trans_9 | GOLD PLANET

Oh, this was complicated, much more than she thought it would be. If Ozai had never been beaten, if he was a murderer through and through and was not at their mercy at the end, then yes, she would have killed him. He would have made it east: the killer of lands and nations, the following tradition of terrorizing and domesticating nations, fighting and coming close to winning. She would have taken him then, defeated him for all time, risked things and not cared.

But this was not that situation. "There's a time, for me, when murder and defense make sense. With defense, there is little chance to live: you take your chance, you win. Murder, thats different: you kill someone in cold blood, due to rage and all. But Nokosi...I knew him in my world. He was defeated by the Avatar by his taking away his bending. And now, to see him dead: this might change everything.

She wasn't ready.

She put a hand to his chest, not ready to answer the last question. "Who did you murder?"

Her words caused his eyebrows to dip down in a furrow. "How so? Have you never seen a man with nothing still fight on? Just because he is without bending does not mean he is defenseless. Again, I will stress that killing a murderer is not in 'cold blood'.There is no rage involved because 'cold blood' implies that there are no emotions, thoughts or regrets in the action."

It was a bit odd for him to be so impassioned about his responses; he wasn't the type to generally care about such things. He was so neutral on most of the subjects involving good versus evil, that he didn't usually risk his life unless his friends were threatened in some way. But there was something about the way she was blaming herself over failing to stop something that sounded so well deserved that it made him both annoyed and a little bit angry.

"To see him dead would probably be cause for a celebration unseen on your world in many a year. Perhaps you underestimate the level of contempt the people had for him?"

Nokosi blew out a short breath of air and turned, sinking himself back into his seat. Creatures in nature killed for far less, so he couldn't imagine why it was such a big deal to allow someone like that to live. For their own, selfish, self-satisfying reasons, no doubt.

"Ah, some Warsong Orcs. They poisoned the heart of the forest with corruption in retaliation for the Night Elves obstructing their encroachment into Ashenvale. Corrupting an form of nature causes it to decay, rot and turn into a twisted version of what it once was.

I never had a problem with them harvesting wood; we all need supplies. It would have benefited both our people to set aside some differences in the name of trade. They did it to the one thing that gave life to the forest; it would have been a mirror of Felwood, had it not eventually been reversed.

Still, their actions were unforgivable; I have never been more infuriated in my life." Nokosi crossed his arms and regarded her with a side-long glance. "It wasn't murder because I killed some Orcs who wanted to destroy the lives of thousands of creatures in a forest and ruin hundreds of miles of living land. It was murder because I put arrows through the hearts and throats of Warsong Orcs indiscriminately."

He knew there was no way that some of them were directly responsible for corruption of the Heart of the forest, but they were the same. He really hoped that she didn't ask him if he'd felt bad about it afterwards, because he didn't, not even to this day.

"He may not have bending abilities, but in my world, when his bending was taken away, he was then put in jail. The way this an had earned his power within his family had been through those means: the death and enslavement of others. The Avatar's defeat of him had been amazing because he had defeated him in a way his predecessors had not. More importantly, in this situation, we had beaten him: all we needed to do was keep that captured, and the next day he would be gone.If our world is restored, what this will do for our world is completely changed."

But more importantly, it was what Mai had done, and how easily she had done it that bothered her. She claimed she did for Zuko, but he had been captured: personally, Kaya thought it had very little to do with Zuko and more to do with herself and her own inadequacies. Zuko, after all, was a firebender, and he had other benders who would help him.

"I don't underestimate the contempt!" Kaya said sharply, not in anger but in frustration. "I had some of it myself, Nokosi! But a person like that doesn't accomplish his goals without flunkies: instead of just being defeated, he was murdered: that makes a martyr. And martyrs actually stand for something, whether good or bad. I don't want to out Zuko's life in danger more if he ever goes back to being Firelord!"

Kaya listened quietly to what Nokosi had to say. To be honest, she understood, better than Katara might have: when it came to saving peoples and creatures from death, killing was sometimes necessary. Sheeana had made her understand this before she had been repodded. Even the indiscriminate orcs she understood.

"It isn't that I believe you can't kill enemies: I've killed Ohm, and even I know that in extreme circumstances, its necessary. But if it can be prevented? I'd prefer that."

And her eyes clearly told him she did not view him any differently for what he had done. She knew his attachment to the land: she was no so up on a moral high horse that she would have judged him harshly for it.

