ᴏᴏ3 : ᴛᴇxᴛ | ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ

[honorbends]

Who: Zuko [honorbends] and YOU.
Broadcast: Fleetwide.
Action: On Ye Olde Ice Planet.
When: Now!

Why.

[ that is literally the only thing zuko texts, because he has stepped out onto the ice planet Hoth and is promptly regretting ever doing so. firebenders rise with the sun, and zuko is a morning person, and nothing is more claustrophobic than being on a ship with no natural light, or heat, or energy -- and being outside alone is rejuvenating for him, but --

there is so much snow.

so feel free to spot him wandering around looking furious in a scarf, stubbornly melting a small patch of snow, or perusing the markets for things to buy with money that he probably asked someone else for.

or you can hit him with snow and take advantage of the fact that he is, in fact, a firebender on what is apparently a recreation of the northern water tribe. with more salt.

this is the worst. ]

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[honorbends]

[ ugh that sounds great :c ]

Sounds like my home.

[ zuko frowns to himself. ]

The Fire Nation is pretty warm -- not cold at all. I wouldn't say it's tropical, but it's alway sunny, with plenty of beaches.

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[dancingmd]

[She tilts her head, studying him for a moment. There's perhaps some mixed feelings there... And if there are, it's no wonder, considering what she has heard about the Fire Nation from Sokka and Toph. Iroh never spoke of home to her, so this is the first she is hearing of it from a native's perspective. She is curious, but she won't push.]

Sunny is important. You miss sunny, when you're in space.

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[honorbends]

There's no real substitute.

[ there's a slight sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. ]

So you just have to deal with what you have, I guess.

[dancingmd]

It's part of one of the many reasons why I wanted to start the gardens on the Blue Fish and the Iskaulit. Artificial sunlamps aren't as good as the real thing, it's true, but they still provide a lot of help, mentally and physically.

[honorbends]

[ ummmm ]

Where would you get the plants -- on planet, at stops?

[ and the careguides, too ]

[dancingmd]

[She nods.] Lots of people have been collecting plants as we go along.

Probably won't be getting any here, mind you, but not every planet is this barren of plant life.

[honorbends]

[ ... well. ]

I can help, if you need it.

[ pause ]

I can create heat, anyway, but Katara and Toph might be better for the actual... gardening part.

[dancingmd]

That would be lovely. Toph helped us collect the dirt and Katara has helped with the water systems, but it's important to keep the plants at a comfortable temperature as well.

[honorbends]

It would be better than breathing recycled air.

[ or, at least, make it a little fresher. ]

So I'm in.

[dancingmd]

Excellent! I'll have to show you around so you can see what we've got started already. And then maybe the next planet will be a little... greener.

[honorbends]

I hope so.

[ he's happy for sokka and katara, who are probably ecstatic, but...

ugh. ]

[dancingmd]

Though maybe not too green. Your uncle and I were almost eaten by some plants you know.

[Why do you say these things so casually?]

[honorbends]

[ -- wait.

wait, wait, wait.

wait. ]

You knew my uncle?

[ he almost sounds too excited, but also somewhat dubious. -- and -- ]

-- he almost got eaten by a plant?

[ iroh is one of the most powerful firebenders in the world, jesus christ uncle. ]

[dancingmd]

[Yeah fire just succeeding in pissing the plant off more. Whoops.]

Oh - I'm sorry, I thought... I thought someone would have told you by now, that Iroh was here before. [Damn. This is probably something he should be hearing from one of his friends.] I didn't get much of a chance to know him well, since he was only here for a couple of months, but we were [engaged in harmless flirting] on friendly terms. Right before he left, we landed on a planet of sentient plants, who didn't take too kindly to us trespassing.

[honorbends]

[ ugh. zuko and iroh seem to keep missing each other in these alternate realities, and he does look faintly disappointed. still, zuko huffs to himself and crosses his arms, shaking his head slightly. ]

Sounds like him.

[ accidentally trespassing, anyway. ]

But he shouldn't have had a problem, defeating some plants.

[dancingmd]

They weren't exactly ordinary plants... they had some sort of intelligence behind them, and attacking them with either fire or phasers only made them angrier. Mostly it was a case of how fast you could outrun them.

[And Iroh, bless him, running is not his strong suit.]

Don't worry though, we got each other out without too much damage.

[honorbends]

[ judging from zuko's slight wince, he is thinking the same as beverly. and he shrugs slightly. ]

I wasn't worried.

[ :c :c ]

Uncle is... my uncle is the most powerful firebender in the Fire Nation.

[ zuko says that honestly, with great quiet pride. ]

He can get himself out of anything.

[dancingmd]

[Don't lie, you were a little worried. But it's touching to see the caring and the pride he has in his uncle. Clearly, Iroh is very important to him.

The most powerful firebender part is a tad surprising to her though, if only because Iroh never seemed to have let that go to his head. He may have been a shameless flirt, but never a braggart and he always treated people with respect.]

Oh, I have no doubt about that. He's a good man... I'm sorry he isn't here with you.

[honorbends]

He's the best man that I know.

[ without hesitation, and with much conviction. ]

But he's better off at home, right now. I'm sure he'd say the same if I weren't here, and he was.

[ but that doesn't change the fact that zuko misses iroh terribly. he hasn't seen him in a long time. ]

[dancingmd]

I feel the same way about Wesley. Doesn’t mean I don’t still miss him, every single day that I’m here.

[honorbends]

[ he lets out a soft sigh that puffs out his cheeks a little. uncomfortable discussing this, but also not entirely bothered. ]

... right.

[ it's all he says, because it's true. and he wishes iroh were here, but he's also not selfish enough to say so out loud. ]

[dancingmd]

[Beverly studies him seriously for a moment, then tilts her head back towards town.]

There's a cafe not too far from her, serves good hot drinks. [A little smile.] Including tea. My treat?

[honorbends]

[ there's a slight hesitation as he looks over at her, and he seems to be debating inside his head. tea sounds nice, and being out of the cold sounds nice. and beverly is hardly a stranger, as she's on the blue fish. but he also doesn't want to get trapped into conversation.

but... ]

Alright.

[ finally, and he turns to face her fully. ]

But you don't have to pay for it.

[ iroh taught him manners, even if they took a few years to really sink in. ]

[dancingmd]

[The social interactions regarding money are still not something that comes naturally to Beverly but after ten months in the fleet, she’s learned enough not to push on things like this, so she nods.]

The offer stands, should you change your mind.

[And as they head off towards the cafe, she remains companionably silent…normally she might try to initiate more of a conversation, but her current mood is such that the silence is welcome.]

[honorbends]

[ they walk in relative silence -- it's cold, but bearable, given zuko can manage his own temperature -- but after a moment or two, the silence gets to be annoying, and so he talks again. ]

How long ago was he here?