Continued from the Meditation Pavilion; [tag: Tenshio]

"Oh yes, I know," she chuckled walking past her fellow Acolyte and down the steps of the gazebo. Pausing at the last step she released the fabric of her dress from her hands and turning toward Akio the island flower waved him on. She hoped that Akio could hear the sound of her sleeve catching the air and know by some spirit given talent that she'd be right beside him the entire way. Nuori's skin prickled with excitement at the thought of where she was about to lead her blind friend. This trip, she understood, was either going to end really well or really badly for the both of them. She hoped it was the former.

Silently she began to walk up and away from the gazebo. Blinking her eyes at the morning sun Nuori couldn't help but feel suddenly invigorated by its warmth. Under its rays she felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Stretching her arms up into the air the island flower let her long sleeves fall down and bunch up around her shoulders. Smiling she wiggled each of her fingers one by one before letting her long arms fall back down at her sides. Knowing that her first job was to reach the three gates that stood at the entrance of the Air Temple, and also knowing that it would take them a couple of minutes to get there, especially since they were taking their sweet time, the brunette decided to fill the air with some harmless conversation.

"Do you have any hobbies, Akio?" she asked. Quite frankly she wanted to know. This was the first blind person she had ever met, thank you very much, and she was innocent in her curiosity to know how he led his life. Hopefully Akio heard the genuine interest in her voice and didn't think that she was being rude by poking her nose into his business.

[tag: Anhyue]

Nuori left the pavilion, and Akio had to listen hard to figure out where she was. Luckily, he heard her clothing flutter in the wind and was able to walk over to stand close to her. Where things would go from there, though, he couldn’t be sure. His family was always good about telling him where they were so he didn’t have to guess—Emi took a particular pleasure in being his guide—but Nuori might not know to do that. He could ask her to, but that was embarrassing. The Acolyte was comfortable with his handicap, but didn’t like drawing unnecessary attention to it. He’d just have to move softly and keep his ears tuned to the sound of his companion’s footsteps.

The sound of shifting cloth told him that Nuori was on the move, and so he began to walk as well, hoping that he wouldn’t stray too far from his fellow Acolyte. If he did, he’d have to hope that Nuori would let him know and steer him in the right direction. He could count on her to do that, surely. She was the one who’d suggested this walk, after all.

He wondered where they were going. They couldn’t be planning to leave the island, or Nuori would have said that. What did she have in mind? He hoped it wasn’t anything too crazy. Lacking sight made him reluctant to adventure. But he was pretty sure he could trust Nuori not to get them into any trouble.

The other Acolyte’s question caught him off guard, and he stopped walking for a moment to think about it. ”This may sound a bit strange,” he began, ”But I like doing origami every once in a while. My mom taught me some of it a couple years ago. I like folding things, even I can’t see what I’m making. It keeps my hands busy.”

[tag: Tenshio]

Nuori hadn't expected that Akio would stop to answer her question, but she complied and moved swiftly back to her fellow Acolyte's side. He began by telling her that she might think his hobby was strange, and by doing so he managed to further fuel her curiosity. What sort of hobbies did blind people consider strange? Driving could be one, and painting, maybe? Nuori knew she wasn't any good at making guesses, so she kept her bandaged lip shut and opened her ears to listen. Origami? her mind repeated incredulously. But how could that be? Didn't you have to see the paper in order to know where and how to fold it? "Impressive," she said the word slipping unexpectedly out of her mouth. "But really it is," she added almost defensively. "I've never really been good with my hands, except for baking I guess, and swimming."

Crap, she thought. Don't give away the surprise! "Maybe you could teach me sometime." And with that she took a heavy step forward and continued their trek away from the pavilion. As they reached a line of blue tiled buildings Nuori made a sharp left, taking the turn slowly so that Akio wouldn't misjudge the distance and walk directly into one of the walls. Outlining the buildings she smiled as they ran into a few other Acolytes who looked as if they had just rolled out of bed. Easy morning, she thought happily nodding at the Acolytes as they passed. She walked with Akio on the inside and her on the outside just to make sure that he also wouldn't bump into anybody. The island flower knew that she was probably being a little too cautious, but she couldn't help it. She was determined to get Akio to their surprise destination in one piece.

