Walking...But for what purpose?

Numbness...The frailty of the Heart despite the level pain it would endure was sometimes a burden. Naraca's body had been beaten so many times that he had, and everyone else had lost count. Yet his heart had taken twice as much, what kept him going? He had yet to really figure that out. Each step he took, his heavy eye's with bags under them gave an intense look forward. His body felt weak, but his mind did not waver, he took long, fast steps that guided him at a fast pace. The morning air around him was crisp. The earthen ground was soft, it felt good on Naraca's feet. However thoughts of the task at hand clouded all his other senses.

He did not hear the sounds of birds chirping as they raced around the bright blue sky in packs. Nor did he smell the fresh smell of baked goods that acted as a perfume for the air that tasted sweet with each breath. He kept his mind from over flowing with concerns, doubts and worries. He focused only on what he had to do. Find Kiara, apologize, and carry on with helping her in her quest to defeat the fire lord.
With Terra, he knew that he could do this. He didn't really have new found hope, but he didn't want to lose whatever of it he had left.

As he walked he could only assume what kind of resistance he might encounter, with Terra by his side they would have no problem getting in Omashu. Naraca knew the place well enough, he had done a couple missions there before. Terra however would probably know it best, so she wouldn't have a problem getting around. The question was where Kiara was, he had no idea and Omashu is big. Not as big as Ba Sing Sae though, so he had a feeling he could find her at some point.

Right Naraca walked towards the train station, being a Dai Lee and Terra being the Earth Queen they could take an express train that could be right there in less then an hour. He knew the way to the entrance for VIP's and Dai Lee agents.
The train station was a bit of a walk, but he was more then willing to go on for the sake of finding Kiara.
He knew Terra wouldn't be too far off, he slowed down his walk a bit so she could catch up. Her's legs were a lot shorter, he had to keep himself walking slowly for her sake.

Once she would catch up, Naraca would keep at her pace and look back down at her for a moment.

"Listen Terra, I want to thank you for your words." He suddenly said to her in his rough voice that he tried to soften up for her.

"Lately I've been acting pretty rough, and I'm sorry for that. I've been holding a lot of things back and I guess I just vented it out in the wrong way." He said to her, feeling regret for what he had done still.

While Naraca still had hope, he didn't feel good about what he did. A big man like him could easily smother people, he had yet to learn the art of a light touch. Coming in to protect only when necessary, and when he was wanted. Kiara didn't need a Guardian, she probably was either stronger, or able to become stronger then Naraca. He knew this now, but at the same time he didn't really see any other way to fit in. His monster like strength made him a good body guard but he didn't know when it was needed. That's because he was not needed, he could only come when Kiara wanted him.

Slowly, but surely he began to realize that he was not needed in the group, but it was a matter of if he was wanted by the group. So far that didn't seem likely...But...Some part of him wanted to at least hear Kiara tell that to him herself.

A soft sad smile was growing on her face, this would be the first time that she would be gone from Alanzo for who knew how long. However, that smile quickly faded into a happy and excited filled one. Terra was about to experience the world on the side she always dreamed of. It was hard for her to believe that she was actually going to teach the Avatar. So much was going thew her head as they walked towards the VIP part of the train station.

It was indeed a bit of a struggle for her to keep with Naraca but Terra decided to do something she hadn't done in a long time. She parkoured her way up to a roof top and jumped from building to building. It was easier to keep up with Naraca that way and it seemed to be working well as a small workout too.

When Naraca started talking though Terra jumped back down and stood next to him and listened carefully while they walked. He seemed exhausted and still a bit soft and vulnerable since what had happened last night. When he thanked her about her words she raised a hand at him smiling.

"Oh please don't thank me for that, friends help friends out." She then stared up at him reassuringly, "I am sure Kiara will gladly accept you back in the group, besides everyone has a moment when they act outta character. The only thing you can do is learn from your mistakes and make yourself better from it."

After making it into the station Terra didn't need to tell them anything at all seeing as her husband had set up everything the night before. So they had boarded the train in no time in a private part of the train just for those two.

"Exciting is it not? I wonder how the girls are doing.."

