Day 314 [Closed]

[daughterofursa]

Who: Zuko and Aoi
Open: Closed
When: Day 314
Where: Wherever dates are supposed to happen.
What: An attempted first date.
Format: I'll match
Warnings: Useless lesbianism.

Probably no one has been happier to break their ribs than Zuko, but the healing process did delay any actual date for a little while. Ironically, it's not until they decide to go through with that dinner that Zuko starts feeling nervous. There's been a lot of smiling and hand-holding, but not a lot of talking about things.

She hasn't talked to anyone else about it either. Maybe that would have been a good idea since the only experience she has with dating is the one date her uncle accepted for her. And the Bastion doesn't have any restaurants and Zuko's cooking skills are pretty limited. She could mess this up completely. She's not even pretty or a good conversationalist, how is this happening at all?

Okay. Well. Just because she's probably going to fail doesn't mean she's not going to try anyway.

She brushes her bangs down closer over her her scar and knocks on Aoi's door.

Comments

[amphibian]

Zuko thinks she looks nice.

Aoi's face wastes no time flushing bright pink and she beams. Zuko thinks she looks nice! Whether the conclusion is supposed to be all that freaking out for nothing or all that freaking out is the only reason this happened, Aoi isn't sure, but instead of fussing, she concentrates on the compliment—right, yes, you're supposed to say things back when you get those.

"Eheh, thanks! You look great, too." Not that Zuko isn't always pretty—should she say that? Would that be weird? "As usual." Only it ends up a little garbled in uncertain murmuring because oh no, that was weird, wasn't it, she's back to being a complete and total disaster, isn't she, whyyyyy.

[daughterofursa]

Zuko looks momentarily pleased by Aoi's reaction, but the compliment confuses her.

"This is how I always look."

Half of her face is scar tissue, obviously that can't be 'great.' Then again, a couple of people have told her that it doesn't make her ugly and while she's still reluctant to believe that, she can comprehend that it's not her only feature. Maybe Aoi likes her... arms?

Aoi isn't a liar, she likes something about the way Zuko looks.

"I made food," Zuko states preemptively in hopes of warding off any further compliments that she doesn't know how to handle. "At my house."

Yeah.

She should probably lead the way, let's do that.

[amphibian]

That was weird and she's ruined everything.

She's halfway through attempting to um, well, I,-ing her way to articulating a clarification (because yes, and she always looks great, and she's said something wrong, hasn't she) when Zuko mentions food. Naturally, this piques Aoi's attention, even besides being an opportunity to flee her own awkwardness.

"You did?! Oh, awesome!" It isn't even just that it's food, but that Zuko made food. For her! For them! She all but skips along beside Zuko the whole way there.

[daughterofursa]

That was an unexpected success. Aoi smiling is about as normal as Zuko not smiling, but Aoi smiling because of something Zuko said is always simultaneously a baffling and wonderful experience. She can't think of anything to say, there's just a dumb little smile on her own face the whole way over.

If you wanted to describe Zuko's house, you could probably manage it with just two adjectives: red, and spartan. Besides a few wall scrolls, the only thing that doesn't appear to serve some purpose is a glass of crudely-arranged wildflowers sitting on the low table. Uncle got flowers for their apartment in case Zuko brought home a 'gentleman friend,' so surely the same logic applies to bringing your girlfriend over. Right? Flowers are nice. Everyone likes flowers.

The table is already set, the food waiting in covered dishes. Guess what's in there.

That's right, it's fried rice, the only thing Zuko really knows how to cook. But also!! There is fish. It has no seasonings and may be slightly burnt because guess how she cooked it but she tried okay.

Zuko gestures to one of the cushions around the table. "Have a seat. I'll pour you some tea." At least she's confident she knows how to do tea by now. Once she does that, though, she's got nothing.

[amphibian]

A+ for effort!! And look, Aoi will eat just about anything that's put in front of her; how much the food may or may not have been burned isn't nearly as important as that it's there, it smells excellent, her girlfriend(!!!) made it, and her girlfriend(!!!!!!) made it for her.

The problem only occurs to her after she sits down on the indicated cushion with a bright "thanks!": she is way too excited about food. Aoi knows full well she has all the self-control of most toddlers and the second she touches any of this it's going to turn into her wolfing all the food down like some kind of feral animal because table manners are a foreign concept to her, and any attempts to try behaving like a civilized human being are just going to only work for a few minutes at best and Zuko's going to think she's weird and gross and never talk to her again and she's going to ruin everything forever.

Aoi? Dramatic? Never.

While Zuko gets that tea, Aoi stares at the dishes with much more intensity than the situation requires.

[daughterofursa]

Zuko returns carrying a small tray with two cups already poured and the teapot at the ready for refills. She sets it down as she takes her seat across from Aoi, and moves each of the cups to its proper place before she notices her girlfriend(!)'s expression.

Not that she knows quite how to interpret it. She can come up with two possibilities: Aoi is hungry but is trying to wait for her, or she's already noticed something wrong with the food but doesn't want to say anything.

Basically, either Aoi really wants to eat the food or she really doesn't.

"It's probably not that good," is what Zuko comes up with to say. "But you can try it if you want."

That covers it, right? No expectation either way?