"What kind of books do you like to read?" the hazel eyed teen piped up wanting to keep their conversation going. She liked the feeling of talking to someone seeing as how she didn't get to do it too often.

[tag: Anhyue]

Was origami impressive? He didn’t think he was all that good at it. It took him far too long to fold even the simplest shapes, and he could never be sure that he’d created what he was supposed to. He guessed it might be fun for others to watch, if he succeeded in making something halfway decent without being able to see what he was doing, but Akio had never really shown off his creations to anyway. There were quite a few paper shapes hanging around his quarters on the island, but that was more for the sake of decoration than to actually have his work on display. Nuori was probably just being nice. Well, he didn’t mind that. ”Thank,” he said, falling into step behind his fellow Acolyte as she once again led the way to their mystery destination. ”I’d be happy to teach you whenever you want to learn,” the blind Acolyte agreed. He chuckled. ”You’d probably get better than me pretty fast, though, since you’d actually be able to see what you were making.”

Akio followed Nuori in silence, once again listening to the sound of her footsteps to tell him where to go. When she took a sharp left turn he almost ran right into a wall, but managed to stop at the last second and turned as well. Even though he had managed to avoid making a fool of himself, the teen still felt his face heat as blood rushed to his cheeks. Nuori had seen him almost collide with the wall, and maybe others had too if other Acolytes had woken and were walking the island. That was enough to fill him with embarrassment.

Then came Nuori’s question about books, and his face reddened further. ”Uh,” he began, not sure how to say what he wanted to say without sounding rude, ”I don’t do much reading…” Or any. ”Because of…well…” The Acolyte waved an arm up and down to indicate himself, hoping that Nuori would get his meaning without needing further explanation. ”My mom used to read to me when I was younger, and Emi does when I visit just to prove she can, but…it’s been a while. I—I guess I like adventure stories, but I can’t really say more than that. Sorry.”

This conversation was difficult. Akio knew that Nuori was only trying to make normal small talk, but normal didn’t really work as far as he was concerned. Maybe if he turned the question back on her, she’d get caught up in thinking about her answer and they could move past this awkward snag. ”What about you? What do you like to read?”

[tag: Tenshio]

It wasn't long before Nuori recognized that she had done it again. First it was the cooking, and now it was reading. Only she could manage to ask two ridiculous questions in under fifteen minutes. I can't believe I asked him what he likes to read. He's blind. Oh man, why me? Darn it! It was so frustrating that she bit her bottom lip and immediately regretted making that decision. "Oww," she moaned under her breath. It was like a comical scene right out of a book, only it wasn't funny to Nuori. When Akio spoke it was almost too painful to listen to. He even moved his hand in front of his face just to drive the point home. It stung a little to watch, but the island flower knew she deserved it for having had a lapse in thought. She knew that Akio wasn't trying to hurt her feelings intentionally, but she could have done without the show.

"I'm sorry for asking," she quickly mumbled. "But it's nice that they read to you."

Akio then turned the question on her and she sighed relieved that he was more than willing to leave that awkward moment between them behind. Flaring her nostrils like she often did when she was trying to concentrate hard, Nuori found herself at an impasse. She adored poetry and fantasy equally, could she tell him that she enjoyed both without sounding too much like a nerd? Of course you can. Stop making things so difficult. "I like poetry," she finally said her voice a bit on the shaky side. "And fantasy. I've tried writing some things, but I think I make better fruit cakes than stories." She was about to ask him if he had written anything then stopped realizing that she had almost fallen back into it. Wow, this was tough.

Making their way around the last building Nuori thought of what to ask Akio next. Something came to her, but she wasn't sure if her fellow Acolyte would find it appropriate to answer. After that scene that they had shared beneath the Meditation Pavilion the both of them had probably decided to leave the topic of sisters alone. Ah well, she decided to bite the bullet. "How old is your sister? Emi, right? Very pretty name."

