Again {Private}

[Zecarius]

Ryoko smiled back at the avatar, not really caring how creepy the grin was; it was always good to see her other friend smile. However, her smile fell at the fire bender's remark, causing her to look back and make sure that she was sure about this; the expression said so. "O-okay, Yuzuki," she said, reaching into her kimono. It took a moment of digging around before she located a key, one that fit into the shackles; she stepped in between the avatar and her friend in order to unlock the shackles, making sure to pull them off of the wrists they bound before stepping back, her body still partially in the way. This occassion screamed of an attack by Yuzuki on the younger girl, and even though she was their captive, the air bender wouldn't let that happen. The avatar was pretty much her only other friend.

Hiza was surprised as well by the acceptance of her request, pulling her arms down as soon as the restraints were loose enough, and rubbing her wrists, looking at the two older girls. There was no way she could beat both of them in a fight... or even one of them, even if they were on equal ground, much less when she had been chained up for who knows how long with minimal food and water. She opted instead to walk away from both of them and away from the entrance of the cave to reach the lake, kneeling down and dunking her head into the water, not only to greedily gulp some down, but to also wash some of the dirt and grime from her face. "Ah, that hits the spot!" she replied, pulling her face out. "Now, while I'm out, could we go out to eat? You hardly give me anything, and I'm starved."

Ryoko watched the small fire bender walk off and douse herself, and grinned at the second request. "Ooooh, can we? Please please please? It is her birthday..." She pouted a bit at Yuzuki; they hardly went out together anymore, considering that she kept on getting sent to fly off to the other nations and spy on them and scout out things... it was almost like they weren't friends anymore... almost. Not quite though; she knew they wouldn't stop being friends.

[Yuzuki]

Yuzuki's smirk had slowly faded as she realized she was not going to get the attack she wanted today. The young firebender just walked over to the water, and dunked her head in. No arguments, no smart talk, no attack... nothing. Crossing her arms over her chest, she contemplated attacking just for the hell of it. Shaking her head of the thought, she knew her friend Ryoko would never allow for such a thing. She didn't know why, but Ryoko seemed to be attached to Hiza.

Hearing the request of food, and then Ryoko's pleading, she narrowed her eyes. "And why should I agree to such a thing? Stop that pouting, Ryoko. Pouting gets you nowhere, and only makes you look stupid." Ryoko and her stupid pouting. It was true that the two of them hadn't really done something together in a while. She had been busy with her duties, dealing with negotiations and war strategies with the Fire Lord. Ryoko herself had been busy flying off to other nations, spying and gathering information. Looking back at Hiza, she scowled and turned her head, closing her eyes. "Don't think I'm going easy on you, Avatar. If you make one wrong move I will not hesitate to strike. Ryoko will get you a change of clothing, clean you up, and we will get you dinner."

This was probably the first time that Yuzuki had given into a request such as this, without having an evil intention behind it. The reason? Ryoko had pouted. Pouting was ridiculous and stupid, but whenever Ryoko did it she would usually give in just to get the girl to stop because she could pout for hours on end and annoy Yuzuki for hours.

[Zecarius]

Ryoko ignored the first order to stop pouting, only sticking out her lower lip further to increase the amount of pouting; telling her to knock it off never worked, and Yuzuki should know that. However, she wasn't expecting for her friend to give in so easily; she had once had to pout for hours on end to get just a bit of leeway on something. She didn't pout that much cause it was her secret ace-in-the-hole to get the fire bender to bend to her whims, but when she did it, she would get her way. Still, even with her pouting, she wasn't sure it would be enough to get the avatar out of the cave for a while... but it worked! Yay!

Hiza got to her feet and walked back over to them, expecting to be put back in her chains; getting out of them was even more than she had expected. However, at hearing the older fire bender's agreement, she was stunned, her mouth agape as she looked from one of them to the other. Really? They locked her in this cave for who knows how long, and just because it was her birthday, they were going to take her out to dinner? It was... really wierd... and just plain bizarre.

