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

[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?

[honorbends]

Kind of. Aang is a monk.

[ the last of his kind, to be sure. ]

And the Avatar is a story that's passed down from generation to generation, though the Avatar was missing for over a hundred years... people lost faith that he was coming back, until Aang showed up, and helped end the war. I'm sure he's revered now.

[dancingmd]

Wow. He always just seemed... [She shrugs.] Like a normal kid, I guess. But that's a good thing.

[honorbends]

He's not a normal kid, but he tries to be.

[ which is what makes aang special, to be honest ]

There's never going to be another person like him.

[dancingmd]

You admire him a lot, don't you?

[honorbends]

[ there's a pause, at that, because 'admire' seems like a cheap word. admire, respect, love. aang is family, by now, but he's more than that. he's the avatar, but aang is the one who put zuko back on the path he needed to be on. and he believed in him, when zuko didn't believe in himself.

aang is one of his closest friends, but also someone who taught him about kindness, and forgiveness, and how to extend such things to the people who hurt you most, in addition to yourself.

but zuko can't possibly put all of that into words, and he's quiet as he thinks. ]

... he's important.

[ that seems to sum everything up, but nothing at all. ]

[dancingmd]

[Getting Zuko to open up is a little like pulling teeth, isn't it? But that doesn't bother Beverly, not really. Sometimes it's hard to explain how much someone means to you. She gets that. And, after all, it's not as if she is unused to taciturn people.]

You know, Zuko, you remind me a little of one of my friends at home. Worf.

[Or maybe even Ro, though whether Ro and Beverly are really friends is more debatable. Just then the waiter arrives to take their order.]

Tea. Earl Grey, if you have it, but any black tea will do.

[The waiter nods, then looks expectantly at Zuko.]

[honorbends]

[ zuko opens his mouth to tell beverly 'uh sorry about that' before the waitress looks at him, and he hesitates. ]

... jasmine tea.

[ finally, and he returns his gaze to the window for a moment before refocusing his attention on beverly ]

Why do I remind you of your friend?

[dancingmd]

He's also a man of few words, who thinks about much more than he ever says and feels much more deeply than he ever shows.

[there's also that honor business but she doesn't know about that yet]

Don't worry, it's a good reminder.