daughterofursa: (serious face)
Zuko ([personal profile] daughterofursa) wrote in [community profile] thebastion2014-10-04 06:26 pm

Day 236 [Open]

Who: Zuko and anyone
Open: Open!
When: Day 236
Where: All over the Bastion
What: Toph is gone. =(
Format: I'll match
Warnings: Honor

The first day, she wasn't worried. The second, she tried not to be. But now it's the third day that she hasn't seen the only other person from her world that she knows is still alive. Not one to sit idle, Zuko spends most of the morning searching the Bastion for any sign of her friend, asking whoever she runs into:

"Have you seen Toph?"

By afternoon she decides to move her search beyond the Bastion. She shoulders her swords and leads one of the ostrich horses out to the bridge to the Skyway, but there she stops. She's lectured more than one person on the dangers of going out alone. As much as she wants to get moving, it won't help Toph if she just gets herself into trouble, and it would be hypocritical of her not to wait for someone to join her.
freedom_engineer: (Introspective)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-06 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
It may not be who Zuko wants, but Colin's noticed Zuko's search.

"Rosethorn and Skysong have been gone for over a day as well," Colin says, approaching from behind while Zuko's preparing the ostrich horse. "They may have gone out as a group. It's worrying that they haven't come back..."

He gives a nod to the ostrich horse. "Mind if I accompany you?" he asks. "Rosethorn doesn't have the best health."
freedom_engineer: (Listening)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-06 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"I can ride, though I'm not familiar with this species," Colin says, studying the ostrich horse. "If they've got any particular mannerisms I need to know about..."

His father owns an extensive stable, with mounts from a half-dozen different worlds. Colin's not an avid rider, but he knows his way around an animal well enough to not get thrown, or bother the poor creature.
freedom_engineer: (Softer)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-06 06:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"Got'cha," Colin says, walking up to the animals, letting them get a little more comfortable with his presence before he tries anything. Once he finds an animal that doesn't seem put off by him, he reaches out a hand to put it on the bird's neck.

"We're going to need to figure out a good search path, though," he says as he lets the ostrich horse prepare itself for what's to come. "Have you got any ideas on that?"
freedom_engineer: (Contemplative)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-06 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
"The bog is dangerous when you can see," Colin says, sighing. "If we were going there, we'd need a lot more than the two of us. If, for some reason, they couldn't get back to the Bastion, Rosethorn might have taken them to the observatory. But that's two days away on foot, so we'd be gone for a while. I'm due to fly out there again in a day or two with Paar, so I can check that out tomorrow."

He starts to pet the ostrich horse's neck gently as he speaks. "We should probably check the mines, I think," he says. "From what I understand, Toph would have felt more relaxed there. And there's a lot of reasons to go back there..."
Edited 2014-10-06 21:32 (UTC)
freedom_engineer: (Default)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-06 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"Agreed," Colin says. He moves to mount the ostrich horse carefully, not seeming to mind that there's no saddle for it. "You lead, I'll bring up the rear, see if I can't find any trace of them with my scanners."

He's hesitant to work with Zuko, but so long as they keep things professional, it should be fine. He's also more than certain that Zuko feels the same way.
freedom_engineer: (Listening)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-07 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
"It's difficult to explain," Colin says, following behind Zuko. "It's mounted in my eye, and it detects specific presences in the world. For example, I can tell you exactly where a fire is anywhere within twenty miles. It can do it for any number of things. Biological signatures, certain chemicals, and heat."
freedom_engineer: (Listening)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-07 04:46 pm (UTC)(link)
He won't even try to explain infravision to Zuko. That would probably make her mind implode on itself.

"Combined with the other sensors, I can tell the difference between people and animals, yes," he says. "If it's someone I'm familiar with, I can even pick them out of a crowd. ... I'm familiar with Rosethorn, so if she's with Toph and we come anywhere near them, I'll be able to find them."
freedom_engineer: (Listening)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-07 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Always a possibility.

"I'd met her and spoken with her a couple of times, but not enough to be able to recognize her at a distance based on scans," he explains. "Think... trying to spot someone who you've only met once or twice in a crowd, at a distance. If you know what you're looking for, it's possible, but it's not easy."

He gently urges his ostrich horse forward, riding a little closer to her. "It's a matter of having a lot of information, and being able to filter the important stuff from the unimportant stuff," he says.
freedom_engineer: (Head cocked)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-07 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"If I thought people were stupid for not knowing things, I'd have to consider myself stupid," Colin replies. "I come from a universe with different knowledge, different priorities. There's plenty of stuff you know that I don't. That everyone knows that I don't."

He smirks, a little wider than is perhaps necessary. "I'm a genius, and I know it," he says, not showing any trace of modesty. "But I wasn't raised to lord it over anyone, or think it makes me better than anyone. It just means I was educated differently, that's all."
freedom_engineer: (Listening)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-07 10:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Combat, leadership, knowledge of bending... Colin can recite these the moment she asks, and that's just off the top of his head.

"I'm also incredibly arrogant, as you may have noticed," Colin tells her, giving a quiet chuckle. "I prefer to stay where my knowledge is useful. When I'm in the kitchen, I defer to Rin. When I need help with gardening, I ask Rosethorn. When I'm unsure of something, I ask Paar. Otherwise? You'll find me in my workshop, building and planning, and rarely asking questions unless it's necessary for a project."
freedom_engineer: (Softer)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-07 11:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh please," he replies, rolling his eyes. "The only thing I should be leading is an engineering department, with people who know my skills and who have studied my work. I don't have the qualifications to lead anything else. I'm the only person in the family that dad has said is NOT in the running to lead the empire when he steps down or passes. And that's for the best."

You're not telling him anything he doesn't know here, Zuko.

"Unfortunately, they way things are, we've got to rely on our strengths to get us through this," he tells her, shaking his head. "We haven't got the luxury to step out of our comfort zones for self-improvement. We've got enough of that just trying to survive. What I wouldn't give to be able to attend one of my department's continuing education seminars right now..."

freedom_engineer: (Head cocked)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-08 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
"He is," Colin says. "I can tell you more about him, if you're actually interested. I really look up to him."

He smirks then, and he shakes his head. "Some people have time. I have breaks to rest my brain. I haven't stopped working since I've arrived here several months ago. The Bastion needs a lot of work to keep everyone comfortable, to keep everything running. Nathan hardly sleeps, for much the same reason."
freedom_engineer: (Head cocked)

[personal profile] freedom_engineer 2014-10-08 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, dad's nothing like me at all," he says, laughing in amusement. "He's a real people person, knows what to say all the time, knows how to lead people. Brave, strong, able to stand up to anyone and anything. A lot of things I wish I could be."

He shakes his head then, still smirking fondly at thoughts of his father. "Let's see. The farm, the skiff, the observatory, Rin's kitchen, gathering supplies and making repairs, getting the training yard's exercise range set up, working on a solution to the power source, working on getting us some better transportation options, getting Yukio set up to be our new doctor, helping set up things for the events that we have every so often..."

He pauses, thinking as he rides.

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