Running from or running to?

NAbiki smiled, taking her time, knowing that the sea would not be rushed for anything. She didn't like to bend herself faster, it seemed like cheating. Her boat/canoe was about 6 feet long, made with the bone and skin of the animals they hunted and ate. Though it wasn't mandatory, most people made whatever they killed go a long way They'd dry it and store it, and they'd use the animals skins and bones for making weapons and canoes.

Nabiki's muse was broken by a sound in the distance she knew all too well. Thunder. Her head whipped in that direction and she shuddered. Black clouds sped toward her like a with on her broom, engulfing the sea it was over. The rain pelted down, beating the ocean into an angry frenzy that whipped it into white foam.

If there's a storm coming, i better water bend myself out of here! Nabiki thought, pushing and pulling the water as the storm got closer. Just to the earth kingdom, then everything will be okay. But out here, in the blue of the sea, watching the black storm approach at impossible speed, made her feel hopeless. She couldn't do it on her own. Though she was still water bending, her boat going faster than ever, She needed help. Fast.

Why was he out at sea again? Lukas strained to think, rubbing his chin as he stood on the small boat that had taken him far from land. He had enough food and water for an ocean wide trip, a ship filled with sand and a sail for sailing. He was knees deep in the sand and he knew how he got this far out into the ocean. After all, sand benders used the very same technique to travel through the desert easily. Traveling in the ocean was a very same thing and he was now pretty far out, and he was sure there was a storm approaching.

A shape was coming out from the distance and Lukas leaned forward, doing his best to see what it was coming toward him, trying to escape the storm. The water seemed to be moving around the figure as if propelling it forward even faster now. "Oh hey, a water bender." He said to himself, ignoring the fact that the storm and the water bender were both getting closer now. He whipped up a sand twister and propelled himself toward the bender, the storm a secondary thought as he moved toward the other boat.

"HEEEEEEEY!" He yelled out, waving one arm, his sand twister shrinking some due to losing some of the bending power. With the cactus juice still in his system, Lukas couldn't help but think that the storm was waving back at him at the moment. "Not you storm! The water bender!" He muttered, sticking his tongue out before smiling again, getting closer to the other boat. "Hey! Whats the rush?" He asked, smiling at the woman.

"The fucking rush is that I am about to get blown to pieces by this goddamn storm, so if you'll excuse me, i have some running to do!" Nabiki yelled back at the stranger. A thought crossed her mind, but she shook her head, focusing on pushing her canoe along in the water.

C'mon, i gotta get outta here! she silently pleaded, glancing at the clearly gaining storm.

Turning his ship slowly, Lukas made sure he was facing the same direction and started the twister again. As he picked up speed, he was soon far enough in front of the woman, trying his hardest to keep in the same speed. "So you got a storm front following you?" Lukas asked, watching the storm with a strange look, his smile slightly confused. He was wondering how a storm would follow someone, or even why it would want to follow someone. It was a strange thought to say the least.

As he moved through the water, his sand twister keeping him ahead of the water bender and the storm, but not for long due to his speed being less. "You know the nearest land is an earth kingdom isle not to far from here, right?" Lukas yelled out, looking back at her. He knew it was a bit away still, yet if they wanted shelter from the storm, that might be their best bet. "I'm Lukas by the way!" He added with a smile at her, seeming to not care about the storm what so ever.

"yeah, just get me to land!" Nabiki shouted back, discarding her misgiving thoughts about him until she reached safety. "Hurry!" The storm was almost to them now, and yet the guy didn't have a care in the world.

He's high, isn't he... Nabiki face-palmed, but then got over it and started water bending her way out AGAIN.

With a deep breath, Lukas began to make his sand twister to spin even faster now, his ship gaining a bit more speed, almost as fast the water bender, knowing that they would reach their destination in a bit of time. "We aren't to far, follow me!" He yelled with a laugh, smiling as he speed through the ocean, feeling a few drops of rain hit him on his back. "Ok look, its raining." He said, looking up at the sky as his boat zoomed through the waves.

It didn't take long for the the island to appear in the distance, and he turned back to her, waving. "There it is! We might lose our ships if we don't bring one with us." He said, smiling and looking at the island as it came even closer now. The island might of been about at least half a mile long with a few trees and what looked like a cave not to far from the shore. With his boat hitting the island, Lukas jumped off the boat and used the sand to bring the boat farther into the shore.