Ryoko grinned, and hugged Yuzuki. "Yay!!! Thank you thank you thank you!" she said, releasing her friend and clapping happily before turning back to the avatar, looking her over. Besides her face, she was quite dirty, her clothes were in poor shape... hmmm... there was only so much she could do here, especially considering that she only had one extra kimono on her and Yuzuki was wearing it. "We need to take her home, if I'm going to make her presentable enough to go out in public to eat," she remarked, gesturing with one hand, her back to the fire bender. "Basically she's going to need to be cleaned all over, maybe even a manicure and pedicure and a haircut, besides clean clothes."

[Yuzuki]

Yuzuki scowled as Ryoko hugged her, feeling her muscles tighten as she tried to control her own temper. Not only did Ryoko get her way when she pouted, she was taking a huge risk taking the Avatar out into public. Not that anyone knew she was the Avatar... but if someone did find out? If she got lost in the crowd or escaped? This would be a tricky dinner, and she would be on edge the entire time, calculating and watching Hiza's every move. It wasn't impossible, and if anyone could do it, she could.

At the mention of taking her out into public to get a beauty treatment, Yuzuki narrowed her eyes. This was starting to become ridiculous. A manicure, pedicure, and a haircut? By the time this was all finished it would be much too late to get dinner. Pointing at Ryoko, she had a cold glare in her eyes. She was tired of playing. "Then she's in your care, Ryoko. If anything happens I will have both of you punished. Now then, let's get going before I lose my appetite. I need to change my own clothing if we'll be going out. Make it noted that you will be back in this cave by sunrise tomorrow morning."

She crossed her arms over her chest, watching Hiza's movements rather closely. She would walk either beside or behind Hiza, to make sure she always had an eye on the girl. She knew Ryoko wouldn't do anything stupid or outrageous to cause attention be drawn to the three, and she knew Hiza wouldn't without being punished in the end. Perhaps her fear of being hurt would keep her in line. "If you cause any trouble tonight you'll suffer the consequences. I'll heat your chains so they'll burn you as your hands hang above your head. Got it?

[Zecarius]

Ryoko felt a small shiver run through her body at the glare and icy tone, but a small smile still clung to her lips; now that was the Yuzuki she had known about. All of this being nice stuff, even if it was part of some evil plot, was unsettling her a bit. Probably the entire schedule she had put ahead was a bit too much to expect, even for a birthday. She nodded, looking back over Hiza as she spoke, checking her hair, fingernails, and clothes. "Okay, you're right, but we have to do something. Tell ya what, we'll head on back and have a nice shower and change clothes, and just do some filing on the nails and style the hair some so it's out of the way. It will be faster, though not as nice."

Hiza's eyes were resting firmly on the older fire bender, the gears in her head turning; she probably wouldn't get another chance like this for a long time, so she had to get out of their captivity, or at least get word around that the avatar was alive and held prisoner, no matter the consequences of either action. Still, she wanted to at least enjoy some of the night, and after being chained for so long, a nice shower and clean clothes made her body relax slightly. "Sounds good to me," she remarked, her eyes still on Yuzuki's in defiance.

The air bender grinned, ignoring the tension between the two fire benders. "Then it's settled; to home!" she said gleefully, pausing to think a moment. Using one hand, she dug a small hole into which she planted the flowers, at least for now. She filled it back up with her foot, before running past the other two girls to go outside, though her hand did catch the avatar and drag her along. With a dramatic motion, she whipped the giant fan off of her back, causing a gust of wind to blow away from the cave, before she placed it on the ground and sat on it. "Come on, you two, it will be faster this way," she remarked, pulling Hiza onto it as well and motioning for her to sit down, leaving Yuzuki the only one not on the ride.

[Yuzuki]

It could be blamed on being struck by lightning a couple times that day, but Yuzuki would never admit that. Watching Hiza rather closely as the girl watched her in defiance, her mouth staying a thin line. Gears were turning in the young fire bender's head, and Yuzuki was calculating what might be going through her head. Whispering to others while they were walking? She'd have to keep a closer eye on Hiza. She was somewhat ignoring Ryoko as she spoke about what to do with the younger fire bender, only half paying attention.

She kept her arms crossed over her chest, staying put as Ryoko ran past her, grabbing Hiza on the way. She walked after the two, sitting down behind Hiza and leaning her head in, whispering to her. She knew, most likely, that Ryoko could hear her but it didn't matter. She just wanted to make sure Hiza understood. "I won't kill you... because then I'd have to start my search for the Avatar again. But there are worse things than death, and I will make sure to keep you alive."