[tag: Anhyue]

He had hurt her feelings. Great. That hadn’t been his intention; he’d only been trying to avoid further embarrassment for both of them by leaving the obvious unsaid. Apparently that tactic had failed him. Okay, now he knew not to bother with that, and instead to say everything that needed to be said. But that could cause problems too…ugh. This was why he avoided small talk. It might be necessary when speaking to people he didn’t know well, like Nuori, but it came with its share of pitfalls, and they’d both managed to stumble into a couple already. Hopefully the fact that it was the other Acolyte’s turn to answer the question would make things easier.

It did. The girl’s voice sounded a bit strange when she spoke, but she got the answer out all the same. Akio nodded at her words. ”I’m sure what you write is good,” he affirmed with a smile. ”Maybe you could read it to me sometime—if you’re comfortable with that.” It could be a trade, he thought. He could show her some origami, and she could read something she’d written. That way they’d both get to enjoy each other’s talents. It seemed fair to him.

Then Nuori asked about Emi, and Akio’s lips curved up into a smile almost on their own. He had always loved his sister—even when he was jealous of her bending—but living away from home had made him realize just how deep in him that love was. He might be a disappointment to his parents, but to Emi he was just a big brother, someone to play with. That was a role he could fulfill, and gladly.

”Emi’s seven,” he replied. ”Though her birthday’s coming up soon. I‘ll to figure out some kind of gift to get her for when I visit.” He’d thought about that earlier but hadn’t really come up with anything. Maybe Nuori would be able to give some input. She’d been a seven-almost-eight-year-old girl once. Surely she could help him out.

[tag: Tenshio]

I'm comfortable with that, Nuori thought smiling internally at Akio's suggestion. It could sort of be like a trade between them. Reading poems in exchange for a few origami lessons. Even though the island flower knew she'd be terrible at folding paper into shapes, it warmed her heart to know that Akio was still looking forward to spending more time with her. So I'm not exactly hopeless. I can make friends here. It was a hopeful and inspirational thought that slapped a large grin onto her delicate face. Finally, she was starting to feel better.

After asking her question Nuori lowered her hazel gaze onto Akio and was pleased to see that she had succeeded in putting a smile on his bright face. Apparently the topic of his sister was not off limits and that calmed the bit of nervousness that had crept along the island flower's body when she had asked her question. Akio gladly told Nuori that his sister was seven, almost eight, and that her birthday was quickly approaching. The fair skinned woman wasn't surprised when her fellow Acolyte confessed that he wasn't sure about what sort of gift he should get his sister. It was always hard to shop for women, and Nuori knew this from experience. Mulling over some ideas in her head Nuori suddenly came up with a solution.

"I think I have something that you could give her. I can stop by my room later and bring it to you? I'm sure she'd like it." Wanting to keep the gift idea a secret she shut her rosy lips and slowly continued forward.

The sun warmed her light brown hair and reflected brilliantly off of her golden highlights as the pair skirted around a man made pond filled with fish of various colors and sizes. Nuori saw the gates in the distance and again grew excited at the thought of their mystery destination. She had never been so excited about something in her life. "We're almost at the gates," Nuori announced knowing that Akio deserved to know where he was so that he could feel comfortable in his surroundings. Nuori didn't want Akio guessing at where they were going and so she decided to fill the air with more conversation. She was surprised at how well she was becoming at asking questions.

"What's your favorite kind of food?" I know she thought, rolling her eyes. This question's dumb, but please just humor me.

[tag: Anhyue]

Nuori had something he could give Emi? That was perfect! It saved him from having to think of something and possibly getting the wrong thing. The other Acolyte was being mean, though, and wasn’t saying what this great gift was. ”You like secrets too much, you know that?” he teased. ”First you don’t tell me where we’re going, and now you won’t tell me what this fabulous gift is. You suck.” He grinned as a thought occurred to him. ”Fine. If Emi doesn’t like the present, whatever it is, I’ll bring her here and tell who just who it was that came up with the idea. Emi can be a terror when she wants to be, so you better watch out.” The Acolyte might sound ominous, but he knew that nothing like that would happen even if Emi was displeased. She’d probably just blame it on him and make him buy her something else, which he’d be happy to do. He couldn’t refuse his little sister, even if he wanted to.