As Naraca walked closer towards the station, he listen to Terra's words but did not respond. The amount of mistakes he's made...They were only welcomed by more mistakes. His Heart, body, mind and spirit were all scared, even after he learned from them he was battered with more error. However he didn't want to keep this trip a sorrowful one, so he kept his mouth shut now, leaving his issue's inside his gut which felt such intense pressure that he was having a hard time walking.

Terra made sense, but it was hard to think of something good coming from all of this. He wasn't even sure what to say to Kiara if he saw her again. However he wanted nothing more then to try and make things right. Why though? Was it because he wanted to stop the firelord? No, there's was more to it then just that. So then what...? He had yet to figure out an answer for that.

Walking into the train station, Naraca had never liked the first class treatment that he got when in settings like this. He was so used to pain and a hard day's work he found that even a leather seat was unsettling.
This train car was made just for two people, was it for the Earth King and Queen? If that was the case then Naraca hoped that no bad rumors would get spread around because of him and Terra together in the train.
As he sat down he readjusted his massive sword so he sit.

At first he said nothing, keeping himself quiet for now. As he sat there, he realized that he couldn't keep dwelling on the subject of his own misfortune. He needed to think about something...For his own sake.

He thought for a moment, then turned too look at the long hilt of his sword. He then shrugged his shoulders and stood up on his feet. Despite Terra thinking out loud of how the girls were doing, Naraca lifting his right hand up and gripped the hilt of his blade.
He pulled it out normally, the sound of metal grinding against the inside of the sheath rang through his ears until he fully took it out.
The blade was black with red detail, the tip was shaped like a hammer head shark, the blade as a whole was six feet long and 3 feet wide. This blade was meant for pulverizing and destroying anything. It was razor sharp and weighed 50 pounds, yet Naraca carried it like a toy.

He held with one hand and suddenly smiled as he examined it. The blade itself was black because it was made from a meteorite, the idea coming from a legendary swordsmen named Sokka.
Naraca sat down while he looked at the blade, letting Terra see it as well.
He was quiet for a moment.

Suddenly he smiled.

"You know I remember when I first got the sword" He said with a cheerful voice and a smile on his face.

"My master Romulus who was a blacksmith told me that it was the first sword he had ever made." Naraca said, as if he was telling a story to a crowd. The smile turned to a look of...Some sort of happiness in memory.

"However I knew that was a lie because the only meteorite around was in the fire nation...And it was restricted to only the most elite of fire nation soldiers" He said as the train proceeded towards Omashu.

"I even told him that I knew it was a lie, however he always insisted that he made it..."

Naraca chuckled lightly to himself.

"The man always liked to flatter himself, despite what kind of danger he was in. I remember that on the day when we were captured by the fire nation, and they forced us to fight to the death." Even as his words took this kind of turn he still sounded happy.

This was sorta Naraca's version of cheering himself up, by talking about the past, even if it was about another mistake of his.

"Just before we fought he told to make sure that if I killed him it would be with this sword" He said as he continued to examine the black blade.

"Once I did, he told me just before he died that in the end it didn't matter who made it...But that this sword came all the way from space, and traveled for millions for years as just an chunk of rock...Just for me" He told Terra with a smile on his face.

He didn't really know why he was talking about this, but just that he wanted too. Omashu was close, however right now he was just thinking about the past.

Terra smiled happily at her gaurds that had followed her and Naraca to their destination. When they attempted to get into the train car with them she held a hand to one of the gaurds chest and shook her head politely. This was going to be a time where she was going to have to speak to Naraca in private. This man was having emotional problems and this was a good time for him to talk it out and collect his thoughts before anything serious happened in Omashu.

"I am sorry guys. I know I said to Alanzo that I would take you guys for protection but here is the problem." Terra grinned again before speaking, "I am the protection, why do you think he repspects me so much."

She gave a half salute as the door shut and moved her way over to a chair and sat into it. Her eyes just stared at Naraca for about five good minutes. His body language seemed tense and complex as if he really was on edge about everything that had happened the other night. The next thing that came into her her line of vision was that heavy sword. It was a bit sad when a mans sword was taller than her but Naraca wasn't exactly average.

