Robodogg

@Stengleronymous so, totally not related to any sort of big village attention grabbing distraction or nothing, but just hypothetically could Khulan's technology training and trick bomb fighting style be used to put on an impromptu fireworks show or similar?

Khulan just looks askance at the earthbender’s spit covered hand. There’s no way she’s touching that, even if it means starting a fight. In fact, a fight breaking out would be welcome over shaking that hand. So Fei grabbing it and sealing their deal is honestly a huge relief.   “Fuu, she's clearly Kyoshi. Don’t you see her makeup?” The droll remark is all she adds, letting Fei give out the details and just nodding along with her to confirm. Hopefully there were enough sacks of food to easily carry. Hopefully their rendezvous would remain out of sight. Hopefully this new partner-in-crime of theirs is reliable.   "I wouldn't say she's nice until she’s actually helped us with that food." Khulan cautions, though she does so while looking at Fei with a small smile. “You handled that very well, ‘sister’.” For appearances sake if nothing else, she dusts away a few specs of pastry as Fei pivots from side-to-side and then secrets the silk away in her blouse. "Ready? We need to start distracting the village."   “Oh cousin,” she calls, slipping on her mask of noble affectation again. “One thousand pardons, Mayor. You have such patience that we are so very undeserving of! Please forgive us.”

Yeah same! The stand alone site makes it so easy to forget.

Whoops, sorry that took a couple days extra. Had some appointments cancel on me and I had to beat my calendar back into shape. All good now!   @Voldaren I look forward to not getting betrayed even a little bit by Miyah! 🙂

Khulan tries to focus on not giving the earthbender anything more to go off than ‘bad guard’. She can live with ‘bad guard’. “They’re wary and suspicious of poor, desperate refugees. Not wealthy, capricious 'princesses’,” Khulan says, her ego utterly refusing to allow comment to be passed on her strategy without rebuttal.   But she was right, they were the talk of the village now for better or worse. And more hands do make for less work. When Fei turns to look at her, entreating that she consider this, Khulan sighs and starts running the scenarios through her mind like if she were seconds away from combat.   If we just allow the girl to leave, what will she do? She says she'll do nothing, but can she be trusted? Maybe, maybe not. Far too many possibilities, and not nearly a good enough read on her to guess otherwise. What if I threaten her to stay out of our way? She might force the issue, and there isn't time to fight a bender in the middle of this festival. Even if she backs off it might just be to expose us both later, out of spite.   So, how bad would cutting her in be? She's a cutpurse, probably, and a bender certainly. That's not terrible help, even if we need to pay her afterwards. Her bending alone will let us carry more for those refugees. And if she’s helping us she that's another pair of hands to help protect Fei. And what if the next village is like this too, and the relic has to be stolen? What if War Minister Qin’s project on the West Lake needs more than my name to get our friends out?   "Ugh," Khulan sighs, the decision having been made even if she didn't like it at all. “She's Fuu.” She nods to Fei. “I'm Koko.” She gives her own assumed name, waving her hand at their new partner in crime. “You can be Kyoshi for all I care." She looks around, a little anxious to get back to the Mayor as soon as possible. "Listen, if you take the key and we keep all eyes on us, can you actually get in the storehouse? Just a few days worth of food. Enough to get them safely to Ba Sing Se,” she repeats Fei’s words, just to be certain they're clear.

The plan is perfect! How dare its perfection be questioned!   Nah, I'm with moarhair. S'all good! I'll get something up in a little while.

Before Khulan can even say anything, she's dragged off by her temporary sibling. Eye wide in shock for a short moment, she composes herself and trundles along dutifully behind. Fei clearly has a plan here, she knew what she's doing. Just leave it with her.   In the time she spends checking just how secure their little hiding place is, Fei is already starting. “You…” Khulan starts to say, but Fei overtakes her and just doesn't stop for breath. Well, the cat owl is out of the bag now. “…don’t need to tell her the whole plan," she sighs. "At least stick to not using our names, ‘Fuu’.”   Maybe it's for the better? It escalates any issues right now, when they can both afford to handle it, rather than waiting for them fester. “So," she says, crossing her arms and keeping her voice low. She drops all her noble pretence as she eyes up the stranger. "Are we going to have a problem?” This is saids in a tone that heavily implies 'Koko' is very willing and well able to deal with that problem, if it is one.