As they continued walking, Akio quietly tried to figure where they were and where they were going. Unfortunately, that was very difficult to do while he was moving. Things changed with every step he took, making the establishment of any sort of reference point nigh impossible. He wished his fellow Acolyte would give him some sort of clue so he wasn’t completely lost. He knew the island kind of well, but not well enough that he knew every inch of the place.

Luckily, soon after he wished for a hint he got one, Nuori informing him that they were near the gates that marked the entrance to the Air Temple. Okay, good. That was a fixed landmark that he could work with. The blind teen put his mind to work trying to figure out their final destination, but was distracted—intentionally, he was sure—by another question. As he changed tracks to think of an answer, he stuck his tongue out at Nuori, showing his displeasure at all the secrecy. At least she’d asked something fun.

The Acolyte scratched his cheek as an answer emerged from his mouth. ”Favorite’s a pretty big word,” he began. ”I’m fond of dumplings, since there’s a lot of different ways you can make them. I really like fire flakes too, when I can get them.” Akio was surprised to find how much he enjoyed discussing food. It was one of the few things in life he could experience just as fully as everyone else. Stuff like that was rare, so he enjoyed it when it came along.

That got the young man thinking of other subjects the two could discuss as equals. One came to him almost instantly. ”Do you listen to the radio often? What kind of music do you like?”

[tag: Tenshio]

The teasing was warmly appreciated and happily received by the young Acolyte. She knew she kind of sucked, and she also knew that she could be quite secretive. It wasn't something that could be helped, but she didn't mind being teased about it. "She'll love it I promise!" Nuori was almost too sure of herself. Too sure that little Emi would react to the gift by squealing and thanking her older brother profusely. Seeing the image in her head made Nuori's greenish yellow eyes twinkle in the sunlight. After telling Akio where they were the island flower giggled at the sight of him sticking out his tongue. Why he did it the teenager wasn't sure, but it was childish and so much fun. She stuck her own tongue out and giggled knowing she could make tons of silly faces at Akio without him knowing. Of course, she wouldn't do that, unless provoked.

With her question about food floating around Nuori watched as Akio scratched at his fair cheek before answering. Oh man, fire flakes, she moaned drooling at the thought. Those things were so good! She used to fight Michi over who got to eat the most when their mother brought some in from town. I knew he was Fire Nation, her mind chimed in. Even if the fair skin and clouded amber eyes wasn't enough of a hint, fire flakes pretty much sealed the deal. It was hard to find someone in the Fire Nation who didn't like those fiery hot treats. "When I visit my mom I'll ask her if she has any fire flakes in her apartment. She usual keeps them on hand when she knows I'm coming to visit."

Nuori was extremely pleased when Akio decided to ask the next set of questions. It was good for her mind to kick back, relax, and take a break. "I don't think I listen to the radio as much here as I do when I visit my mom. Sometimes I eavesdrop on the White Louts Sentries and listen to whatever they're listening to. But uh, I guess I like more classical pieces. Some of the new things that are coming out are kind of exciting too. I like how the rhythms are becoming faster and sharper." She had to admit that the new age music was quite catchy and fun to listen to. But if she had to choose the radio over cooking or reading a book, the radio would lose every time.

"How about you? What do you listen to? Probending matches maybe?"

[tag: Anhyue]

Now she was offering to get him fire flakes? Geeze. She was going to give him a gift for Emi, get him food…pretty soon he’d owe her his soul. Still, it was nice to have a friend who would be so nice to him. He’d had difficulty making friends up to this point in his life. Meeting people was difficult enough, but then there were all the restrictions: things he couldn’t do, places he couldn’t go unaccompanied lest he got lost…the list went on. That was why he spent most of his time on the island; it was small enough that he didn’t have to worry about getting lost or ending up doing something completely unexpected. The blind Acolyte wouldn’t have minded exploring Republic City more—he had “seen” so little of it so far in his seventeen years of life within it—but knew that that wouldn’t be possible without the right person to keep an eye on him. Nuori had done a pretty good job of that so far on this walk. Maybe he should ask her if she was up to wandering the streets sometime.