Deep down in Yuzuki's mental psyche, which she would never admit and even denies it to herself to where she doesn't even think about it, she felt bad for imprisoning Hiza. Taking her away from her family, away from her mother... much like Yuzuki's own mother was taken from her. Though she never thought about that either - as her mother hated her and thought she was a monster. Leaning back a bit so she was sitting up straight, she looked over the mountain ranges. Ryoko said this would be quicker, and it most likely would... so she would stay quiet for the rest of the ride, but still keep watch on Hiza.

[Zecarius]

Ryoko took in a slow breath, and slowly let it out, feeling the air and wind around her, causing the fan to slowly rise underneath the three of them; it was harder with the increased weight, and they would fly slower than she could alone, but it was still quite faster than walking all the way back to the house. Fortunately, the storm was blowing away from them, so the winds were clamer now, and the overall heat from the fire nation made it quite easy to stay aloft. She sighed, letting her concerns fade away with the wind whipping past her face and through her hair; it was so hard to be down or worried when she was flying... it was relaxing and amazing.

Hiza glared at the older fire bender, not responding to the threats; it was good that she didn't want to kill her, considering that she was pretty sure the new avatar would only be born after she had died, which would make any sort of war or evil plan last longer since the avatar would be a newborn. However, her anger was distracted by the fan beneath her taking off and carrying the three of them across the sky. She was amazed at the power of airbending, that it allowed humans to fly so simply; she would hopefully learn how to do that... someday...

The air bender let the fan glide through the clouds a while more before slowly beginning their descent over the city. The fan spun in a slow arc, allowing the passengers to get a complete view of the city as their speed decreased until they finally reached a halt in front of a large building. Ryoko stepped off of the fan, and clapped her hands. "Here we are! Everyone off now! Hiza, you stick with me; we'll go back to my room, and get you all fixed up." The younger girl was smaller than the air bender, but not by much; hopefully she could just borrow one of her outfits for the night.

[Yuzuki]

Yuzuki kept quiet for the remainder of the trip to the nation capital, just watching the scenery as they flew by it. She was never as amazed as Ryoko was with flying. You just moved faster, was all, and in the air. How big of a deal was that? Though she did have to agree that being able to just fly somewhere without waiting for a crew to guide the ship was an advantage. When they arrived at the palace, she stepped off of the fan looking to Ryoko as she clapped her hands. "Don't take too long. Come back here as soon as your finished, and keep your eye on her." Giving a cold glance to Hiza, Yuzuki turned and walked towards her room. If they were going out, then, she'd fancy herself up a bit too.

Closing her door lightly behind her, she closed her eyes halfway as she began unwrapping the bandages around her hand. She grit her teeth slightly as she did, feeling the pain return to her hands. Tonight probably was not the best of nights to go out... but Ryoko had insisted. She wouldn't let that brat Hiza see that she was not at her best, either. Leaving the bandages on the floor, she walked into the next room which held a giant mirror, and a small table with different beauty things upon it. A hairbrush, makeup, those sort of things. She took her hair down from its top-knot, brushing it to make it smooth, before placing it half up in a top-knot and the rest falling down her back and curling slightly at the ends. She kept the kimono that Ryoko had given her earlier on, and once she was ready she walked back to the court yard, where she told Ryoko to meet her.

She crossed her arms lightly under her chest, taking in a slow breath and letting it out. She had placed more ointment on herself before she came, her hands being cleaned of the burns to the best of her ability. At least they weren't covered in black. "Anytime now, Ryoko."

[Zecarius]

Ryoko grinned and gave a small shrug to the fire bender at her remark; she would be keeping an eye on their guest, but as for taking too long, who could really say? She really wanted to take a whole day out for cleaning up the avatar and getting everything prim and proper with her... but since it was only going to be for one day, and then she would probably be locked back up in the cave... it would be a big waste to do a whole lot with that. Still, there were at least some things that could be done for today, not to mention that she wanted to clean herself up some too.

Hiza gave one last glare to Yuzuki before she was dragged off by the air bender into the building. They cut through a few hallways before finally reaching a large room, where she received a plethora of instructions from her excited guard. She took a shower, waited as her hair was brushed out and styled, filed down her nails, and tried on various outfits before finally picking one to wear for the night. It felt like it took quite a while... but she didn't mind; in fact, she relished in it. To receive such attention after being stuck in that cave... and to make the older fire bender wait on them... oh, it was nice indeed.

