Diary of Bree

"What a beautiful day huh, Tala," Bree exclaimed with joy. She leaned over the side of her saddle and ran her hand through her Bisons fur. She looked farther over the side and saw a beautiful city that flowed over the bottom of a volcanic crater. "Wow, its beautiful, isn't it?"

Bree didn't realize it but she had been leaning too far over and Tala took that to mean to flip. When she did, Bree fell from the saddle. One moment she was enjoying the view and the next the view was coming closer, fast. Bree started bending the air around her to slow her decent. Even then though she knew her landing was going to hurt. She saw a large area of green and figured it would hurt less to land on grass rather than a house, so she altered her decent.  As she got close to landing a figure came out of nowhere. Well it seemed that way to Bree as he was probably behind a tree or something. She threw her arms in front of her trying to slow down more, to no avail.

"LOOK OUT," She shouted, also too late. She crashed into the man and knocked him down. "Ow, my butt hurts."

Bree looked under her and saw the man was still under her. She shot up to her feet and started apologizing profusely while trying to help him up.


"Dear Diary: Tala is in soo much trouble. Today she flipped and I fell from the saddle! I fell so far. Luckily a man broke my fall."

Nobunaga walked through the palace. Hands folded behind his back, he calmly stepped his ways through the red stone hallways over the marble, granite and mosaic floors. He stepped out into the open gardens, hoping to enjoy some quiet time by the small pool there.

But as he walked towards the pool, something small, but dense, landed on him.

Nobunaga felt the wind go from him. He was knocked to the ground. He looked around and saw, a few feet from where he lay, a young girl. She looked to be an Air Bender.

"The forecast said nothing about it raining Air Bending little girls," groaned Nobunaga as he stood up.

As he examined the girl, he noticed she was scribbling something in her diary. With a gentle sigh, Nobunaga extended his hand to help the girl up. "Come on now, girlie. Up ya get. Are you okay? ...Your name doesn't happen to be Lucy does it? Do you happen to carry diamonds with you?"

Nobunaga chuckled to himself. He thought himself quite funny. Though not everyone appreciated his fatherly humour. Hopefully this girl would be too young to know the difference between good comedy and a dad joke.

"My name is Bree sir," Bree replied as she giggled a little at the mans bad joke. She loved people with a sense of humor, even if it was dad humor. "I'm sorry I landed on you. My bison flipped me out of my saddle. I didn't break anything did I?"

Dear diary: He seems nice though, same humor as my master too. Hope he is ok, I did land kinda hard.

(FYI The diary entries are written at night, so it can kinda be seen as the entries are the words and the rest is the memories shes accessing to write the entries)

"Bison, huh?" wondered Nobunaga as he helped Bree to her feet, "So you are an Air Bender." Nobunaga looked up at the sky as if the bison was going to fall from there too. To which Nobunaga was happily pleased that one didn't.

Still, if this girl was missing her bison, that is to say, if the bison left her, it wouldn't have gone to far. Bison's and Air Benders are partners for life. They would not leave each other so easily.

Then again judging by the age of this girl, Nobunaga surmised she was young--but so was her bison, and therefore inexperienced and flighty. That bison could be here in a moment or a week.

Nobunaga sighed.

"I'm Emperor Nobunaga Ezofuji," Nobunaga said, introducing himself, "I'll spare you the boring titles that go along with it though."

Nobunaga lead Bree through the marble halls of his palace. "Where did you last see your bison, Bree? And what is an Air Bender as young as yourself doing this far in-land on the Imperial Mainland? What temple are you from?"

'I just fell on the emperor of the fire nation," Bree though nervously as she followed the emperor. While the man seemed nice enough, Bree had heard stories of rulers executing people for less.

"I'm sorry sir," Bree said with a bit of worry, "I don't know where my bison is. I'm from the Western Temple sir. Please don't tell the masters, I don't want to be in trouble."

Dear diary: When I found out the man was the Emperor of the Fire Nation, I was so scared I would be punished. He led me through the palace and all I could think was 'I hope its not the dungeon.'

Nobunaga let out a wild, rapacious laugh. "No need to worry from me, girly," he chuckled, "I won't be telling any monks. Never been a fan of monks. Especially after the Ikko..."

Nobunaga's words trailed out there. He led the girl through the winding, symmetrical halls. They passed the Hall of Fire Lords, where the portraits of all of Nobunaga's ancestors hung from the walls, even Ozai, Sozin and Azulan.

They continued, filing past people and attendants and servants alike, until they had arrived in the Imperial kitchens.

"Are you hungry, Bree? Air Benders are vegetarians aren't there?" asked Nobunaga as they kept walking.

Behind the scenes, and tucked away, the kitchen, massive as it was, fed the entire palace and its staff. Currently they were working on preparing a midday snack for Nobunaga and his family, to be served in their private rooms upon request.