Terra listened intently at the story and crossed her arms frowning. "Naraca I don't understand why you are telling me this..right now you have got to focus. Face what is infront of you at the moment. As of right now we know Kiara is in Omashu but have no exact location inside the city.." But then remembering something she continued to speak, "Mattias did go as well as the girls..so maybe, just maybe one of them has found her."

"I don't think you should worry about Kiara not accepting you or not forgiving you about what had happened. She is young and needs to learn alot. Give her time to learn how to deal with situations such as those."

The blade's hilt was wrapped in what looked like white bandages. The handle felt good though, it had a comforting roughness to it that made it feel steady in his hand. As he looked at his sword, the blade itself had deep meaning to him. Looking at the hilt he placed the sword on his lap then placed two fingers on the handle, his finger's guided up the hilt until it stopped at the top, where a golden ring was wrapped tightly around the handle.

Right as he did this an image of a woman standing by the pond in Naraca's back yard. Right as she turned to face him though, instead of the smile that he remembered his memory suddenly faded.
He listened to Terra speaking about the current situation though, she didn't understand the meaning of his story it seemed.

He let her continue to talk though, he was listening, however his eyes did not look up at her once as she spoke, his was down, and facing his sword.
As he looked at the golden right, he then looked at his left ring finger, which had a slightly lighter tan line shaped like a ring around his finger.
He remembered when he took it off, and had it attached to his blade so that he would always remember her when he was in battle.

Naraca slowly looked up at Terra after she mentioned that Kiara just needed time.
He looked at her, the back at his blade for a moment, then to the window, Omashu was still a bit of a trip away.

He looked back at Terra.

"You know I met Kiara by landing on the ground after a big jump...Landed right in front of her...Crashing on the ground, like a meteor" He told Terra, now hoping she might realize why he was telling that story.

"I was fighting Fire Nation soldiers...Just because I didn't have a purpose anymore I figured I'd just keep fighting until I'd die of old age...Yet when I jumped away after I beat the first wave I looked down where I was landing and saw a woman walking from the ocean" He explained to Terra, he wasn't just doing this because he was mindlessly talking, but he had a point to his story.

An image of a meteor in the sky popped up in his head for a moment.

"Out all the places in the world, out all the places where I could have landed, where she could have been walking. I just happened to land right in front of the girl who changed my life" His voice sounded like it was leading to something.

He placed his hand firmly around the white handle of his sword and he rose his up with his wrist so the tip of the blade was pointing up to the sky, letting Terra see the full length of the sword. He found it kinda funny how she was shorter his weapon.

"Like this sword was meant for me...I was meant to land right in front of Kiara at that exact moment. It means that I landed there for a reason, and I think that in the end no matter what happens I have to do all I can to help her bring peace..." He told Terra as he got to his point of why he told Terra that story.

"Were all here for a reason, and were going to Omashu for a purpose. For what might be the first time in my life I've realized that this is something that I can't fail in."

He stood up then lifted his sword up, then tipped it into the sheath on his back so it would slide in.

He sat back down, adjusting the sheath so he could sit.

"I know Kiara will need time, but I know that no matter what happens everything will fall properly into place...I mean we came this far right? We were brought together for a reason, and I don't think that reason was just to get torn apart" He said, his voice sounding a big stronger now, and deep and heavy like it normally would be.

He relaxed in his seat a bit, trying to properly prepare himself for the fight that would be ahead.

Terra listened to every word that escaped with every breath Naraca had made. He was so different from what he was back when she was the leader of the Dai Li agents. If she was allowed to guess or even comment Terra believed that the man was more mature and sincere..like he had finally found his place in the world. That itself was not an easy task to do seeing as everyone goes through it and had difficulty on their journey.

"I am not going to say anything after what you had said." Her soft smile aimed towards his face after he had finished talking. " I think you have done what I was trying to do for you. I am very proud to have you as a friend."

Her mind jumped onto the Avatar and a frown was on her face a bit, "I do feel that the Avatar has surrounded herself with very loyal companions and long term friends...I cannot help but feel like we are surrounding ourselves with more enemies." Terra was now infront of a tea set pouring herself and Naraca come before handing him his cup and taking a seat once more.