Ryoko returned to the courtyard practically the same as she left, though she had spruced up a bit, mainly cleaning off the dust from traveling. Hiza, on the other hand, looked remarkably different; her previously tangled brown hair had been brushed straight and braided, her skin practically gleamed with cleanliness after the layers of dirt had been washed away, and her tattered outfit was traded for a lilac kimono, though the sleeves and hems were rolled up so they didn't completely engulf her body. "Sorry we're late, but doesn't she look spiffy?!"

[Yuzuki]

Yuzuki turned when she heard footsteps, seeing the two running towards her. It was a big change seeing Hiza clean and in proper clothes. She looked... innocent. Bah. Shaking her head of the thought, she turned her attention back to Ryoko. "Let's get going then. I'd like to eat before it gets too late."

This time she wasn't waiting, she started to walk ahead of the two, unfolding her arms from her chest. She would trust Ryoko to keep an eye on Hiza behind her, and she would take the lead. Though this really wasn't anything military or that had to be strictly following any rules. This was supposed to be a time of fun, so that Ryoko and herself could spend time together while they were both together. Though Hiza was with them... maybe she could get some information out of Hiza. Perhaps Hiza knew more than she was letting on... A smirk came to her lips at the thought. This might be a good night, after all.

[Zecarius]

Ryoko pouted a bit when Yuzuki didn't even respond to her question; she thought that the avatar looked quite well now after being cleaned up and taken care of, but then again, she was biased since she was the one who did it. She just wanted another opinion on her work, and instead she got cold shouldered. Well, with the fire bender, what could she really expect? Still, it would have been nice to be appreciated for her work... fortunately, she appreciated herself! And maybe Hiza did too... she did force it all on the younger girl. But it was a lot better than her being dirty and tangled.

Hiza walked quietly between the two girls, staring at Yuzuki's back; it seemed silly for her to turn her back now. She may not have mastered all four elements, but she knew quite a bit of firebending, enough to where if she pulled it off quickly, she should be able to get the drop on the older girl, and run. Still, that didn't account for the air bender behind her... she sighed, and looked up longingly; it was nice to be in the city once again, with other people... she didn't want this to end, which would mean she needed to escape... but the sooner she tried to, the less of this chaperoned dinner she got. Her stomach grumbled, suggesting that she wait until at least after they ate before making a run for it.

The air bender just smiled as she brought up the end of this little train, waving to some of the other people wandering about. She looked around the streets as they passed on by, before peeking her head over the avatar's shoulder to be closer to her friend. "So, where are we taking her for dinner?" she asked, curious as to what she would get to eat. Maybe something spicy... then again, it was Fire Nation cooking; it was pretty much always spicy.

[Yuzuki]

Fire Nation food almost always was spicy or at least hot in some way. Like the sizzle-crisps, fire gummies, or her favorite flaming fire flakes. Those were always a delicious snack. Stopping when she heard Ryoko's question, she pointed over to one of the higher end restaurants in the fire nation. It served the best roast duck in all of the Fire Nation, and really, that was what Yuzuki was craving. She motioned over to the restaurant, turning to face her friend as she did so. "We're going to Kuanjude. I'm sure Hiza will enjoy their meals, and it has something spicy for you if you want it. I'm getting the roast duck."

She smiled ever so slightly to Ryoko, turning and walking towards the restaurant. It was one of her favorite places to go, and she would try to take Ryoko whenever she could. Well, maybe not take Ryoko but... drag her along whenever she felt like eating there. Making the reservations for the three of them, the waiter seemed a bit nervous when he saw Yuzuki walk up. He had bowed to her, turning to another waiter and waving him off to get their table ready immediately, even if they were busy. It was another perk for being so well known...and threatening.

Not too soon after they were escorted to their table. Yuzuki didn't even pick up her menu, already knowing what she wanted. The moment she sat down, her eyes drifted to Hiza, watching her now. Her mind was slowly going through possible questions to ask her... What about her family? Who had she learned firebending from? How much about the Avatar does she really know? Did she ever talk to the priests at the Fire Nation Temple? ... and if they told her anything she'd be paying a visit very soon...

