Day 325 [Open]

[daughterofursa]

Who: Zuko, Colin, Ikuri, and anyone else!
Open: Open!
When: Day 325
Where: Around the Bastion, Dragonfield
What: Time for some Talks
Format: I'll match
Warnings: Honor. Also fury, and not much patience.

It's been a few days since the disaster of Crona's death. Zuko would like to think that that's given her time and distance to process it, but most of her feelings haven't changed much since their return. If anything, she's just forced herself to focus on other things, and avoid dealing with her grief, and her guilt. Not that she's realized it.

It probably doesn't help that she hasn't gotten a decent night's sleep since. But she's used to that, and if she's going to lose sleep, she can at least do it standing guard instead of tossing and turning. She's been taking regular shifts guarding the prisoners, and she's taken to carrying her swords with her within the Bastion, as a precaution not only against escape attempts, but any threat of outside attack as well.


And the swords are also for Colin. Once she's finished a guard shift, she'll be looking for him to take him up on his challenge, and also for Ikuri, for the talk she thinks she's clear-headed enough now to give.


[Later...]
Besides all that, she is still a dragon mom, and that's probably the only thing that's gotten her to settle down at all. Later in the day, she can be found near dragonfield attempting to teach Kizuna how to breathe fire. In addition to a short demonstration, this seems to involve lying down on the ground with the little dragon on her chest so she can feel Zuko's breathing.

So far it doesn't seem to be working, but neither of them appear discouraged. For Kizuna's part, it may be because she doesn't know she's supposed to be breathing fire.

Comments

[darkshooter]

[This time, tiny dragon doesn't really seem to notice. It's already been woken after all.]

[A faint sound of protest escapes Ikuri's lips, and she curls up just lightly tighter. And then there's something like a whine... but in neither case is tiny dragon ruffled.]

[Unfortunately, the girl's also not awake.]

[daughterofursa]

How can you be such a heavy sleeper?

[Zuko restrains herself from flicking the girl in the nose; that's something you do to younger siblings.

Instead she'll kick at her feet.]

Wake up.

[/2] (ignore this: old tag and grammar durr that bugged me)

[darkshooter]

[tiny dragon bolts up hey what are you doing]


[Ikuri shivers, lets out a sound that might've been a whimper if her throat hadn't crushed half of it.]

[a gasp of air--]

not the best icon, but no others fit

[darkshooter]

[now she's awake, at least in the sense of no longer being fully asleep.]

[You might recognize at this interval she's only semi-conscious: her eyes stare almost blankly ahead and her breaths come in shallow. Could be a good idea to wait a second.]

[daughterofursa]

[Well, Ikuri is clearly waking up, Zuko sees no reason to continue kicking her or anything like that. She'll wait until she seems more alert, and in the meantime she gives the dragon an apologetic grimace and mouths "sorry" to it.]

[darkshooter]

[Tiny dragon just stares now, this is the second time you've disturbed it. Why are you doing?]

[Meanwhile...]





[Someone else isn't feeling great over here, either.]

[daughterofursa]

[Just find a new spot and go back to sleep, tiny dragon. Please.]

Are you finally awake now?

[darkshooter]

[This is my spot. It's my spot. Why are you bothering my spot?]




[Her expression is basically question mark. Visible clues point to yes for the answer to your question, but she's not fully comprehending this situation either.]

[...it might also be a similar sentiment to the dragon, except more hurt and less offended, if you can believe it.]

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko glances away. Look, she feels bad enough already about waking the dragon.]

I tried waiting.

[It didn't work.]

[darkshooter]

...Was sleeping.


[you now have two unhappy puppies at once, congrats Zuko.]

[daughterofursa]

You can sleep later.

[You're not going to make her feel worse! She came here with good reason.

Let her remember what that was.]

i'm picturing that music track playing from that point for this whole thread to now

[darkshooter]

Sleep hard.

[pouty protest. like, do you know how hard it is for me to get sleep without nightmares? do you? that was incredibly lucky and you ruined it for me, you meanieface.]


[meanwhile tiny dragon's adorable pseudosmiling face and eyes are judging you for entirely different reasons. You bothered my spot!]

[daughterofursa]

I know it is. But I wasn't going to wait around all day.

[Stop judging her.]

[darkshooter]

Wouldn't wait all day!

[Do you really think she sleeps all day? Especially with how hard it is to sleep at all? So mean!]

[daughterofursa]

[Fine, she's a jerk, like she hasn't heard that before.]

You're awake now. Quit complaining about it.

[darkshooter]

[...fine, you know what? I'm laying back down.]

[daughterofursa]

...

I didn't say go back to sleep!

[She's put too much time and effort into waking you up already.]

[darkshooter]

Talk later.

[go away.]

this is going so well

[daughterofursa]

We can talk now.

[She's not going anywhere.]

i'm chinhandsing like mad i'll have you know

[darkshooter]

Tired.

[why don't you understand]


[meanwhile tiny dragon adds his own protest: a grumblewhine almost immediately after Ikuri speaks, as though in support. odds are it isn't; tiny dragon's probably fussing for his own reasons]

[daughterofursa]

It won't take long.

[You know as long as you like... agree with her...

But oh, wait. Hang on, tiny dragon. Zuko feels around in her tunic for a second and produces a strip of jerky. Kizuna likes the stuff, so maybe you will, too? It may not be sleep, but maybe you'd like some food, tiny dragon?]

[darkshooter]

Too long already! [And again with the pout.]

[Tiny dragon sniffs jerky. sniffs it again...then carefully opens its mouth and gently pulls on the treat to take it. if allowed, he'll take it from Zuko and get right down to a comfortable position to start nomming. Such good manners! ...but he's still not leaving his spot.]

[daughterofursa]

Look, it's important.

[Of course Zuko lets the dragon have the jerky. At least one of them seems mollified.]

[darkshooter]

...

...

Friends.

[There. You like that? I'll talk if we're friends. ...Because I'm not interrupting my sleep for someone who doesn't think we're friends.]

[daughterofursa]

What?

[Zuko is not following this thought process. Friendship isn't something you just... decide on... especially when someone is annoying you?

Frankly she thinks Ikuri is trying to say something about people who actually are her friends.]