Nobunaga looked over at the chef. "Oi! Boss-man!" he cried. The big burly chef, known as Potara, with his big round belly and walrus moustache walked over.

"Your Highness," he bowed gruffly, "How can I help you today? We were just in the middle of preparing you a midday meal."

"This young girl is hungry, it seems," smiled Nobunaga, "Make her anything she desires. My orders. Anyone has any complaints about the extra work they can take it up with me."

Nobunaga gave a wry grin. He chuckled a bit and Potara, not an easily scared man, took the meaning. Several other kitchen workers looked at Nobunaga nervously.

He was a scary man when he wanted to be.

Bree followed the Emperor down the halls. She was distracted by all that was around her as she had never been in so much luxury. she was so distracted that when she was asked if she was vegetarian, she almost didnt hear him.

"oh, sorry," she stumbled. "yes sir, we are."

she again got lost in though, at least until they walked into the kitchen. it was huge! she had never been in a kitchen that big before. she was surprised when the emperor told the chef to give her whatever she wanted.

"no, its fine," she said quickly, "im fine with whatever there is thats vegetarian. no need to go out of your way for me."

"Nonsense!" cried Nobunaga, with a hearty laugh, "Whatever the girl wants." Nobunaga stressed his words and smirked at Potara.

Nobunaga waited for Potara and Bree to converse before Potara had accepted Bree's request and gone about the kitchen to cook it. Potara worked fast, and any kitchen hand that was unlucky enough to be caught in his way was bulldozed.

Nobunaga sat there, sitting atop a wine barrel, picking at cheese and a loaf of bread, using a small paring knife to cut bite-sized pieces from the loaf and wheel.

Once he had had his fill, Nobunaga downed it all with a brief jub of wine.

He wiped his mouth on his robes and laughed. Life was meant to be enjoyed! He had no time for hoighty-toighty bullshit. It was a waste of time!

Nobunaga noticed Bree return with food and smiled at her, pulling up another wine barrel for her to sit on. "Come, sit, sit child!" smiled Nobunaga, "Eat your food. Best to eat while sitting hm? What did Potara make you?"

"He made me potato curry," Bree said as she jumped onto the barrel. She extended a hand over the food and curled her fingers as she pulled it back and down, creating a small cool twister. the food on the plate cooled enough for her to eat and she dug in. Bree's eyes rolled slightly as the delicious flavors rolled over her tongue. She brushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind one ear. "It's delicious! The last time I had curry like this was just before my father died."

Her eyes dropped in sadness and she set the plate on her knees.

Nobunaga chewed through another slice of cheese and some bread, and watched Bree it. He smiled, chuckling a bit. Glad he could make someone happy.

She was a lost Air Bender whose bison had...decided to get a little more than adventurous and thus leave her stranded in a strange and foreign land. So Nobunaga, for all his cruelty in the face of rebellion and treason, showed the girl kindness.

It was the least he could do as a representative of his nation--the highest representation his Empire could get really.

Besides, it was nice to have another youngin' tromping around the place again. It had been 18 years since Kenreimon was born, and now, at 18, she was running around pacifying spirits and offering prayers at religious ceremonies as the Empire's High Priestess. She wasn't a kid anymore.

None of Nobunaga's eight children were. They were adults and contributing members of society. He didn't see them as much for it. It was mostly just Nobunaga, alone in a big empty palace. Even his wife had moved on.

Then Bree mentioned something about her father and Nobunaga nodded. Cutting back into the goings-on around him.

"You lost your father young too, huh?" asked Nobunaga, trying for once in his life to be delicate in a situation. He scoffed down more bread before speaking again. "Lost my father when I was twenty-five. I was older, sure--a man by most standards. But...you never get too old to feel the lost of a father. Mother died four years later--hit me hard too you know? Being an orphan at twenty-nine. Ha, the same age my son is now."

Nobunaga spoke freely, hoping to comfort and connect with Bree.

"When my pops died, well, I became the new Crown Prince. Forced into a world I thought I'd have until thirty-five to learn about. I didn't have time to learn slow, I had to learn by doing. I got forced into a war as a General, and led armies as Crown Prince of the Nation for the first time. It was a big deal for me. Earned my reputation in that war I did."

Nobunaga thought of his grandfather.

"Grandfather died just recently. Old Bastard. He was like a father to me after my pops went, but he was older. Not the same as having a father you know? Anyway, what I'm trying to say is. I feel your pain. Doesn't ever really go away. But you know, you're never alone if you got a good family and friends."

Nobunaga sighed.

"I think that's what I meant anyway..."

He really didn't know where he was going with this. He tried to be kind and compassionate...it was new to him. He was rusty. He just hoped it didn't show.