The idea of a peaceful Acolyte sneaking up on the sentries just to listen to their radio made him laugh. He was sure that the White Lotus guards wouldn’t mind letting Nuori listen to the radio with them—from what little interaction he’d had with the group, he’d gotten the impression that they were a very nice lot—but maybe that would ruin the fun of it. He’d unsuccessfully tried to sneak up on his parents when he was a kid, often forgetting that he was the blind one, and not them. It made sense that his fellow Acolyte would enjoy doing something similar. He’d heard that Sifu Tenzin wasn’t fond of radios, as well. Maybe being stealthy about listening to one was a good idea.

Nuori asked what he listened to, and for once he was ready with an answer. He shook his head. ”I’ve tried to listen to Probending matches, but I can’t follow them at all. Everything happens so fast, and since I can’t picture any of it I just get confused. It sounds like a lot of fun though. I like how all the teams are named after animals.” For something so serious and dangerous, Probending still managed to seem lighthearted at times.

”I do like listening to jazz,” he continued. ”Like you said, it’s faster and sharper, and that…” he paused, unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to say. ”I guess it gives me more to focus on, if that makes sense. Listening to slower music usually leaves me bored and looking for something else to do.”

[tag: Tenshio]

"I know what you mean!" Nuori blurted out, her doe eyes widening at the truth of Akio's words. "Shiro Shinobi does talk way too fast. I mean I understand why he has to, but it's so frustrating to listen to, and I can't ever follow a match. I tuned in like twice then gave up." Recoiling from her words Nuori flushed feeling a bit embarrassed by her sudden outbreak over probending. She wasn't exactly passionate about the sport. Nothing about it screamed special or unique to the Air Acolyte. What about it was so fun anyway? It did have an entertainment value, she'd give it that, but that was probably all the brunette would give it, so to speak. "The team names are pretty cool though," she quickly added not wanting to seem too against the sport. Maybe if she took the time to see an actual match one day she'd change her mind about the whole thing, but realistically that day would probably never come.

Akio continued and spoke about his interest in the new music Nuori had described as faster and sharper. He called it jazz and she liked the sound of that word. She was sure it was a popular word, but she had never heard it in conversation before. However, the island flower couldn't completely agree with what her fellow Acolyte had said about slow music. Granted it could be boring at times, but something about classical pieces put her mind and soul at ease. The instruments had a funny way of bringing her creativity to life, and because of that Nuori often tried to listen to those pieces when she was writing, usually at her mother's place.

"I listen to the slow stuff when I'm trying to write. I guess it helps me, and I prefer it, personally. But I understand what you mean. Jazz is pretty catchy. Sort of intoxicating too if you listen to it often."

Pausing to catch her breath Nuori glanced up into the sky and muttered a low "Oh," to herself when she noticed that they were standing directly beneath the tallest of the three gates. Enjoying in the beauty of their structure, and of their azure and gold colors she reached out her hand and gently touched Akio on his shoulder. "We're under the gates," she announced her voice strong, yet gentle in its delivery of her announcement. She hoped her touch hadn't startled him. "I'll say step once we've reached the stairs, which is going to be pretty soon." The last thing she wanted to see was Akio plummeting down a huge set of stone stairs.

Moving forward Nuori remained at her friend's side the entire time. When the moment came to take the first step she said, "Step," loudly enough for him to hear. Please don't miss it, she silently prayed.

[tag: Anhyue]

The other Acolyte’s outburst on the subject of probending came as a surprise; he hadn’t heard her so animated before. It was good to know that she could be that way after the mess he’d made by asking her the sibling question. He was glad that his moment of ignorant stupidity didn’t appear to have lasting effects. Nuori didn’t seem to be that big a fan of probending, but that didn’t matter to him. He was interested in the sport, sure—especially since Avatar Korra had joined a team—but knew that he’d never be able to follow it as a true fan without sight. Oh well, he had other activities with which to occupy his time.