With a slam on the ground, two large stones popped up and mostly covered the boat. Looking toward the water, he offered a wave with a smile. "Here it is!"

Nabiki sank to the sand, sighing with relief. After standing up, she brushed herself off, walking slowly toward sturdier land, rather than the sand here. She stopped, though when she reached Lukas.

"Okay, so i know your name: Lukas. I'm nabiki. Thanks for helping me." Nabiki stretched out a hand.

Smiling as the woman sank into the sand with a sigh, he nodded his head and turned toward the cave, wondering how big it was. Hearing her walking to her over the storm, Lukas turned around and tilted his head at her. "Nabiki eh? Spiffy name." Lukas said, shaking her hand before he made his way over to the cave, looking it over. He smiled and nodded his head before turning back over to her.

"Lets get into the cave and I'll block the entrance with some crystals." Lukas said, sliding on his four jennomite rings, allowing them to grow, using his earth bending power to make the crystals grow much faster. Soon he began to cover the entrance of the cave with jennomite crystals. "You coming in or do you wanna sit this storm out?" Lukas asked with a smile, walking into the cave with a human sized door way.

"n-no, I'll come!" Nabiki trotted inside, sinking down to the cave floor as the Jennomite closed the doorway, leaving a small glow of sunlight coming through the crystal.

"So, why are you so happy all the time?" Nabiki asked, smirking. "Cuz I'm pretty sure you're high..."

Finishing up the wall with jennomite before condensing the crystal a bit, forming an almost glass-like appearance, with blue, green, orange, and pink mixed here and there. With a satisfactory grin, Lukas then produced 8 pieces of jennomite, each about 6 inches long and an inch thick. Making a small earth table rise up, Lukas put the 8 pieces down, four of each flavor on each side and finished up by adding two rock chairs, sitting down in one and putting his rings away once more.

"Happy is the best way to feel, it keeps you from seeing the downside of things." Lukas said, grinning and sitting back, picking up the orange jennomite piece. "Orange flavor, the pink is strawberry, the blue is blueberry, and the green is normal." He said, for her information before biting down on the orange with a loud crunch. After he was done chewing, Lukas pulled out his large gourd. "Cactus juice! Keeps ya hydrated and happy!" He said with a large grin. "Makes ya feel good!"

Nabiki laughed, a cute laugh, almost like bells. "So you're sharing?" Nabiki grabbed a pink piece and chomped down on it, breaking off her self a chunk, surprised at how good it was.

'Wow, this stuff is great!" She exclaimed, grinning. 'So how bout that juice? got any for me?" Nabiki winked and held out a hand.

Lukas smiled when Nabiki laughed, glad to have broughten some form of enjoyment to the water bender. "Of course I am sharing. Its tasty food." He said, laying back in his chair, his head almost dangling over the back, his long dark hair kinda just plopping back as well. Looking at the ceiling, Lukas thought about the storm outside and how long the weather was going to last before looking back down at Nabiki. She wanted some of his cactus juice, and he was slightly questioning how it would effect her.

Shrugging, Lukas tapped the plan jennomite piece on her side, causing a chunk of it to rise out and drop next to it. Pulling the cork out of the gourd, he poured some into the long jennomite cup before taking a sip of it himself, his eyes going out of focus a moment later before fixing themselves. "Gah! Hahhahaha! Amazing as always!" He said happily, corking it and putting the bottle down, smiling at her as he put his hair into a pony tail. "Woo! How long you think that storm will be after ya?"

Nabiki downed her share, thirstier than she thought. immediately she felt slightly dizzy and some colors shifted out of place. Her wariness was replaced by a bliss unrivaled by anything she had ever felt before.

"Wow, that's some good stuff!" she said, slurring slightly. "You know, i never knew your eyes were so pretty." Nabiki stood up clumsily, almost falling but steadying herself on her companion's leg. His upper leg. Accidentally. I promise.

Laughing as she drank down her share so quickly, Lukas leaned back once more before looking up once more. She was speaking now, her voice sounding a little more slurred then before. An effect of cactus juice on some, of course. "Of course its good! I wouldn't drink it if it wasn't! Hah!" Lukas said, laughing some once more and grinning widely at her. When she spoke about how his eyes were pretty, he couldn't help but laugh again.

