Zuko · 蘇科 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
flammatory) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
vatheon2012-04-07 08:27 pm
flammatory) wrote in vatheon2012-04-07 08:27 pm
Entry tags:
☀ 02, log
Who: Zuko and whoever wants in! OPEN.
When: Sometime this week, whenever.
Where: Around the island.
Format: Action tags, please?
Warnings: None! Not even swearing for this guy, at least.
on the beach.
[It's early morning at the beach, and the sun is glinting across the waves, a darker blue-green contrast to the pale white-blue of the sky. The air feels light and crisp, salty, this early in spring; but regardless of how cold it is, it's still the best time to firebend in the morning.
Which is what Zuko's doing. He has a very practiced, sharply punctuated style of martial arts, because it is literally a form of kung fu. He sweeps across the sand, plumes and waves of fire preceding him. He's frowning with concentration, but focused as he is, he's aware enough to notice someone approaching. He knows the beach is more or less public, and doesn't want to catch anyone with fire accidentally.]
in the village.
[Later on in the day in early afternoon, the clouds are starting to roll through and cast gray over the island. Zuko's taking the chance to dig through the rubble in the abandoned village, and anyone walking by might hear him grumbling from within a half-collapsed building.]
Ow! Stupid beam... [Yeah, he just hit his head on a structural beam. His life is hard.]
at the harbor.
[Once evening comes, though, Zuko is back to his preferred default activity: brooding. He's standing near the edge of the pier, staring out into the ocean with a pensive expression. He's trying to be blank and neutral, but it's undeniably not working; there is a darker, preoccupied cast to him.
It matches the fact that by now the cloud cover has become more of a carpet across the sky, and the fading light is weak and dreary over the roiling water.]
When: Sometime this week, whenever.
Where: Around the island.
Format: Action tags, please?
Warnings: None! Not even swearing for this guy, at least.
on the beach.
[It's early morning at the beach, and the sun is glinting across the waves, a darker blue-green contrast to the pale white-blue of the sky. The air feels light and crisp, salty, this early in spring; but regardless of how cold it is, it's still the best time to firebend in the morning.
Which is what Zuko's doing. He has a very practiced, sharply punctuated style of martial arts, because it is literally a form of kung fu. He sweeps across the sand, plumes and waves of fire preceding him. He's frowning with concentration, but focused as he is, he's aware enough to notice someone approaching. He knows the beach is more or less public, and doesn't want to catch anyone with fire accidentally.]
in the village.
[Later on in the day in early afternoon, the clouds are starting to roll through and cast gray over the island. Zuko's taking the chance to dig through the rubble in the abandoned village, and anyone walking by might hear him grumbling from within a half-collapsed building.]
Ow! Stupid beam... [Yeah, he just hit his head on a structural beam. His life is hard.]
at the harbor.
[Once evening comes, though, Zuko is back to his preferred default activity: brooding. He's standing near the edge of the pier, staring out into the ocean with a pensive expression. He's trying to be blank and neutral, but it's undeniably not working; there is a darker, preoccupied cast to him.
It matches the fact that by now the cloud cover has become more of a carpet across the sky, and the fading light is weak and dreary over the roiling water.]
no subject
She merely listens, lending an ear, because it's not the right time for her issues. Maybe if she felt like they might actually make him feel better--or if there was some opening or opportunity, she'd mention something.]
You aren't running away. Being here isn't your choice...
[She hesitates a bit. She doesn't think those words are all that comforting either, but--]
But I do understand how that feels.
[...]
And the burden shouldn't fall on one, or even two people's shoulders to stop an entire war.
no subject
It's not just me, but they can't do without me, either. My uncle doesn't want to be Fire Lord, so... [He shrugs, unhesitating about shouldering this particular burden.] It's the way it is.
I know I'm not really running away, but I wish I could be there. ... Sorry, I-- should probably be trying to adjust to being stuck here. I've never been that good at accepting my fate.
no subject
She knew from the title, of course, but it'd been a little bit hard to wrap her mind around it until now. Maybe he's part of a team, like she is...maybe they needed him just like SEES needed her, in a way. She doesn't know...
But she's forced to accept "it's the way it is" as some form of an answer; and she remembers that...
Well--]
You don't have to apologize to me. Believe me. [She shakes her head, with something of a laugh. It's almost funny.] I-I'm...
I'm not so good at it either.
