fourth flame [these miles have torn us worlds apart]

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

[Zuko is back! Not that he ever really went anywhere. He's been training pretty hard on and off the Plane recently, but royal life has picked up a bit too. Plans for an epic garrison battle are being set in motion, at least in the purchase of supplies and heightened activity around the palace. It's made him antsy, and Azula isn't helping. Recently, he found himself unable to resist an old pastime, especially since he needs a break.

This pastime involves something so simple, it might go unnoticed. He made sure to place himself somewhere adjacent to Ammy's forest so that it doesn't seem so out of place... and it's good cover, too. Zuko crouches at the edge of a small, man-made pond lined with round stones and filled with lilypads, as well as turtleducks. They're small and cute and ducky, except their middles are ... turtleshells. A shady tree suited for sub-tropic regions stretches out over it, shading the pond halfway. Zuko himself is wearing some variation of his royal robes, but it completely clashes with his shaggy (yet newly trimmed!) hair.

He tosses bits of bread into the water every once in a while, causing a frenzy of quacks as the baby turtleducks scramble for food. However, his mind is elsewhere right now.]

Comments

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[Guess who was walking in the woods with Haruki?] ...they're so cute.

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

[fdhsfdhjk FREEZES. NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO SEE HIM DOING THIS GODDAMMIT.] ... uh.

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[Makes sure Haruki isn't going to try going after them before she crouches down next to the water, the puppy whining at her side.] What are they? I've never seen anything like them before. They're a little bit like platypus I guess, but not like anything else from my world.

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

[It's ... a wolf crossed with cute. Zuko's eyes move from Haruki to Misaki, though. He should be used to weird animals on the Plane by now. Yes, there is irony in that statement.]

... They're turtleducks. [SO. AWKWARD. He shifts a little to reclaim what's left of his dignity personal space.] You said... platypus? Like platypus-bears?

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

Platypus-bears? Really? Wow. [Oh right.] I'm Misaki Kirihara.

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

[Wow, social skills.] My name is Zuko. It's ... uh... nice to meet you. [Let's go with the first name thing, since he has no power here anyway. Maybe she'll treat him normally.]

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

Nice to meet you too, Zuko-san. [Sits down and stretches a little] Are you new? I just got here about a week and a half ago.

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

... Yeah? I've been here for about three. Weeks, I mean.

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

It's weird isn't it? Mostly people seem nice, though.

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

[Zuko shrugs slightly. He hasn't had that great of an experience, but it's his own fault.]

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[D:] Have people been unkind to you?

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

... It's my fault.

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

Was it when you first got here?

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

Sort of, but it really started before I got here.

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

Oh. Well. You seem nice enough to me.

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

[. . . fhjkdsfjf!!1]

... I'm not... I mean, I wasn't...

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

You were feeding duck-things. [Smile!] Are all the animals like this where you're from?

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

[Zuko keeps his eyes down.]

You mean... mixed up versions of yours? I... guess.

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[Haruki edges cautiously toward Zuko. And Misaki thinks Zuko is cute, in a pat-on-the-head sort of way.] Could I feed them? Are they your pets?

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

... Uh. Yeah. You can feed them. [No one else does, anyway. He passes her what's left of the loaf of bread.]

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[Crumbles it into little pieces and sprinkles it on the water. Haruki sniffs at Zuko's leg and retreats.]

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

[Zuko holds out his hand for the puppy to sniff, but it might be too late.]

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[Baw. Just for that the mun decides that it isn't. Here is a Haruki, sniffing Zuko's fingers]

See? You must be a good person. He doesn't normally like boys.

[firedprince.livejournal.com]

[... hjJKSHJKHfhjdkfsdf.]

What? I-I'm not ...

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[Grins a litte] Look, why is being a good person such a bad thing?