It seemed they had differing opinions on music. He understood his fellow Acolyte’s habit of listening to slower music when doing something else, but for him music was that something else. Listening to music was what he did when he needed something that would hold his attention by not require much effort. Some people read, he put on jazz. He didn’t know if it could be considered intoxicating, though he often got lost in the music and forgot where he was while it played. Maybe Nuori was right after all.

Akio heard Nuori stop walking, and he stopped too. He heard her small exclamation, but had no idea what it was meant to convey. Then she touched him again, and his body flinched against his will. ”Sorry,” he muttered, ashamed of something he couldn’t control. That was forgotten, though, when the girl informed him of their location and warned about the steps they would soon have to descend. The boy nodded. ”Thanks. That’ll be very helpful.”

The two set off again, and all too soon they reached the aforementioned steps. Akio heard Nuori’s warning, and he stopped walking, then slowly slid his right foot forward. The teen waited until the stone beneath his foot turned to empty air, then lowered the limb to meet the step below it. That done, he brought his other leg down to join it, successfully managing to go down one step without tripping. The Acolyte sighed. This would be a slow process, but better to take his time then end up a broken heap of flesh and bone at the base of the steps.

[tag: Tenshio]

Nuori sighed in unison with Akio. The worst of her fears was over, but was it really? They had so many more stairs to descend and if they continued at this pace they'd reach the mystery location by dusk. You're over exaggerating, her mind jeered. But could the female Acolyte help it? She was itching to get to this place before something unexpected happened, like the weather turning, or Sifu Tenzin slapping them with some task. Granted Nuori never minded the tasks, in fact she really enjoyed them. Work was always a good thing because it distracted her mind from unwelcome thoughts. Not that her unwelcome thoughts were bad, some of them were quite nice actually, but they were all distracting in one form or another. What she really needed to focus on were her studies and finding some inner peace. Some acceptance would be nice too, but that was a long ways off, at least that's what the non-bender thought.

Taking another step Nuori couldn't help but enjoy the sight of Yue Bay. How long had it been since she'd last gone swimming? Shaking her head Nuori suddenly caught sight of some action from the corner of her hazel eyes. Turning her head she smiled widely as a sky bison flew overhead. The creature was silent in its flight and from where she stood Nuori couldn't determine if it was Oogi, Sifu Tenzin's loyal air bison. All of the sky bison looked pretty much the same to Nuori. They were such beautiful and majestic creatures. A little tricky to feed sometimes since they had like a gazillion stomachs, but so rewarding to pet. Their fur was ridiculously soft. Even the island flower's hair wasn't that soft! Bringing her gaze back to Akio the island flower was a second away from asking what her fellow Acolyte thought of the creatures before realizing once again that he was blind.

Darn it! she silently cursed fuming in the unfairness of the deal that nature had dealt Akio. Why was life so unfair?

With her mind focused on other things it was no surprise that Nuori had managed to miss her next step. Falling forward she let out a small squeal before catching herself on the next step. "I'm sorry!" she called back to Akio. "I slipped on my uh...dress. No harm done." Balancing herself with her arms the island flower pulled herself up to her full height and let out a soft sigh of relief. Here she was worrying about Akio falling and she was the one who was about to kill herself. Go figure. Maybe it was time they held hands or something, that way they could prevent each others death. Waiting for Akio to reach her, Nuori thought of the right words to say. She didn't want to creep the poor guy out. Holding onto her arm would be okay, right? Or maybe they could link arms? Either way she needed this walk to go much faster, but also be safer. Talk about mission impossible.

"Hey Akio," she began once he had reached her side. "Would you like to um...like link arms or something? That way we can guide each other down these stairs because as you can see I'm somewhat of a klutz."