When the Mayor isn't looking, Khulan shoots Fei a small smile. Their plan was working flawlessly.   'Koko' claps her hands, faking utter delight with aplomb. “Oh, how delightful! I must tell mother when we get back.” She's laying it on thick, but that small flash of panic in the Mayor’s eyes tells her she and Fei are in the clear. “You know how the family motto goes, ‘Omashu might have a king, but Chenbao has the Le’s’!” she giggles far too much, following dutifully behind Mayor Liao as the tour begins.   Spirits of the Islands, if I ever have to do this again it’ll be too soon.   Having endured more than her fair share of tedious lectures, keeping up the feigned appearance of enrapt attention when talking about roofing materials and local soil quality is easy for Khulan. Her actual attention is directed at the storehouse, any easy ways in or out would be a huge help when time came for the rob- liberation of food. But that's not what ends up catching her eye. Or who catches her eye, rather. And that local girl almost seems to be going out of her way to… no, catches her eye on purpose. Did she…   “Oh Fuu, you wooly-pig! You’ve still got mooncake all over you.” 'Koko' rolls her eyes, licking the corner of a silk kerchief and leaning in close to wipe her sister's chin clean. “I think we’ve been made. Girl with green eyes. White hairband. Half-eaten mooncake,” she whispers in Fei's ear. “Oh sister, dear, if you really want more sweets you’re allowed to get another one.” So much for their flawless plan.

Please, it's totally fine! I just wanted to make sure OOC rather than take a guess and be wrong IC, it's all good! Tell me about it! I've had a couple Real Life Things hit me the last week and a bit that needed urgent seeing to. So sorry I haven't posted promptly! I will get to it ASAP. And this is a great plan!

Feel free to call me an idiot! But :  Just wanna make sure here, this is directed towards Khulan (the object of Yanmo's ire) and not Yanmo & Father (who would have had to come a long ay was refugees to get to the villiage), correct? Just want to know if I got stuff to respond to here!

Being laden down with responsibilities, with great warrior ancestors demanding nothing short of perfection from her, Khulan had very little time in back home to actually attend events like this. So, in a way, it’s nice to be able to enjoy Mooncake Festival like a regular person. Even if she’s dressed up as somebody else, some bratty and carefree noble with no legacy worth living up to. Just like one of the girls she was forced to tolerate at the academy.   Putting on her airs, carefully weighed between acknowledging her lessers and holding them in healthy disdain, Khulan leads her ‘sister’ as they wend their way through Xidi Village. It’s expected that nobles are picky, so one mooncake and one gift get accepted while others are ignored.   “If you get a good chance to investigate the storehouse, take it,” Khulan tells Fei, sotto voce, before switching to a far louder and more entitled voice at the sight of the approaching mayor. “See? I told you we’d get a proper welcome, Fuu.” Leaving her accomplice with an 'I told you so' look, she turns her full attention to their official welcoming party. “Mayor Liao,” she acknowledges with an ever-so-slight nod of her head in turn. “For such a… quaint town, the warmth and hospitality of Xidi Village is surely unmatched in all the kingdom.” Her compliment couched in appropriate condescension, Khulan introduces herself with a flourish. “Koko Le. Of the Chenbao Les,” she adds the emphasis with such force that the mayor would have to be a fool to not have heard of them. With a overly dramatic gesture that has her bangles clinking, she brings attention down upon Fei. “My darling little sister has just been begging to see a real Mooncake Festival. Isn’t that right, Fuu?”

@Stengleronymous do I need to invoke any background stuff for being aware of leading families, or am I just free to make a new member of the Pippinpaddleopsicopolis clan and go nuts?

“Don’t tell her that, she’s got a big enough head as it is,” she says with a smile, taking a bangle to slip onto her arm.   With a flowing scarf over her shoulder and a chiffon choli baring her midriff, Khulan is stuffing everything back into her bag and ready to go in no time at all. Dressing up for high society is just another kind of uniform, after all. Almost instinctually she starts to gather her hair up for a topknot, forcibly stopping herself halfway and quickly shaking her black hair out into something of a messy mop.   Being around these kinds of people all her life means that, for Khulan, putting on airs is as easy as running through her kata. “You're ready? Then let’s attend the festival, little sister!”

That would be my assumption as well!   edit: hey wondertrain! If you want the actual picture in your sheet, take the URL of this and insert it as media in yours! You can also double click on it after it's in to edit down the size and force it to be centred and all that jazz!  