A sudden thought came to him then; that the effects of this 'tunnel of love' clearly weren't working.

"A man of his position? That does not make him a martyr, Kaya. That makes him assassinated at best. There was no great cause or belief that he suffered through for his people, he did not willingly choose death rather than renounce what his people had done. There was no torture or torment in the act. He was put to death in the same way he probably did to many people. Underfoot, squirming and knowing it is coming."

Hell, he wouldn't have hesitated one moment to put an arrow through his skull if he'd been there. While he viewed enemies in various degrees of hostility, they were all the same to her. And that was where they were so different. He couldn't understand why she viewed a scuffle with a bandit or opposing faction on the same level as the Lich King.

"If you truly believe that imprisoning a man whose people have conquered much of your world is a means to stop his people and the legacy he built, then I am not sure what to tell you. I question, though, where exactly you think that you can hold such a person, that there won't be people trying to free him? He may not have his powers, but I am sure he had a gigantic army who still possess their bending. If he had a loyal enough nation to be considered a martyr upon death." Saying the word almost made him laugh. Almost. "Then they will surely risk their lives again and again to free him and restore him to his seat of power. I have been amongst Humans for less than a decade and even I know that."

He was certain that her hesitation and sense of mercy for those enemies who deserved nothing but death was going to get her injured (if not outright killed) one day. And he would be livid. But there was no point in dwelling on the possibilities of things, so he simply shrugged. "To each his own, then."

This had been Kaya's fault and she knew it: if she had only just let it GO, not even mentioned it, they would be just fine. If this had not been eating her, if after all this time she had not gotten used to death, they would be enjoying themselves right now.

"To his people, the ones that didn't know better. Under the fire lord, the military at least prospered, and those who felt superiority over others were the way to do things. I won't say I'm going to miss him: after all, I was fighting him right alongside Aang then, and I knew together, we could stop him. All we needed to do was keep him bound and defeated, and he would go back to podding. Aang defeats him by taking his powers and imprisoning him ever after. As there is...his daughter is still on this ship. Someone will have to tell her, and she has a fragile mind as it is."

And there wasn't a doubt in her mind she had something to do with it.

"That may be true," she said, quietly. "Maybe you have a point, and the truth is, I don't know what happens after this. In the heat of battle though, when I know my enemy may try to kill me, I will get him first. It was knowing he would be gone that stayed my hand, Nokosi. I know I could have killed him. There any powers I possess that can make this possible. I don't because I know that having these powers is a responsibility that can be misused."

She looked at her hands a moment. "I know I ruined the mood, but you're my boyfriend, and I want you to know what I was thinking. I respect your opinion very much. And thank you...you've given me a lot to think about."

He wouldn't have called it 'misuse of powers' to simply end the Fire Lord, but they had come from different backgrounds after all. It would have been seen as laughable to simply imprison the Lich King or Onyxia; humans couldn't even deal with a Gnoll leader properly.

His expression was quick to change at her words, however and he laughed. "You did not ruin anything, Kaya. You were honest and very passionate about your view, and it was very telling, despite how frustrating it was to try and convince you that you are not the one to blame for his death. I appreciate that."

Nokosi dropped his arms to the side and slid next to her, closing the distance between him. He reached for one of her hands and lay it against the palm of his own. "In such a situation I think it would usually be someone in my position to apologize," not that he was going to, mind you. "On grounds of not simply being comforting in both a physical and verbal manner, with words to ease your mind." His expression, at least, seemed apologetic.

"I cannot easily say things that I do not agree with, like 'I understand completely', 'things will be okay', and simply agreeing with something I do not, for the sake of avoiding complications." If Billy were here, he knew that the teen would have been giving him the worst glares through their entire conversation.

"I will be honest, though. I was only annoyed because you blame yourself for something I see as very trivial, though it means worlds to you. It is because I already know that I would be more than just a bit impatient and angry had that seemingly trivial thing been a source of harm for you. I adore you Kaya, and so I would work to see that you are well taken care of, physically, mentally and spiritually."

Kaya knew it was unlikely that she would be the type of person to misuse her powers, but that didn't mean that she wasn't still a little bothered by it, especially when she had an idea of how strong she was and would be in the future if she continued training. Killing was a sore subject for her, and had been ever since coming to the ship.