"She is so young..and naive at times. Yet I know that with the proper training and experience Kiara can do what anything she wants, much like yourself." Her green eyes then shifted to him as she set her cup down on the table beside her.

"Naraca my friend, can you promise me something?"

Some distant form of a long lost idea of that once resembled hope began to shine within Naraca's soul. He had this content feeling right now, here he was, in a place, and in a setting where he could simply relax. His body was no longer tense, but beginning to come to a common feeling of relief. He listen to Terra, someone who he had almost forgotten about.
Terra was someone he was used to having as a leader, but once he was fired he had a hard time seeing her as a friend. When Kiara first mentioned her name, Naraca had forgotten because he was beginning to forget everything about his own life. Yet here he was, fighting for a purpose again, with his former boss at his side.

Slowly but surely Naraca began to rest, he took a more relaxed seating position on his chair, he rested his arms on his stomach before he saw Terra pouring tea. He turned his head to her, he never really looked at her as a friend before.
Seeing her now, without her having that commander feel to her was a strange feeling.
He was almost felt like he was breaking regulation by relaxing before being told "At ease". He even felt like he was supposed to be pouring that tea and giving it to her. Once she walked over to hand him the tea he sat up slightly so he could take it.

He nodded his head to her as a way to say thank you, he didn't want to voice it though since she was talking.
However, it was only at the moment of holding the cup in his hand that he remembered that he was not a fan of tea.
Yet he pulled his soldiers face of steel, placed the lip of the cup to his lips and took a sip of the tea, letting the slightly flavored water flow into his mouth and through his throat. It was warming, but the taste was mediocre, however under no circumstances would he tell Terra that.

Keeping his face looking natural, as if he was enjoying the tea he thought a bit about Kiara, and what Terra was saying about her.
While Kiara was indeed young and naive, Naraca felt that he could use a little youth in his life right now. The man was fit, and strong, but young? No...Being young is a different kind of fit.
Naraca was still young in a sense, but his mind and soul were very old. The way he saw was that God just gave him a younger body to keep fighting the good fight with. Kiara had the ability to still be happy no matter what, and Naraca would always take things as hard as possible, he would often be unable to let go of his failures. While Kiara on the other hand seemed to be able to fly right by all her worries and still be happy. This was a quality Naraca had yet to obtain.

He looked at Terra into her eyes as she sat down, he never was able to take the time to admire that green glow she had in her eyes. Made Naraca a little bored of his old fashioned light brown ones.

When Terra asked him if he could promise something, Naraca's eye's narrowed due to curiosity, he leaned forward on his seat and faced Terra, making eye contact.

"Of course Terra" He replied, remembering how she wanted to be called Terra.

Little by little he was learning to become more informal when around Terra, however he was still sitting down on his seat, at attention instead of staying relaxed.

Terra stared long and hard to the huge man infront of her. He was different indeed. A old soul was something her grandmother would have said to him if she still was breathing. A small soft giggle could be heard as she started thinking about the Avatar as well.

She seemed different from the rest Terra had studied relentlessly. Kiara had that Ability to make anyone smile or find courage in anyone. Maybe...just maybe this girl could change the world exactly as everyone wanted it.

But before Terra said anything again her mind ventured toward Mattias. He seemed to be capable of much more than he led on. To her Mattias seemed to be a bigger part of the world than anyone really knew. Desire struck her to find out more however feeling a bit of guilt for trying to pry she decided not to go with it.

"You look so...tense my goodness relax! We are key parts to saving this world! We are gifted and lucky to have such an honor!"

"Honor..." Naraca said to himself quietly.

Such a thing was a luxury Naraca could rarely afford. His level of Honor did not exist, it was nothing but shame. Was this really something honorable he was doing?
Such a dramatic change in his life was hard to comprehend, yet he knew what he had to do. In the end, to focus on his own feelings like this was selfish to him, he had a world to help protect. That was all that mattered now, his body was a tool, he was the weapon of the Avatar and the world. His mind would be his own, but dedicated to bring peace.

There were not many other choices, Honor or not, Naraca just simply wouldn't let himself fall to this heart ache.