[Zecarius]

Ryoko noted the place and gave a small smile, covering up a sigh; it always seemed like whenever they went out to eat together, Yuzuki preferred to go here and get their roast duck. The air bender didn't mind so much, considering that the restaurant was extra tasty, but it was just a bit disappointing that her friend didn't vary up her meals as much. It wouldn't hurt to go visit a different restaurant or get out of town, or even order something different. Personally, she'd have to say it had to do with devouring a small creature so cruelly with her bare teeth.

Hiza slowly followed the older fire bender into the restaurant, noticing the obvious fear from the waiters as they got a table without having to wait like everyone else in line. She ignored the other two as she sat down at the table, pulling the menu up to hide her face from the other two girls. She really should be thinking about how to escape from the two of them, how to get to the priests at the Fire Nation Temple (since she heard that they served the avatar), and where to learn the other elements... but her stomach overruled her mind for now, causing her to focus on what she was going to have to eat.

The air bender focused on her menu as well, letting out a variety of thinking noises as she pondered what to order. So many options, so little time... and pretty much all of it was spicy, so that would make her happy. Hmmm... after seeing it so many times, maybe she should sink her own teeth into the roast duck. She nodded a bit to herself at the thought, and placed down the menu, looking from one girl to the other. There was... no conversation. Huh... they really should be talking about something...

[Yuzuki]

Yuzuki crossed her legs, folding her arms lightly over her chest as she watched Hiza hide her face behind her menu. What was going through the little Avatar's mind? She was ignoring Ryoko's little noises as to what to order, just keeping her attention on Hiza. Which was.. actually really rude to Ryoko. Though she wouldn't see it this way. A smirk came to her lips, tapping her fingers lightly against her arm. "Tell me about your family Hiza. Who did you learn firbending from? Was it your father?"

When the waiter came to take their order, she only waved her hand at him and he nodded. The usual, as always. He went on to ask Hiza and Ryoko their order, the waiter only smiling to Ryoko and having a look of relief when he got to talk to her. She was always the more kind one. When he got to Hiza though, he could not help but smile at her too. She seemed like she was a charming young lady. When he opened his mouth to say something to her, he only paused when he heard a clearing of someone's throat. He looked to Yuzuki, who was the one who cleared her throat, and saw her glaring at him. He quickly changed his mind and bowed to all three and left immediately.

"No need for him to interrupt our little dinner. Right?" Oh this was going to be an interesting evening. She'd get something out of this evening, whether it be by violence or not. She wasn't going to let this go to waste. If she had to take Hiza out with her into public, risking what she has worked so hard for, she was going to get something from it. Whether it be a good torturing of Hiza, or more information from the young girl. Maybe even both. Oh that would make her evening~!

[Zecarius]

Hiza ignored the older fire bender for the moment, studying hard at her menu. She would have to agree with the noises that Ryoko was making; this was a tough decision to make. It didn't help that, at that moment, the waiter came by to take their order, and both of the other girls rattled off what they wanted without a second thought, leaving the youngest to fidget and panic. She stuttered, her eyes quickly scanning the menu before she also ordered the roast duck. The girl handed off her menu, noticing that the waiter was going to say something, but then he was dismissed by Yuzuki; how rude!

Ryoko pondered over the menu more until the waiter showed up, and knew that since she hadn't come up with anything better to order, decided to just go with her original thought. She smiled at the waiter, and got a smile in return as she placed her order; maybe it was just her smile, but the staff here seemed to be a lot nicer to her than they were to Yuzuki. She couldn't help stifling a giggle when Hiza ordered, since all of them got the same thing, but pouted when the older firebender got rid of their waiter to avoid "interruptions". She liked the staff, but they usually seemed to avoid their table... she wasn't sure why.

Hiza let out a slight huff at the dismissal of their waiter, and turned to face Yuzuki. "He was just doing his job, and I thought he was rather nice," she replied, before approaching the original question. "I went to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, as you did. Oh, you can't believe how much they brag about you. Any time a girl tried to firebend, the teachers would go on and on about the great Yuzuki, who learned there, who was practically a firebending genius, and why couldn't we be more like her and blah blah blah. It was really annoying. You don't seem all that special anyway."