She sighed. "It all just happened so fast: beating him with Aang to stop him from hurting anyone, and then the knives right into his neck and the way the person that did it didn't think it was a big deal. It was a lesson I still had trouble learning back with my other teacher: she wanted me to realize death for some people, however the means, was necessary in restoring balance to the world. I guess I'm still just reeling from it all."

Because she knew, the longer she thought about it, that Mai might have killed him because it was necessary.

Kaya was quiet for a moment,taking in what he'd said. "Nokosi...I want you to be you, whatever that might mean. It's true, I do need support, but I was asking your opinion, what you truly thought. If Billy sees me conflicted like this, he will do his best to support and console me: he's my Bonded, he would do that for me in a second. From you, when I ask you something, I want you to be you, in every sense of the word. Thank you, for always being honest and forthright with me, even if I'm in conflict with your answer."

That tightness in her chest eased, and her heart swelled when she heard the last thing he said, and she kissed him passionately, holding him tight.

Her response puzzled him for a moment, if only because it wasn't the type of thing he'd overheard or been told before. So...she was really saying that it was okay for him to not be the most understanding, comforting person at all times in her life? This whole 'relationship' thing had more subtle nuances and complications then he could have imagined.

It really was like an adventure! Awesome.

Nokosi leaned forward into the embrace and circled his arms around her midsection. Being so close after their heated discussion felt all kinds of nice, and he couldn't help but hug her to him during the lengthy, fevered kisses.

The thing that Nokosi needed to understand abut Kaya was this: she also believed in making accommodations when it came to a relationships. With Nokosi, the thing she loved most about him was that he was himself in just about everything he did, and when it came to her, he usually knew when to console and help her, and when to give her his own point of view.

And the tunnel of love just happened to be at its swell here: just as Kaya and Nokosi kissed, there was a burst of multi colored water behind them as well as glittering bubbles that descended over them. She laughed lightly, then lay in the crook of his arms, just staring meaningfully into his eyes.

Nokosi reached a hand up and popped a few of the bubbles, before returning his gaze back on the girl laying in his arms. His lips split in a toothy grin as he popped a bubble right over her head.

"I hope you are feeling better, if just the smallest bit. I think...I will sleep very soundly tonight beside you."

Kaya chuckled, watching him go after the bubbles, then nuzzled his nose a moment before reclining against him.

"I am," she said. "I still have a lot to think about, but I do feel better. I think it might be possible that a part of me is still trying to cling to the girl that came aboard the ship. But if I really can't be her anymore, at least I can make the best decisions about that that I can."

She still didn't think Ozai had to die, but what was the point? He was dead now. If they survived the war, they would simply have to deal with the results of Ozai's death too.

"There is little wrong with trying to maintain the values you had previously, it would just be many times harder to keep those ideals alive in the face of all that we are tasked with."

Nokosi smoothed a hand down her arm and across her side, just to begin tickling her. "I think you are making very good decisions, even if you do spend most of your time working!"

"I know," she said, "And being in this place, lessons I would have learned in time I had to learn twice as fast. But you're right: I can't hold back when it comes to a fight."

She giggled, trying halfheartedly to slap his hands away. "I have to help as much as I can! Hee hee, stop that!"

He allows her to move his hands to the side, only to bring them underneath her arms and back to tickle her neck, side and ear.

"I suppose I could, but why? It is a pleasant sound that I do not hear nearly often enough; you will have to provide me with a compelling reason to stop, you know."

Kaya wriggled about, laughing gently, squirming in his grip.

"I'm sure I'll think of one in a minute!" She protested, laughing, and then, without warning, the welcoming darkness of their trip was disrupted by the light: here ended the ride, and Kaya looked noticeably disgruntled.

"Looks like our tunnel of love is over," she said, hanging her head.

He squinted against the bright sunlight, but still managed to have a smile stretched on his lips. It was nice, natural, real sunlight. He could have been doing the most important thing in the world and he would have still been glad to feel it on his skin.

"Your annoyed look is very fetching," he joked and pressed a hasty kiss against her lips. He stood and jumped out of the boat, then waited for her to follow.
Once she was down, he motioned to his back and knelt forward. It seemed he wanted to give her a piggy-back ride.

"Does not mean it cannot be an everyday occurrence. We do have all week together, though we should find a place to stay before the sun goes down, today."

Oh, she usually would have been overcome with glee, buts he had liked the coziness of that tunnel, and now it was over! She was comfortable there!

