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. ]

Comments

[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?

[dancingmd]

[She doesn't answer immediately, as she has to think for a bit. Let's see... there was the plant, but he wasn't here for the Iskaulit so...]

Late May. So about seven months ago.

[honorbends]

And he hasn't been back since?

[ ugh ]

[dancingmd]

[She shakes her head. Then, very gently:]

When was the last time you saw him?

[honorbends]

Nearly two years.

[ zuko has no idea how much beverly knows about iroh, and his relationship with zuko, but if iroh was truly her friend, then surely he mentioned zuko. probably.

not seeing iroh for two years has been terrible. ]

[dancingmd]

I'm sorry. I know you two are close. If he could, I'm sure he'd want to be here with you.

[There are two important things she learned about Iroh: how much he loves these kids and how much he loves tea. She crosses her arms against the cold and walks a few more paces before adding:]

I really do believe we're going to see them again. I mean, in our own worlds.

[honorbends]

I know he would. And I know I'll see him again.

{ he's quiet for a moment, as he really digests that. iroh would absolutely be here in a heartbeat, if he knew zuko was here. it comforts him, to a certain degree -- aside from his mother, iroh is really the only good guiding force in his life. ]

... how much do you know about me?

[ it's important to know. ]

And be honest.

[dancingmd]

Not a lot but... [She looks over at him, wondering if anyone has said anything about this yet. Considering he didn't know about Iroh, though, she's going to guess they haven't.] You were here before too. Only about a month, but we did meet.

[Her mouth quirks with amusement.]

You were very stubborn. But that's all right: so am I.

[honorbends]

[ zuko knew he had been here before, which doesn't bother him -- and his lips twitch into what's sort of a faint smile at being called stubborn, because that's also true. but -- ]

... my uncle practically raised me.

[ ozai was there, sure, but he was... terrible. and ursa is still missing. ]

So -- that's why we're close. And why I know I'll see him again.

[dancingmd]

[She doesn't ask what happened with his parents... she got that question often enough growing up to know to wait. If he wants to talk to her about it, he will.]

For what it's worth, I think he'd be very proud of you. Of all of you. I know I am.

[honorbends]

[ well, his father removed half of his face and his mom is (probably????) dead, so. yuppers. ]

I know he is.

{ -- but hearing that she's proud of him causes him pause, and he frowns at her for a moment before continuing. ]

... we did what we needed to do.

[dancingmd]

Perhaps, but not everyone handles a situation like this as readily and as capably as you all have. I'm simply glad to be part of this crew.

1/2

[honorbends]

[ . . . ]

[honorbends]

That's a lot of faith.

[dancingmd]

I've been here ten months now with Sokka, and it's only been a slightly shorter amount of time with Katara and Toph, and I knew Aang and Suki too. I know what you all are capable of and I know how strong your bonds are. So yes, it's a lot of faith, but it's not blind faith.

[honorbends]

[ aang. ]

... I heard Aang left, right before I got here.

[ unfortunately. zuko misses him terribly. ]

I don't think any of us would've been friends without him.

[ or, at least. none of them would've been friends with zuko. ]

[dancingmd]

He does have a gift for bringing people together, doesn't he?

[And now they've reached the little cafe, so Beverly holds open the door for Zuko.]

[honorbends]

[ zuko hesitates at the door being held open for him (isn't he supposed to do that for girls, isn't this how this works???), but after giving her a puzzled look, zuko steps into the cafe, hands still in his pockets. ]

That's his role in the universe, I guess.

[dancingmd]

[If Beverly notices his confusion, she doesn't acknowledge it. Not that she'd be offended if Zuko held the door for her, it's simply that she's used to whoever arrives first being the one to do so.]

I admit I don't completely understand who exactly the Avatar is still but yes, I did gather that part of his role is to be a peacemaker.

[She takes a seat by one of the windows.]

Is this all right?

[honorbends]

[ the windows are a relief, really, and zuko nods slightly before moving to a chair, sitting down after undoing his coat. ]

... the Avatar is the only person who can control all four elements.

[ aang, though, is so much more than that. ]

There's one per generation.

[dancingmd]

[She nods - she knew that much, at least.]

And he's... some sort of spiritual leader too, right?