"Your right, it is an honor. Now lets just hope this honor is worth it"

Right after he said that he decided to take Terra's advice and relax. He leaned back a little and let out a long sigh.

However right as he did this, the train stopped as it reached the platform to Omashu. He turned his head to the windows and saw the station, a Dai Lee agents were waiting by the door.

Naraca let out a smile as the door's opened and the Agents stepped aside.

He turned his head to Terra then sighed.

"I'll relax once we get Kiara back" He said in a neutral voice as he stood up to his feet with a grunt.
He scratched the stubble on his chin then walked out the Train doors, letting Terra follow behind him.

The Dai Lee guards stood by, letting them pass. They already got the message that Terra and Naraca were going to be alone for this one, so they did not follow as body guards.
Naraca made his way down some stairs, his walk was solid and big, however he stopped once at the end of the stairs so Terra could catch up.

Once close Naraca would stand beside her, looking out towards the moutain like city of Omashu.

"Alright, there are about 3 districts here in Omashu. I figure we both search the largest district in the middle there" He explained while pointing towards the front of the Omashu from where they were standing.

"If we can't find her we split up and search the two smaller districts on the back of the city, if we see her we either signal each other by Earth bending a low frequency shock wave so we can feel the signal. Or call up the Dai Lee and they can get the message across to us, they should be watching us"

It felt better talking strategy, it was more comfortable for Naraca. It didn't involve his feelings and knew what he was doing for the most part.

"Order the Dai Lee to begin searching for Kiara as well and get them to report back if they see anyone matching her description" He continued to explain.

There was no feeling peace to be had from hiding his feelings and talking tactics, but he was comfortable here for now. They needed to find Kiara, he knew that this mission was far more important right now.

Terra just listened to his instructions, the more he seemed to talk the more she listened carefully. He had a trait about him that was very hard to find these days but then again Naraca probably knew about himself better than she.

"I say we split up first, so that way the smaller region can be done first. You go the way you said you were going and I will go mine. I know I can handle myself so its not really a problem if something does happen."

Then he mentioned the Dai Lee there, she turned and smirked back at Naraca with her hands on her hips. He was so into his strategizing that the man had yet to realize that they were not going to follow her or stay here with her. Tan-ko had promised he'd let her do it by herself and that was exactly what the young woman had plan to do.

"Naraca they are not staying with me, I am..." Terra thought of a way to say it, "at the moment a normal average person. I tend to keep it that way as well." Her body had shifted to look over her shoulder and seeing the train and the members of the Dai Lee leave Terra took the first footsteps towards the small section of Omashu she was going to comb looking for Kiara.

"I'll see you in a hour!" The petite woman replied holding up her hand and walking away.

The sound of the train grinding it's wheels against the tracks on the train went off in the distance as the VIP car left the station. No longer holding onto previous thoughts of misery or failure Naraca kept his mind focused on the task at hand. 3 Dai Lee Agents walked closer to Naraca.

"We will follow your order Naraca" The Agent in the middle informed Naraca.

After Terra left he watched her as she left before the three Agents walked up to him.
He turned his head to the Agents and recognized them a little. He noticed how they called him by name and not "Sir" or anything that would suggest him being a higher rank. They knew Naraca was no longer an Agent, and therefore had no military power, and yet they were willing to comply.
They too had respect for Naraca despite him being kicked out on a technicality

Naraca nodded his head at the Agents.

"Follow me but keep your distance, I want you three to remain as back up if I need it." He told the guards not as an order but more of a request.

He knew they didn't have to follow his orders and at any point they could back out, yet they seemed to be helping him simply because they wanted to.

The Agents bowed there heads respectively, acknowledging his request.

Naraca looked at them and gave out a small smirk.

"Thank you" he whispered to them.

The Agents on the left smiled back and nodded his head with just small twitch while the others kept looks of neutral stone.
Naraca turned his head towards the city of Omashu.
Followed suddenly dashing towards the smaller district of Omashu in a burst of speed.

The Dai Lee Agents paused a moment before suddenly all suddenly bending pillars of earth to send them upwards and into different places before following Naraca, keeping hidden but on Naraca's tail.

"I'm coming Kiara...Just hold on"

(Exit)