One minute they were bickering, and the next they were standing close enough that Kasai could see Avani's pulse beating on her neck. The flame in her hand lit up the space between them and cast an orange glow over their faces and contributed to the ambiance, which Kasai tried to her damnedest to ignore. 

She swallowed the lump in her throat whenever Avani's hand touched her face, brushing her hair away while their eyes remained locked in a gaze. What was it about this girl? Kasai didn't know why she allowed her to get so close to her, to touch her and hold her within a breath's distance. She was annoying and childish and immature, and yet Kasai found her intriguing and tempting. 

She followed Avani's hand with her gaze as it moved from cheek to neck to chest. Goosebumps ran down her spine and she looked back at Avani as the woman's face grew ever closer to hers. She ignored the part of her brain that told her to move away and instead gave in to the part that told her to press closer, for whatever reason. She closed her eyes and met Avani's lips. 

That is, until a strange and alarming voice was heard from the side. Kasai's eyes opened wide and she moved her head back and turned it around looking for the source of the voice. When her head was turned, Avani pushed Kasai and sent her stumbling backwards a few steps. When Avani pointed at her, she threw her hands up in innocence, just like all those suspect had when she had yelled at them to put their hands up. 

"I, uh..." 

Kasai clenched her jaw and stood there awkward and stiff, left again in an uncomfortable position as Avani spoke to the transparent image of her airbender friend. She looked on and listened while they spoke, then blushed when Mio accused them and Avani called Kasai pretty in the light. She cleared her throat looked at her feet. 

Then the airbender started to describe where she was and the surrounding area, and Kasai looked up with eager eyes at the sound of the word "we". She took a step forward from where she had been standing and raised a hand to try and catch the fleeting image of Mio. 

"Wait, 'we'? Is Kieron there with you? Is he-" the projection of the young woman faded away and Kasai was left without answers. She had to assume the best, that he was there and alive and that he could be saved. She sighed, knowing she wouldn't know his fate until they got to where they were going. 

Kasai put the map up and grabbed the pack again, slinging it over her shoulder. She walked up next to Avani and nodded, "I think we should move on too. The closer we get, the better chance we have of saving them." She tried to smile, but she could tell it was halfhearted. So instead, she bit her bottom lip and looked down at the ground as they started to walk again. 

"So uh..." she rubbed the back of her neck and laughed a bit out of nervousness, she didn't really know how to respond or react to the events that were occurring between them, or even if she should. "I came on to you, huh?" she laughed a bit again and then cleared her throat, "Looked to me like you came towards [i]me.[/i]" 

Kasai smiled a bit but she was still unsure if Avani was going to rebuttal with a smart ass, rude comment or with some sarcastic joke. "Tell ya what, if we ever do get back to Republic City, we have us a little wager or contest, and loser buys the other dinner?" 

They kept walking for a few more hours, but even Kasai was growing weaker at this point. She stopped and dropped the bag to the ground. "I think now we should probably rest. We won't be any good to them if we can't even defend ourselves, let alone get them out of there. There's just a few hours now until daybreak, at least I think." She realized the spirit world was something totally different from their own. "We can get a move on again at dawn."