother, Hiruko. It is his by birth right once my father retires." Morohito paused a bit thinking over what his life was like, and what the life of Izanagi or his other cousins in the capital would be like.

"For me, life is easy. I patrol with the guards, help the people of this island. I am free, I can travel easier, I am able to do more in my day that does not require ruling. The most I will ever had to due in the way of government would be to sit throne here on Ember Island for my brother when he is unable to do so," said Morohito half pensively, "For my cousins in the capital life is different. They may travel, they have some freedoms, but they have been involved in government and politics since their births, and have had a hand in it since fifteen. Except Raijin, he never enjoyed politics, and always preferred travelling to being tied down to the capital. He's got some very interesting stories, but alas, I digress. While they can travel, they are more limited as to when and how long. And much of their travelling is often political in nature. Though regardless of how involved you are in politics you do get invited to all of the best parties." Morohito let out a laugh, and while he was only partly joking, he wasn't exactly wrong.

The two continued towards the town, finally entering the square. Hoping to break the silence that he had created, Morohito attempted to bring the conversation back to something the two could talk about together. "He is a magnificent creature," noted Morohito, pointing to the cat deer, "I have seen a few roaming the wilds of the Shadow Lands when I went last to visit my uncle, Spirit King Owlan. They are rare, yet noble, though they aren't always fond of humans. How long have you had him?"

"What kinds of fun things could I do here on Ember Island?" She asked with curiosity, "I can't let you leave empty-handed, I have to repay you back somehow.." She pleaded with a desperate frown. She liked the idea of seeing him often, something about Morohito makes her want to never leave. Was it his mature personality or his charming looks? She wasn't sure, but perhaps it were both.

Éclair was a little confused and baffled at the sight of a prince bowing to her. She was just a worthless woman trying to earn as much money as she could to survive and thrive. She raised an arch brow, "You are a prince, I'm a commoner. If anything, I should be the one bowing here." She chuckled. Her slender feminine hands were placed upon her curvy hips before sliding down to grip the sides of her silk long red skirt, right foot placed in front of her left and her knees bent slightly; a curtsy.

The cat / deer mix was overjoyed to be bowed upon. He tapped and trotted his hooves upon the pavement, gently prodding and nudging his antlers upon his back merrily as an affection way of saying hello.
"It looks like Shiki is quite glad to be meeting you too."Éclair lightly giggled with her right hand half covering her mouth.

"But at least you won't have to have a big weight on your shoulders all the time, it would be hard to be an Emperor. If I were an emperor, I would probably die from the amount of work and stress given," She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, "Being invited to such magnificent party would be a delicacy."Her eyes twinkled in delight. She could imagine the rows of buffet table filled with glass pots of punch and wine clearly.

"I've had him for around about three years, ever since he were a little fawn," She turned her head to look at the deer hybrid before continuing what she were to say, "I saw him in a Ba Sing Se black market while trying to bust a circus friend out of prostitution. He was only little, I couldn't stand seeing the poor guy in such a stressful state; and so, I ended up busting out two people in the black market that day."

ooc: Sorry for the late post, I was at my brother's wedding. Almost five hundred people attended to the ceremony and reception, was at the wedding for eleven hours and took four hours to clean the place up; i'm so tired xD

((OOC: It's alright, it's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend so I've been with family the past two days XD))


"Fishing, sunbathing, perhaps finding a hobby, and the theatre is always fun to watch.  They're starting to bring in plays from Nippon known as Noh and Kabuki," explained Morohito, "I have never seen one personally.  But they have been doing them for hundreds of years there, and my cousin Hideyoro says they are very good.  Perhaps I'll go see a play one day soon."  Morohito stroked his beard as the two paused outside of their destination, the Golden Dragon Inn.  Soon Eclair would be off and inside once more, with no garuntee that they would see each other anymore.  But, for now, Morohito needed to focus on the conversation at hand, and not the future.

Eclair seemed surprised by his bow and show of politeness, to which Morohito simply smiled.  "So because I am a Prince I cannot be polite?" he asked, leaving his beard alone again, "And worry not about paying me back.  I do have a weekly stipend, and the cost of an inn for a little while will not set me back.  Besides, I am not above borrowing from the Imperial coffers on Ember Island.  The money is rarely touched, and I can always repay it later."  This was very true, and would most likely be what Morohito ended up doing, as his money was currently tied up in new armour and robes ordered for ceremonial purposes; mainly Izanagi's upcoming coronation.

Eclair made the point of how stressful it was to be Emperor.  And Morohito did not doubt his father's workload.  Constantly changing political climates, Earth King Hui being difficult constantly.  Maintaining several colonies, helping the Light Kingdom and Dark Nation become independent again, top secret military research, as well as the secret project Eldunar was working on...Morohito didn't know too much.  Only that it would transform Imperial history and its future forever.

"What an interesting story," thought Morohito genuinely as he thought over what the girl told him with intent, "It seems you also enjoy helping people."  Morohito chuckled, and then an idea came to him.  "If you're truly worried about me spending money, perhaps you could stay in the guest wing of the palace," proposed Morohito, "It's a very large empty palace, even for a Regent Lord.  And since I'm alone for the next week, I could very well use the company."