[Normally this would be a good thing, something to be proud of. Isn't that what they spent the entire year doing, fighting the inevitable Fall and the fate of humanity? But when you take it as far as she has, trying to undo Minato's fate, and ultimately his choice...
Fighting her own teammates, breaking SEES even more--
It becomes shame.]
no subject
Sometimes you have to struggle with something before you can figure out what your path is. The only reason you should be ashamed is if you refused to struggle in the first place, and just accepted what was put before you.
no subject
[She doesn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not, even though it's clear he meant it as one. She'd always prided herself on not taking things laying down, after all, and here, she--
Well, she kind of had.]
It's easier not to struggle...that's why I always did, if I felt I had to. I was never afraid of what might happen.
But here, it's like...I have a good reason to stick around. [Even after several months, getting another chance to spend time with him again was still like a breath of fresh air...]
And y'know...I'm sure you'll find one, too.
[It just might take time.]
no subject
He has a rare moment of sympathy.] I doubt that. I have too many reasons to go home. But I can get that some people have more reason to be here than to go back.
If that's what you've decided, then don't be ashamed of that. You'll never get anywhere like that.
no subject
That doesn't sit well with her...even now, after she sort of knows this about herself, it doesn't. And she gets the feeling that he sort of understands.
There's a brief moment where Yukari flashes back to their first conversation, remembering how he'd been just as determined to return as he does now. She supposes now that he's settled in, he's had even more time to dwell on it...]
Did your uncle tell you that?
[There's a bit of a smile on her face, remembering when he was mentioned, however briefly. Maybe it's someone she should follow up on...]
no subject
What you feel in your heart, is... what you should follow... because that is the path that leads home, and all other paths will just... lead you in circles.
Something like that. He makes about that much sense, but he always ends up being right.
no subject
She's kind of glad for it, really, but she doesn't want to dismiss his issues either--or hers.]
Funny how that works out... [Some adult figures could be mildly infuriating that way, always right about everything.]
But, yeah, I think I get it.
['There's nothing wrong with wanting to be here, even though I want nothing more than to go home.']
It...must be frustrating, working so hard to finally find your path, only to be derailed like this.
no subject
You have no idea! [The way he bursts out with that, it's obvious that he's been containing himself on it for a while.] It took so much work, and so long, to finally get to where I am. And now the universe is throwing some other road block in my way! Fate hates me!
I just want to rule my country, is that so hard? [He throws his hands up in exasperation, unable to contain himself.]
no subject
She...just kind of sighs, trying not to set herself off.]
Calm down--you'll get your chance to rule your country. [She knows all too well, that nobody stays here forever.] Besides, you said yourself that it wouldn't be easy. Right?
[She wouldn't even know where to begin, if she were in charge of everything. She's so shallow...and in Zuko's case, so many things need fixing, if they're recovering from a war.]
no subject
Yeah-- nothing is ever easy. It's the way life is. [For him, at least. And isn't that a pessimistic statement. But Zuko does look oddly more settled, even though his words are as sharp as ever.] It's just been bothering me, that's all.
[He comes out of his own head enough to spare her a faintly curious look.] What about you? What do you have waiting for you at home?
1/2
Haha, but this is a difficult question, for sure. Maybe she doesn't know how difficult, until she really thinks about it--but either way, her life is a complicated one, and she's not much up for for trying to convince people it's all real.
Maybe that's the only reason she'd been okay with keeping everything secret. Just to keep away from the hassle of the nonbelievers. But somewhere inside, she always did want credit for what they did together.
All the fighting, putting their lives on the line...]
no subject
...She merely shrugs.]
Well...nothing nearly as exciting as ruling a country...
But I was pretty close to graduating school. [Which is exciting in its own way.] I only had a year left, but...
I guess some stuff started getting in the way.
[She doesn't mean just Vatheon, either.]
no subject
Somehow it always does. Do you want to finish, if you can? I haven't gotten to go in years. [And now he's probably not going to have a chance to ever again, not that he regrets it. It's just a fact of his life. Zuko is someone that is naturally oriented around goals; he feels lost and bereft without any, and as a consequence it makes total sense to him to ask Yukari about hers.]
no subject
She wonders if this means he's graduated, too, although she kind of figures by now school is probably a little different where he's from. She doesn't have to give it much thought either, before answering.]
Y-Yeah, I'd love to actually. The library here is pretty nice, but it can only take you so far.
[Kind of a grin at that, remembering how Mitsuru would always nag at them to study.
Even here.]