Day 188

[daughterofursa]

Who: Zuko and anyone!
Open: Open!
When: Day 188, morning
Where: Eastern Bastion
What: Tea time. =)
Format: I'll match.
Warnings: Honor.

It's not uncommon to find Zuko up at an early hour, but she usually spends the time doing something she considers productive--training or otherwise preparing for time on the Skyway. She doesn't leave herself much time for sitting and thinking, most days. She figures it's better that way, since her thoughts so easily turn negative. But this morning, she's trying her best not to let them.

She can be found seated cross-legged on the eastern side of the Bastion, just north of Dragonfield, watching the unaccountable sunrise with a cup of tea in hand. Actually, the whole set is with her, a plain but sturdy-looking earthenware pot and several more matching cups. She hasn't invited anyone to join her, but if any impromptu guests show up, she's decided to accommodate them. That's what her uncle would do, she's sure.

Comments

[windgod]

[Ippo had been up before the sun had a chance to rise, though to be fair he'd been up for the past few days as a whole. Sleep came sporadically and even when it did come, it was plagued by vicious nightmares that quickly brought him back to consciousness. Seeing Coach Kamogawa one last time had been both a blessing and a curse; it had given him the resolve to move on, but it also brought with it the terrible finality of what the calamity had wrought on his life. So, Ippo had retreated into himself as he tried to put those pieces of himself back into place, to make sense of his emotions as they ate away at his chest; as always, he resorted to training in order to focus his mind elsewhere...but this morning was different. His punches were sluggish and his form was sloppy, no matter what he tried he just couldn't get himself into his groove and his overall form suffered heavily from it, leaving the young man frustrated.

He could feel the guilt, the anger, the confusion and sadness welling up in his chest as he rested his head against the nearest tree to him, trying to take deep, calming breathes while his body shook. He didn't know how he was supposed to deal with all of this or how he could be expected to...he knew he had to, but going about it was something else entirely. He finally drew himself away from the comfort of the tree and shook his head as his nose caught a whiff of something remotely aromatic in the air. Turning his head, he saw that woman from the skyway...Zuko he thought her name was sitting slightly to the south of him and from what he could tell, she was making tea. Whatever kind of tea it was, the smell of it was enough to calm him, the sensation drawing him closer as he made his way over. Abashedly, he rubbed the back of his head as he came to a stop a few inches away, remembering their last encounter and realizing that she probably didn't have the best opinion of him.

Still...if that tea had any chance of calming him down, he'd be willing to take it. The haggard look of his face and the sunken look in his eyes was enough to let anyone know he wasn't exactly in the best way at the moment.]

Umm...sorry to bother you but, what kind of tea are you making?

[Well...that was about as unawkward as he was likely able to start the conversation, but he was still just going to stand for now. He felt it might be disrespectful to take a seat before he'd been offered one.]

[daughterofursa]

[Ippo is right to assume that Zuko doesn't think all that highly of him. He was reckless in that fight-- but all the same, she can't really condemn a person for recklessness, considering her own track record.

She looks up at him as he approaches, noting how tired he looks. There probably isn't a one among them who doesn't have something to weigh heavily on their thoughts, with all that they've lost.

Her tone is a little stiff when she answers, but she's not trying to be unfriendly. She just... doesn't really do friendly.]

It's jasmine. I could pour you a cup, if you like.

[If he's looking for an invitation, that's about as much of one as he's likely to get.]