Snippet #2738871

The two men came to some sort of agreement about camping. They could stay outside if it suited them, but no way was she leaving the car into that...lightless void. Chiyo frowned at the inky blackness outside the window, fretting about what she couldn't see. She never was very good at masking overwhelming emotions, and it was pretty plain by the soft, somewhat pitying voice Izaya used to admit he too found the dark "unsettling", that her expression was readable and weak. Chiyo pulled the blanket around her more tightly, looking sulky.

Chiyo's eyes narrowed when Izaya called her turtleduck again. She'd already told him she was not his turtleduck..she could feel the heat ruse to her cheeks, but if it were due to irritation or embarrassment she couldn't say.

"That's not my name Mr. Mizukami..." she mumbled, looking still more sulky. But the man just continued on as if he hadn't heard her. As a rule, she would have prefered people she didn't know very well to call her Miss. Saito, as was proper. She might have grown up in the slums, but it didn't mean Bunta hadn't taught her any manners. (Though, he rarely used manners himself, he expected his children to use them.) Ru would be an exception, as earlier in the day he had explained he prefered his nickname to any formality. It still felt weird when she addressed the waterbender though.

She listened as the two discussed Wen's trustworthiness. Noting each opinion with a nod. She could see Ru's point, if the woman had wanted her dead, she'd certainly already be dead. Still, it's hard to trust anyone who lies to get involved with your life so quickly. She was grateful Izaya was at least taking her concern seriously.

Chiyo heard Izaya asking her to build shelters if he brightened it up. Chiyo wondered if she had enough energy to bend anything with how she felt. Though, she couldn't help but watch hungrilly as Izaya bent a fireball to life in his hand, casting away some of the shadow. The fire danced a blue light, like a spirit, as Izaya left the car. Soon...she could learn to do that...well, she would have to learn. Though, she thought warily, chasing away shadows might be a useful skill to have at least.

Chiyo frowned at Izaya, still disliking his use of turtleduck in place of her name, but at this point the need to sleep was stronger than her desire to slap him. For now. Gingerly leaving the blanket in the back seat, Chiyo slipped out of the car as well, being careful not to leave the small pool of light the fire cast. She looked to Wen as they moved away from the car,

"Miss Li, I'm going to make shelters...Mr. Mizukami offered the first watch...he's had a nap. You should sleep...Papa said a tired marksmen is a dead marksmen..." Chiyo offered gruffly before dropping into a familiar stance.

Chiyo inhaled deeply, smelling the unfamiliar earth then with a step forward she gestured upwards, like an orchestra conductor. The earth responded, pulling a rounded shelter with a small narrow hole door from the ground, like an earthen igloo. Chiyo repeated these familiar steps three more times, before coming up into a ready stance with an exhale. Then she eyed the car. If the Red Lotus or really any police came by, the "upgraded" car it would probably mean trouble for them. She gathered her blanket from the back seat and stepped away.

"Ru, Miss Li...step away from the Auto."

Chiyo waited for them to move, then once they were clear she once more dropped into her horse stance, inhaled, exhaled and like bending the garage lift at home, lowered the car into the earth. A chasm opened below, swallowing the car from immediate view..though anyone wandering around in the dark would probably fall into the hole and on top on the car. At least it was better than leaving it out in the open.

The world tipped drunkenly before her eyes for a moment and she took a knee. She really was more tired than she realized. Usually something this small wouldn't phase her. Once she regained her composure, she gave a mumbled good night, and crawled into the last shelter. A rumbling sound made it clear that she'd closed the shelter behind her. If Toph wanted her, he could still dig in to see her. Chiyo curled up in a ball inside the shelter and too exhausted to fight it any more, promptly fell asleep.