He barely noticed her falling, stopping herself by using his leg. He held up a hand to her arm, as if to help steady her and he laughed. "You might want to stay sitting at least a bit longer! The first few minutes is when the juice is its strongest!" He said, smiling widely at her. It wasn't that he didn't notice the position, it was just that even under cactus juice, he knew when to be a little ignorant and when to be fun and also when to pursue something.

"Have another piece of jennomite! It'll help." He said, lifting up the smaller part of the plan jennomite near her mouth.

Nabiki grinned wider and chomped of a piece of the jennomite while it was still in his hand.

'I'll just sit now." Nabiki proceeded to sit on the floor, still steadying herself on his leg. When she was sitting, she took her hand off his leg and rested her head on it instead. "Is it hot in this cave? I'm like sweating! Maybe it's all this fur..." Nabiki pulled the strap to her parka, untying it, and slipped out of her boots, leaving both lying on the cave floor. Her half-shirt revealed her navel, but went up to just under her collarbone. She started to undo the strings on her fur pants, to get to the skirt underneath, but got stuck on the knot.

"Hey, Can i get some help with this? It's a little hard to undo!" Her speech wasn't slurred, but she was just as oblivious to the implications of her actions, which were basically her subconscious or suppressed thoughts.

Chuckling as Nabiki bit the jennomite while he still held it, he placed it down as she sat down next to him, resting her head on his leg now. He smiled and placed a hand on her head, chuckling. Looking around him, he shrugged and spoke, "It seems kinda hot in this cave I guess, but it doesn't really seem all that bad." Lukas looked at her and nodded at the fur, thinking it looked quite hot indeed. As she began to remove the outer clothing she wore, Lukas couldn't help but think it looked quiet hot.

"Well, fur isn't the coolest piece of clothing for the weather." He added, shrugging and smiling. With her parka and boots removed, he couldn't help but looking over her body quickly before getting another piece of jennomite and chewing on it some. Looking down at her once more, Lukas couldn't help but notice that she was beginning to remove her pants and he tilted his head. With the ask for help from the girl, Lukas looked down at her and shifted in his spot, leaning down over her and working with the knot some, soon loosening it enough for her to be able to remove it. With his arms still having over her shoulders he smiled. "There ya go!"

Nabiki grinned, completely oblivious to the implications of her and his movements. She finished with the knot and tugged her pants off, leaving the skirt/shorts underneath exposed. (they're like a skirt with short-shorts underneath)

"So, You're from the earth kingdom and you can earthbend, right?" Nabiki said, looking up at him, feeling his arms still on her shoulders. Her senses were beginning to return and the implications of the situation began to dawn on her. She blushed little, but said nothing.

With her pants now off, Lukas thought about the temperature of the cave himself. He was used to the heat now and then, traveling throughout the world, generally during the day when the sun was hottest. "It is a little hot in here... thats annoying a bit." He muttered, toying with the idea of removing of removing his vest and armor. Shrugging he looked back down at the girl as she began to ask questions about him and he listened.

Nodding his head, Lukas motioned to the table and chairs. "Indeed I am. Earth Kingdom and earth bender of great skill." He said, not saying he was a master due to his skills not quiet being master level at the moment. Lukas was still thinking about taking off some of his gear, not thinking of his arms of their current position or how awkward it may be.

Pulling off the arm guard and tossing it to the side, Lukas felt a bit better and did the same with the bracer on his other arm. His hat was next to be shed, followed by his vest, the wraps around his chest and forearms still keeping him from being completely bare. "Much better now! Indeed!" He said, smiling down at Nabiki.

Nabiki smiled again, mentally shrugging off any concerns about their situation.
He's just a friend... she scolded mentally. I think... I kinda hope not, i guess... She added, again mentally. She couldn't help but see his arms and chest which, following earth bender tradition, were well built.

"So umm... Who trained you?" Nabiki asked, looking him over once again before going back to his eyes. "Back in the earth kingdom, i mean."

His eyes seemed to stare at the cave entrance now, glassed over some as he stayed in the same sitting position, his arms resting on his knees instead of over her shoulders. It wasn't like he needed to help with her pants anymore. With a smile he looked down at her as she seemed to look at his own form. He could see that in comparison to his large form, she was thinner, more petite, and probably several years younger.

