Eyes Wide Open [CLoSeD]

Kina jumped, her tiny dancer’s feet snapping her entire body upwards for just a split second before she spun around and came down. The light fabric that made up the intricate folds of her skirts was always a moment behind her, swirling around her hips gracefully. Kina’s hands came together and pulled apart to the rhythm of her heartbeat, setting a quick pace for her movements. The sun was high in the sky and Kina’s muscles had been working furiously, making a slick shine layer itself over her heated skin.

She danced passionately and without restraint on the cobbled streets of Omashu. The ornate bowl at her feet was half-filled with the little bronze coins thrown her way. The large ferret-lizard resting behind her panted heavily under the onslaught of the sun. Kina was in her zone, twisting and kicking up jovially. Her short brown hair was plastered to the edges of her face and sticking up wildly around her headdress, but her eyes sparkled playfully.

When she had first arrived in Omashu, Kina had stopped near the entrance of the city where the greatest density of tourists milled about. There, she had begun her intricate dance so that when she journeyed further into the city she would have enough coinage to fuel her needs. In the time that she had been dancing - a few hours, perhaps - Kina had amassed a small crowd, mostly consisting of small children and creepy old men.

Pan

While fanning himself under the vicious summer heat right outside his shop, Pan realized that he really needed to get away from the Fire Nation for a while. He hadn’t had a proper vacation in who knows how long and was beginning to get antsy. On a whim, Pan decided to take a trip to a few of the Earth Kingdom’s major cities. After all, he had heard that each one was a spectacular sight to behold.

The blond hopped onto a ship headed for a small port that specialized in delivering foreign merchandise to Omashu. When he arrived in the Earth Kingdom for the first time, he hitchhiked his way up to the city on a wagon filled with exotic fruits. The sweet aroma lulled him into a sleep, which he was quickly jarred from upon the abrupt stop that the wagon made as it hit the traffic of people, animals, and vehicles entering the city across the large bridge.

Not wanting to wait any longer, Pan snapped his glider open and jumped into the air. The wind caught and Pan was able to bypass the mob as easily as a sparrow evading the talons of a hawk. The man landed right on the other side of the entrance after soaring over the wall. There was a crowd here as well, but it was far less dense.

Pan slipped through the crowd on light feet, darting his eyes around purposefully. He wanted something to catch his attention, and he was not disappointed. A flash of crimson pulled him toward the edge of the square, where he found a small group circled around a youthful dancer, twisting and clapping, with golden jewelry that dangled down and gleamed brightly in the sunlight. Unable to take his eyes away, he bounded towards her, stopping next to a woman in a green shirt.

After watching the performer for a few moments, the blond looked over at the woman beside him. ”Hey, she’s pretty good, huh?” As Pan spoke, a young girl dumped coins into the dancer’s bowl; however, the dancer was concentrating on her movements so completely that she failed to notice that her bowl was overflowing with money. Under his breath, Pan muttered, ”I don’t know if she’s that good.”

A burn in her throat and a pain in her side signaled that Kina had been straining herself for long enough. If she didn’t stop dancing soon, the lightheadedness would arrive and she would pass out soon after. Kina knew this from experience, of course.

It didn’t take long for Kina to wrap up her performance. She simply came to a gradual halt and gave a short curtsy, gathering her skirts in her hands and flicking them back as she did so. Usually, Kina would have made flames dance around her as she spun for the final time, but she knew that she was too exhausted to even make the most meager spark. Her face and chest were flushed with a dark red blush and her breath came in heavy gasps that sounded almost like Itachi’s pants.

The firebender raised her eyes to view the quickly dispersing crowd. She took a moment to wave and smile brightly at their retreating forms before glancing down at her bowl. She did a double take. There were so many coins in the bowl that it had overflowed onto the street. I’ll have to come back to this city, Kina thought to herself briefly.

”Thank you all for your kindness!” The dancer shouted, even though most of her spectators had already gone from sight. She shrugged, then turned toward Itachi and clicked her tongue at him, motioning at the bowl of coins. Having helped Kina in her act countless times before, Itachi knew what was expected of him. The large ferret-lizard heaved himself upwards, ambled over to the bowl, took its rim between his teeth, and dragged it back into the shadows to protect.

As Itachi passed by Kina, the girl snatched a heavy leather canteen from one of the many saddlebags that hung from Itachi’s back. She twisted it open and chugged as much water down as she could, which she knew wasn’t the brightest idea but couldn’t keep herself from doing. When Kina had her fill, she lowered the canteen. Trails of water ran down either side of her mouth and fell under her chin until she took an arm and wiped her face.

Feeling much better, Kina took a deep breath and stretched her arms out above her head, blowing out as she lowered them. Looking up, Kina noticed a few people were still hanging around. She quirked the corner of her mouth up and winked at them. ”You guys enjoy the show?” Her voice was friendly, with just a hint of exhaustion in her breath.

Kina didn’t really notice the little girl until she rushed at her, at which point Kina slung the canteen’s strap over her shoulder so that she wouldn’t have to hold onto it. By now, Kina was used to the inquiring minds of children, and had developed a rather soft spot in her heart for their big, curious eyes. This particular girl was lovely and doe-eyed with brown curls and a slight figure.

A series of rocket-fired questions shot from the child’s mouth in a flow of excited babbling. Kina only caught every other word, and gave a little chuckle in response to such raw excitement. ”Slow down, kiddo. I’m not going anywhere just yet.” Kina couldn’t help smiling as she spoke, crouching down so that she was eye-level with the girl. ”My name’s Kina, by the way. And you are…?”

Pan

Pan would have clapped for the dancer as she finished her performance, but he was holding his staff. He didn’t even have any coins to throw into the bowl at the last minute. Instead, Pan simply gave a loud whistle of approval, hoping that it would be enough to convey his appreciation.

A small child accosted the woman in red, who didn’t seem to mind in the least. Seeing the two smiling brightly at each other made Pan happy. It was no secret that Pan had a fondness for children, and enjoyed seeing them excited. Being able to witness the unfiltered joy in the faces of the kids who visited his shop was, by far, the biggest perk to owning a joke shop.

When the woman in the green shirt asked him if he knew the city, Pan turned away from the two girls and had to shake his head at the woman. ”I’m sorry, miss. I’m afraid that this is my first time coming to Omashu. I wish I could be of help to you.” Pan gave the woman a lopsided grin, squinty eyes and all.

His eyebrows shot up. ”Oh!” Pan stuck out his hand toward the woman, making his various beaded and feathered bracelets rattle. ”I’m Pan.”

Kina smirked at the girl. "Kima is a very pretty name. When Kima put up her armored fists, Kina took a moment to marvel at the shiny brass knuckles. "Those are very nice. I bet you can pack quite a punch, can't you?" Kina put up her own small fists, giving Kima a quick double fist bump, "The best fighter in the world, you say? Well, I'm very honored to meet you. And you want to dance, too?" The brunette dancer put her hands down after tucking a single loose curl behind Kima's ear. "I'm sure dancing would be easy for someone as special as you."