[192 and 193] Look out below, I know there's no decision [OPEN]

[bastionpc]

Who: Everyone!
Open: Open!
When: Day 192 and 193
Where: Skyway
What: We might be nearing the end...
Format: Any
Warnings: N/A

[Another stretch of time, another period of finding nothing new. It's been left to Zayna and her father now, to complete those maps. Which they've been doing diligently, but Zayna has been wondering if they've reached the end of parts of other worlds being pulled in to the sky above their own ruined home.

That is until day 192. And just like before, there's another three each on two different days.

So they return and like before Zayna offers off the sketches of what they've found.]

Comments

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko follows suit, holding out a handful of crumbs to the turtle ducks. Some of them were content to mill around in the middle of the pond before, but the prospect of food brings all of them eagerly crowding over.]

I don't think we'll have much trouble bringing them along.

[There's something strange, though, about sitting here again, doing something that was so familiar and comforting growing up, with two people who never belonged here. She should be grateful that there's anything left and that anyone wanted to come with her, but this isn't how it was meant to be.

She might be tearing up a little, okay.]

[amnesiadragon]

[Ryu holds some out to them too, but moves a little closer to Zuko as he watches her. He doesn't want to crowd her, but he knows how emotional finding these places can get.]

We can sit here a little if you want.

[He's not sure how to do the comforting thing. Nina was always better at that. But it hurts to see other people hurting.]

[hellpyre]

[Rin catches that. It's hard not to. She's always paying far more attention to what other people are doing over herself anyway.

She picks up one of the turtle ducks carefully in her hands, making it quack excitedly at her, and scoots over so she's sitting closer to Zuko.

She doesn't say anything, but she does nudge the other girl, giving her an encouraging smile.

It's okay to feel sad about all of this.]

[daughterofursa]

I used to come here with my mother...

[Zuko isn't all that used to being comforted. Her uncle would have had some wisdom to offer her now. Mai might have tried to distract her. The way Rin and Ryu are looking at her, quietly encouraging her to let her guard down and just feel however it is she's feeling... She can't. A part of her still feels like she doesn't deserve it, or doesn't need it.

And a part of her just needs something to fight against.]

That was a long time ago.

[She sniffs, doing her best to pull back the tears, and then shoves what's left of her bread at Ryu and gets to her feet.]

I'm going to have a look around.

[amnesiadragon]

[Ryu blinks in surprise, and tilts his head slightly as he tries to silently get Rin's attention. He doesn't know how to do this. Zuko needs someone to help her, but he doesn't know what to do.]

[hellpyre]

[Rin returns it with a "don't look at me, I suck at this stuff too!" look, but after a moment she sighs and sets the turtle duck down.]

Stay here.

[They'd need advance warning if anything mean tried to come through that gate.]

Hey! Wait up.

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko slows a few steps and glances back at Rin, but she doesn't stop. She doesn't know what she expects to find, but it's important to look, right? Important to be thorough when this could be all she ever gets. The turtle ducks are something, one little living piece of home.]

There probably isn't much of use here, but I figured we'd check.

[Her voice is still hoarse. Maybe it hurts so much because she spent so long trying to get back here, even before the Calamity. This isn't the first time she's lost everything. It's just that this time, there's no promise of getting it back. Finding the Avatar had been the slimmest hope when she'd started, but it had been something.]

[amnesiadragon]

[Ryu doesn't know how to girl, though. He just sits with the turtleducks, feeding them. Who's a cute little animal? You are! You are!]

[hellpyre]

[Of course he doesn't...]

Y'can still bring stuff back, if you want. Even a little thing. Somethin' to decorate your room?

[A reminder of home, a small piece of it to have amongst all the other things that are probably still so foreign to Zuko.]

[daughterofursa]

[Ryu, this is not about how to girl. It is about how to Zuko.]

This isn't about decorating. This was my home. My destiny. I was so... sure that this is where I was meant to be.

Now look at it. I'm supposed to rule over a bunch of turtle ducks?

[She winces after she says it, because she really is glad to have found them, and she knows she has no reason to be angry with Rin. She just wants a lot of things she can't have.]

[amnesiadragon]

[He doesn't know how to do that either. He picks a turtleduck up and puts it in his hair. ... It's very wet.]

[hellpyre]

[Ryu please.

Also owch Zuko, she's just trying to help.]

I know that. But what the hell else are you gonna do? Gettin' pissed off ain't gonna bring any of this back for any of us!

[daughterofursa]

[Wet turtle duck will also be trying to eat Ryu's hair.]

So I can be sad, but I can't be angry? It's like the universe is laughing at me.

[She glowers at nothing, and turns away.]

I know you're right.

It's just... hard to let go.