"How can someone looking this annoyed be fetching?" She protested, shaking her head: but she didn't mind, not really. And once she saw the gesture, she laughed lightly and leapt lightly upon his back, one arm draped over his shoulder, the other checking her pamphlet.

"I think we might want Indulgence Cove next," she said. "Late night entertainment, pleasurable hotels, a Red light district (whatever that is) and food and bazaars!"

Well she can be comfortable here, now.

Nokosi curved his hands around her leg and held on, stopping for just a moment to push his lengthy, violet ponytail over his shoulder. "Because the reason why you had such a grouchy face made the entire action endearing. It was...very cute."

He began walking from the ride with her in tow, though he made sure to listen carefully so he wouldn't miss anything important. Entertainment was fine as long as it wasn't overly loud; he would simply let her choose the hotel since what he found 'comfortable' differed greatly from others. Food sounded fantastic right about now, and he snickered at her mention of Red Light districts and her lack of knowledge about them.

"I did not know what such a thing was until my stay in the city. A Red Light district is an area that is known for its brothels, gentlemen's clubs (which is a nice way to say a bar where the women are all naked), various 'adult shops' and other similar things that are done after sunset."

And she was: while it might have seemed contradictory for a strong woman like Kaya to be riding piggyback, she found the close, personal contact with Nokosi to be endearing.

Which was, of course, why she tugged at his ponytail playfully. She smiled. "I didn't realize it would register as anything but pouting. Thank you." And she kissed his neck, looking almost saucy in her intent.

Of course, once he explained what a Red Light district was, she did almost fall off of his shoulder. "Oh! Wow. We didn't really have something like that in my world. Um, how did you happen to know what a Red Light District was anyway?"

No judgement: she was just curious.

The contact on his neck sent a delightful shiver through his body and he smiled. "If you plan to tease me when I cannot fight back, just remember that you reap what you sow."

He found himself laughing once more at her sudden shock and he righted her on his back before speaking.

"Large cities sometimes have them; there was one not far from Stormwind, itself. I hear that it is known on both the Alliance and Horde, even though it is Alliance territory. That, and some of the women and men from that place regularly go to Stormwind in search of clients.

I found this out a few weeks into my stay in that city. When I was approached, I did not quite understand what it was she wanted beyond money because she spoke in riddles; so I gave some to her."

He shook his head gently. "In retrospect I now know that 'speaking in riddles' is called 'innuendo'. She still wanted to uphold her part of her job, though, so I asked her to be my tour guide for however much time that gold brought."

[Speaking about Goldshire's... denizens, Nokosi?] The click of Draenei hooves against the ground signaled Nehaalista's arrival before her necklace's translation did. It was hard to tell if the Draenei was eyeing Kaya or not; the luminous quality of her eyes (and the fact Nehaalista had no noticeable pupils or irises) let off very little. Still, it appeared that the paladin had gone out of her way to find her friend.

[I told you, if you pay them they're just going to keep showing up. Like strays.]

Kaya had to choke down laughed. It was so like Nokosi, wasn't it, to not understand what someone from the Red Light district was saying and wound up being his guide around the city. What was more, she had readied herself for some kind of insidious story, and was pleasantly surprised. Not as surprised, though, at suddenly being approached by...Nehaalista? It had been awhile.

Still, she did wave, smiling.

He'd never really liked the odd-sounding voice her necklace spoke in, as much of an audiophile as he was; he had his own mental voice thought out for her anyways.

"Nehaalista!" he cheerily exclaimed. "Maybe so, but they sometimes have interesting things to say."

His ears bobbed along with a mess of jingling and chiming as he jogged to close the distance, person in tow still firmly held. It was a pleasant surprise to see her here, what with all her duties. This meant she had free time, right? Even if she didn't, he was going to harass her about it.

"Have you come to partake in festivities? Say yes and make me a very happy elf."

Nehaalista looked around, [I came to look at things, but it is all very noisy and confusing.] Where were her quiet, Naaru-themed worlds? Where? [But I have elected to give myself some time away, as Vaals suggested before he was repodded.]

She smiled, small white fangs flashing, and looked down at Nokosi, [I take it that answers your question?]

"I hope that means we can enjoy some of your company!" Kaya piped up, knowing it might look a little ridiculous considering how she looked at the moment, but she at least had in common with Nehaalista that she needed to get out more.

"What can we do to lure you out to have fun with us?"

GOLD PLANET

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WTH, this entry was eaten up somehow!

All good~

Re: All good~

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