[tag: Anhyue]

Had steps always been this annoying? Probably, but this felt especially bad because he was with someone who didn’t know what life with him was like. His family, though they were obviously aware of the difficulties that his visual impairment created, never drew attention to his struggles. They just helped as best they could while still managing to make it seem as though they weren’t actually doing anything. Chairs in his way would magically slide aside before he reached them, tiny coughs would alert him to his mother’s presence…little things like that were why he loved his family. They knew that he wanted to be independent, and did what they could to make that possible.

But being with Nuori was different, uncomfortable. The Acolyte was painfully aware of all his shortcomings and was pretty sure the girl was too, even if she didn’t say anything to that effect. He was trying to move quicker, react better, actually look straight at her, but pretending that he wasn’t blind had never fooled anyone, including him. Nuori might not be mentioning his oddities, but they were still apparent, and that was enough to fill the teen with shame.

As infuriating as this situation was, Akio knew that there was nothing he could do about it. They’d get down the stupid steps eventually, and though the going might be slow, at least he wouldn’t break his neck. Nuori, though…it looked like she might not be so lucky. The boy reached out to grab his fellow Acolyte as he heard her stumble, but she caught herself quickly enough that his assistance was unneeded. Still, he took the next couple steps a little faster to get to her side. ”You okay?” She confirmed that she was unharmed, the news eliciting a sigh of relief. Had the girl fallen, Akio would have had a difficult time rushing to her side, probably bringing himself down in the attempt. Luckily, that wouldn’t be necessary.

Not long after, Nuori spoke again, this time suggesting they link arms to better get to the bottom of the stairs. Mindful of the fact that she could see whatever expression he inadvertently made, the Acolyte kept his face completely neutral, doing his best not to display the distaste that her question had awoken in him. She had phrased it well, making it seem that she was the source of most of their problems, but that didn’t make him like the idea any better. He was already quietly ashamed of his sluggish pace on the steps; being forced to accept physical assistance would just make that worse.

But the female Acolyte had a point. As embarrassing as it might be to be lead around like an infant, it would make getting around easier—unless Nuori tripped again. Then she’d just bring him down with her. Assuming they could avoid, that, however, the arrangement would benefit him, much as he hated to admit. So, with just a small sigh of defeat, Akio nodded. ”Probably a good idea.” He stuck out his arm and waited for Nuori to take it and resume their journey.

[tag: Tenshio]

It was torturous awaiting Akio's reply. Although she didn't want to believe it, Nuori understood that she had dealt her fellow Air Acolyte a low blow. It wasn't an intentional blow, but she figured that it had hurt just the same. The honey-haired teen only hoped that her friend had heard the truth in her words. She wasn't lying about being a klutz and as much as Akio could benefit from some guidance, Nuori believed that she was equally in need. The fair skinned girl was never great with stairs and wearing a dress only made descending them worse. Secretly Nuori was also relishing the thought of having the chance to be near someone again, even if it just meant linking arms. Of course, she wouldn't admit that to Akio; he would just think her a freak of nature, or worse.

She watched his fair face carefully for any signs of disgust or rage. To her surprise his countenance remained neutral, almost impassive. Nuori wasn't sure if she should take his lack of a reaction as a good sign? For now, however, it looked as if she was going to be off the hook, but next time she knew she wasn't going to be so lucky. Akio sighed, nodded his head, then sort of reluctantly agreed to her proposal. She wasn't surprised that the teenage boy sounded defeated. After all the island flower had bruised some of his pride, which she pondered he had little of already.

Taking his left arm in her right Nuori swooped it under his elbow and came to rest her forearm atop his. Elbows slightly touching she grinned an exaggerated grin and said steadily, "Okay, here we go." It was a little funny at first moving at the same pace as her friend, but after a minute Nuori managed to tune her steps to Akio's. To her surprise they were moving quite quickly and with her mind concentrated only on their destination Nuori missed out on the splendor of the sights that surrounded her; of the mountains of steep and jagged rocks on either side of her; and of the beautiful trees that were slowly beginning to paint their leaves for Autumn. Wrapped up in all of her excitement she decided to ask Akio a rather juvenile question.

"So," she began with a slight inflection, "where do you think I'm taking you?"