"Hmm? Trained me?" He asked, looking a bit taken back by the question before he put his hand to his chin and rubbed it a bit. "Trained me..." He muttered before smiling and looking back at her. "I think it was a friend of my family, some dude who liked lotus flowers or something. Said it was a favor of a very old member of an order of something." He said before nodding to himself. "He told me to travel the world next, and I ended up having to survive in the desert for a year about. It was fun."

"Oh... Um... Where are you headed to?" Nabiki asked, seeing hi slook and interpreting it as not wanting to talk about his origins. "I'm trying to find my dad and the warriors.. If they're alive..." NAbiki's face fell.

'Hey... You got any more of that cactus juice? i need a little more happy..." She said, pointing back at the flask he had filled before.

Blinking, Lukas laughed and rubbed his head. "Headed to? That's the thing, I am not really headed anywhere." He said, smiling down at her and speaking again. "Where I am going doesn't matter. I just go where things lead me, where offers arise I take them and just go with. A wanderer without any real destination." He added, shrugging and smiling, only for his smile to waver after she spoke, feeling a little saddened for Nabiki. She actually had a mission that was important to her, unlike his pointless wondering.

"You father and some warriors eh, sounds like its an actual quest for you to take. I'd offer my help if you'd want it." He said, sincerely and without any of the joy or blissful unawareness he generally spoke with. With the request for cactus water his face changed back into the blissful smile and he stomped his foot lightly, bringing the jennomite cup over to him before pouring in some cactus juice for her. "There ya go! Enjoy!" He said, drinking another gulp from the gourd.

Nabiki downed it again, and the technicolor sprang up again, followed by the sweet bliss.
"Yeah.. that'd be nice" She said, snuggling her head better into his leg. "I'd like to keep traveling with you." She reached up onto the table and pulled off a jennomite crystal, chomping off a bite and licking her fingers before putting it back up on the stone surface.

"D'you think the storm stopped following me now? It's like the bad kitty cat in the stories, it'd chase the mice all over," Nabiki was crawling around a little, meowing between sentences, "And the mice would escape. Then the kitty would try to get them again. RAWR!" she said, pulling herself up onto Lukas's lap, her knees on his. "And them she'd pounce." Nabiki laughed then, sitting on him, without a care in the world, draping her arms around his shoulders, her les pointed toward the cave wall, as if she's just gotten set there from being carried bridal-style.

((lol... I has a crazy one!))

Smiling as she accepted his offer, he placed a hand on her head once more, very gently and carefully. "Alrighty then. Then we are a duo looking for your father." He said with a smile, nodding his head as she took another bite of jennomite. He followed suit and bit off the end of one, enjoying the flavor as he smiled down at her, glad he could at least help her in some way, even if it just meant traveling without a clue of what to do.

Laughing at what she said, he looked outside, seeing another flash of lightning on the other side of the crystal wall, the sky darkening now as well. "Heh, it looks like that kitty is still following its water tribe mouse." He said, playing along, smiling as she meowed. It was cute, if not crazy. "Oh yeah? Try to get them again?" He said, watching as she climbed up onto his body, finding the positioning a little awkward. "You just pounced me kinda." He said, laughing and leaning back as she sat down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

She seemed to be comfortable, happy, and not trying to escape mortal danger, so he wasn't going to make her move, knowing that when someone needed to feel close to another, it was better to allow it to happen. He also needed to be careful though, trying not to take any advantage while she was under the cactus juice's spell of bliss and forgetfulness. "You must be tired Nabiki... traveling across an ocean on a boat." He said softly, smiling still.

"Well, I kinda like the ocean, it's peaceful, but it's always moving. You know that whatever happens, the ocean will still be there, because it's so strong. It's like something to hold on to, kinda like you," The last few words had slipped out without Nabiki thinking them and she blushed a little, her senses had returned enough to know that she had said something slightly suggestive.

"Uhm... Wow.. that stuff really packs a punch... Sorry, It's just that it makes me so high that I forget what not to say..." She put a hand on her head, her senses returning fully and her blissfully drunken feeling fading into a slight buzz. "Umm.. did i do anything really weird? I can't remember that well... How do you drink that stuff all the time?"