"Step-sisters." Khulan nods, happy to make the change if it helps Fei blend in. “So am I, my mother never remarried after dad died. So we’ll have to both play pretend.” She gives her new step-sister a small smile and stops fussing with her hair, stepping back so she has some space to drop her kitbag to the ground. “If mother and auntie are anything to go by, all we need to do to be convincing is bicker over everything.”   It only takes a fleeting moment recalling how servants were treated, both back home and at the academy, for Khulan to firmly shake her head. "No. We’re doing this together or not at all.” She kneels down and begins to rummage through her belongings, fishing out her toolbag and belt pouch to get to her less martial possessions. “Don't even think like that. Clothes aren't everything, what’s more important is attitude. My darling little step-sister might love the finest silks from Ba Sing Se, but she'd never doubt herself just because of what her annoying older sister made her wear."   Hidden away in her kitbag is a small golden wrapping cloth, safely concealing what jewellery Khulan wasn't already wearing and a few pieces of far nicer accoutrement than her current travelling clothes. "Who would even notice what you're wearing? A few farmers? Xidi villagers? Some provincial mayor? You don't care what people like that think. My darling little step-sister is worth more than this entire village put together. She's important." Taking a spare citrine earring, Khulan's quick fingers tie it into a pendant dangling around a gold necklace. "My friend Sarnai makes them," she explains, offering it (and anything else she cares to pick out) to Fei. "I know you can do this, Fei. If you're in doubt, just follow my lead."

@moarhair Don't worry, I didn't take it the wrong way! Gimmie a bit of time in the morning and I'll get a reply out.   edit : bit longer than the morning, sorry! Up now

Fantastic! Added the roll to my post just now.   11 baby!!!!!! Living the high life.

A path through the village streets slowly begins to map itself out in Khulan’s mind. A quick jump here, a bit of luck there. Getting in and out of that storehouse might just be possible after all… And then an entire carnival breaks out and stomps that map into the mud. She just drops her head and sighs, one of those deep sighs where you only stop because there's nothing more left inside. “Spirits above, what did I do to earn such misfortune……"   Khulan otherwise stays quiet, keeping her eyes cast over Xidi Village as families tumble out into the streets and fill them with lanterns and music and laughter and joy. As any semblance of their plan crumbles to dust, her attention drifts away to her last Fire Days Festival back in Yu Dao. It was years ago now, before she had been shipped off to the Imperial City for training. She got to dress up in finery, sure, but to best represent the city and her clan she spent the entire festival standing silently next to her mother as she glad-handed nobles and dignitaries. Not quite as fun as sneaking off with her friends and getting sick from eating too many flaming fire flakes.   "We're not travelling thieves, Hsiao Chi," she says to the girl, but finds herself nodding in agreement with every indignant invective Fei has to say. "Not even one grain of rice to spare for the needy, but enough food to celebrate Mooncake Festival. There's no excuse for that selfishness." And that alone boils Khulan's blood enough to overlook how unfair it feels to be suddenly forced into the role of a burglar. But what other choice was there? Leaving all these desperate people to simply starve? "Tsai, Hsiao Chi, we'll meet back at your encampment with the supplies," Khulan promises them both. They were in too deep to stop now, better to just keep charging forwards.   "Centre yourself, Fei." Khulan puts a hand on her shoulder. "I'm angry too, but we can't lose focus, right? Without us there'll be no justice for all those people." While still supporting Fei, Khulan starts to really look at her face. "We don't look enough alike to be sisters." With one last sigh, she brushes Fei's bangs one way. And then sweeps them back the other way again. “Cousins, maybe? No, half-sisters. Our father left my mother for your mother, she's from a wealthier family and looks down on me. We're all the way out here to bond, away from all the pressure of the family home."

I mean, fair! If disguising as a noble type doesn't seem all that fun, there is always the ol' standby 'We are travelling circus acrobats here to entertain the festival'.

Such a bad roll it started Mooncake Festival early! Question for the GM : assuming Mooncake Festival is somewhat about the moon, and the moon being Tui, and Tui and La being waterbending spirits, would the Mooncake Festival be looked down on by uptight Fire Nation types?   @moarhair so what do you think about me going for my +1 'Walk This Way' roll to have us both blend in as privileged Beifong-like Earth Kingdom fancy people? 

Yeah. Oh well! At least it's just an assess roll, way worse ones to fail than that.

Oh Baldr is a pain in the rear to try and wrangle into something nice looking, so please go right ahead. no worries.