thebastion | Day 295 [Open]

Who: Zuko and anyone
Open: Open!
When: Day 295
Where: Dragonfield
What: Rejection hurts.
Format: I'll match
Warnings: Honor

When it comes to rejection and disappointment, Zuko's had years of practice. It should help that it wasn't really a rejection exactly, just nothing changing. Aoi didn't reject her as a person. They're still friends. Awkward friends, for the moment, as anyone who joins the morning swim lessons can probably attest to.

But this is the first time she's tried to handle it without getting angry. No one did anything wrong, so there's no one to be angry with, not even herself this time. She didn't do anything wrong, right? She doesn't think so, but there's still this feeling that won't go away, and maybe it is her fault.

What would Uncle tell her? It's hard to imagine. He only ever tried to talk to her about boys, and she always changed the subject.

She made tea for herself anyway to see if it would help, but in the end she just winds up sitting with the cup forgotten in her hands. Kizuna plays nearby, attacking various plants by the shore.

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"What's got you so down and out?"

Nanaki had seen Zuko look worn out before, but this was a different kind of look. This seemed to scream disappointment to Nanaki, rather than exhaustion. Had something happened?

"Is it that obvious?"

Zuko never really thought she was easy to read, but people in the Bastion always seem to figure her out. Then again, the only thing she really was back home was angry, and people picked up on that pretty well.

"Obvious enough," Nanaki said, "Is it something you want to talk about? Or would you rather do something to take your mind off of whatever it is that has you troubled?"

"I don't know. It's kind of personal." Not that that stopped half the Bastion from teasing her about it beforehand, but Nanaki wasn't one of them.

In such a small community everyone ends up learning everyone's business, but Nanaki can respect Zuko's privacy.

"Alright," she said, "How about, um...would working out or training help right about now?"

Nanaki always tried to keep her mind busy when something was bothering her, so maybe something like that would help Zuko for now.

"I didn't think you were much of a fighter."

How would they train together?

"Are you kidding? Have you seen my right hook?"

...okay no, she really isn't a fighter. But that doesn't mean she can't try, right?

"No, I haven't."

Zuko can't tell if she's serious or not. She glances down at her teacup. Maybe she should put this down?

No worries Zuko, Nanaki isn't going to show it off now. She will sit with Zuko for a bit though, talking seems to be helping a little bit.

"Yeah. I mean, I was never as good as Banjou, but I still had to defend myself sometimes." She smiles a little, as if she is remembering a fond memory. "One time he was being an idiot, and I punched him in the face and it broke his glasses."

Oh, okay. She's sitting down.

"Someone you didn't get along with?" She can't imagine fondly recalling punching a friend.

"...he was my best friend, actually."

To be fair, that did sound strange, now that Nanaki is thinking about it.

"So he... stopped being an idiot?"

Or is she like Toph and she punches the people she likes? Still, even Toph doesn't go for the face.

"Mmm, not quite, but he became more...tolerable, I suppose?" Nanaki stops there for a moment to consider everything that had happened. "I suppose I was the one to change, not him."

"That doesn't sound right." She is not understanding this friendship.

"There were some other things involved," Nanaki admits, though she doesn't go into detail about what those 'other things' are, "But basically? I wasn't a nice person, back then. But meeting him, and having to work with him, it changed me a lot. It..."

She hesitates for a second before continuing. "It was quite a journey. But part of what I learned while I was around him was how to physically defend myself. So yeah, I don't have years of training or whatever, but I can defend myself."

...so they were both jerks, and they taught each other how to be less jerk-like?

"I see." She doesn't, really. "You were probably nicer than you think."

Pretty much, yeah. But Nanaki is also only telling half of the story, because reality literally warps itself so that nobody will believe the rest.

...Though with reality in pieces, maybe it won't do that anymore?

"Nah, I was very selfish back then," she says, and then she is quiet for a moment as she regards Zuko. Finally, deciding that what the hell, she could play it off as a joke if things went south, she goes for it. In a nonchalant voice, she says, "I can see the future. He could too, actually. That's why we were stuck together: our job was to change the future for the better."

Zuko's glance is skeptical. Whether she believes this really depends on how dependable Nanaki is claiming her ability to be.

"You mean you have visions?"

"Sometimes, yeah. But it was never of anything good, so me and Banjou decided to keep those futures we saw from happening."

She is still watching Zuko closely, to see how she reacts. She's still expecting Zuko to say it's impossible, or ask her if she is making it up or something.

Well, that sounds reasonable enough.

"Do you still see things here?"

Zuko isn't acting like this is all impossible, so Nanaki takes that as a good sign.

"Not as often, no. I think that, since there are fewer people here, fewer bad things can happen. Back before all of this, I lived in a city of several million people, so the visions were almost every day."

"That's... a lot of visions."

It sounds overwhelming, and maybe not impossible but definitely unusual.

"Yeah, it really was."

After a short pause, Nanaki cautiously asks, "You...don't think it's weird, or impossible, or something?"

"My uncle had a vision once. And it seemed normal for the Avatar. Maybe it's just something that happens for people who are more spiritually connected."

"Maybe."

It went better than expected, at least. Maybe this is a sign that Nanaki can be more open about her abilities and can give warnings when she sees something?

"Who is your uncle? I don't think I've heard you mention him before."

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daughterofursa - 2015-04-30 22:47 (UTC) - Expand