[Feeling angry or sad, feeling anything at all isn't going to change the facts. The only thing she can even try to change is how she deals with them. She was never good at that.]

[amnesiadragon]

[... Oh. He'll just. Gently try to tug it out of the cute animal's beak. Hair is not good for you.]

[hellpyre]

You can feel whatever the hell you wanna feel, Zuko. The fuckin' universe is laughin' at all of us.

... I ain't tryin' to be a bitch but. You're not the only one who had their whole life interrupted. And yeah, it's fuckin' hard to let go. But I'm tryin' to find ways to do that. For me it meant takin' some of those parts of my old life back to my new one.

If that doesn't work for you, fine. Don't do it. It was just a suggestion anyway.

[Rin is... reasonably irritated at getting snapped at, but Zuko did backtrack and say she was right, so she's trying to keep herself from completely going off on the princess.

It's not easy, though. Every time she goes on one of these treks she's reminded just how powerless they all are in this.]

I'm here 'cause I don't want you do deal with this alone, okay?

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko bites her tongue, managing to hold back any remarks about how Rin wasn't about to lead a nation, how she didn't have to feel responsible for the loss of her entire people.

Anger has been her way of dealing with things for a long time now, and it's never really worked out that well. Arguing with Rin won't make her feel any better; it'll only alienate the closest thing she has to a friend right now. Especially when she's probably wrong.]

...it wasn't a bad suggestion. [Maybe if she has a few things to hold onto, it'll make letting the rest go easier.]

Let's check the rest of the garden. Then we'll go.

[This side of the garden is empty, unless they want to dig up the flora. She turns to walk back towards the only real building on the grounds, on the other side of the pond. It's ruined on one end where it would have connected to the palace, but there might still be something in what remains. A banner at least.]

[amnesiadragon]

[Ryu puts the turtleduck down gently and goes to find the other two. They can swing past and get the turtleducks later.]

[Fortunately, Ryu walks pretty quickly and catches up easily, waving.]

You guys okay?

[hellpyre]

[Maybe not, but Rin has had to feel the loss of not just one world, but two worlds. Assiah and Gehenna are both gone and maybe demons weren't the friendliest creatures in the universe but she still came to recognize them as her kin.

Just like Night had been...

The conversation is over now, though, and she just follows wordlessly, hands stuffed in the pockets of her pants as Ryu joins them.]

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko glances at Rin as Ryu joins them, wondering if her silence is a bad sign. She's trying not to screw up.]

...yeah. As much as we can be.

[It's obvious this is still hitting Zuko pretty hard, but at least she doesn't look like she's about to cry or firebend anymore. And honestly, when does Zuko ever look like she's in a good mood?]

Come on.

[The building may have been used as a tea house when her uncle spent time here, but now it really is mostly empty. The only things of note are the Fire Nation banner Zuko hoped to find, as ubiquitous as they were in the palace, and a few decorative wall scrolls and vases. She moves to retrieve the banner.]

[amnesiadragon]

[He nods, and casts a worried glance over at Rin. He moves a little closer to her, trying to be comforting. He doesn't know how, though. All of this... it's not stuff he's good at.]

Let me know if you need a hand.

[He may not be tall but he can probably lift someone.]

[hellpyre]

[It won't last long. Rin going quiet usually just means she's trying to puzzle some things out in her head before actually speaking for once. In this case it's partially that, partially her trying to stow away her own feelings.

This is Zuko's time. She can't just drop all of her baggage here and expect it to be of any help.

When they enter the room, she passes a glance at the pottery, shuffling over to look at it somewhat curiously.]

[daughterofursa]

I can get it--

[Zuko does not come from a nation of tall people. She may have to jump a little, but she manages to catch the top of the banner and pull it down. She holds it in front of her, and then carefully, almost respectfully, folds it up.

She glances back at the other two, and notices Rin's interest.]

You can take those if you want.

[ They're still carrying that distinct red, black, and gold color scheme, but they do almost look Japanese.]

[amnesiadragon]

Do we need more of that stuff? I can carry it back if we do.

[It just seems kind of awkward to carry back otherwise. But he can haul a lot. He's mostly here for hauling and defense anyway. He doesn't really know how to do anything about emotions. How does help person.]

[hellpyre]

[Rin jerks her hand away when Zuko talks to her, thinking for a second that she's touching something she shouldn't be, but the offer catches her off guard completely.]

R-really... ?

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko looks around the room. The rest of the decoration in here doesn't have much sentimental value to her, but all the same, they must have been made by her countrymen. She motions Ryu to the wall scrolls.]

Can you get those down?

[Same for the vases. They should take them, but she doesn't need them for herself. If Rin has them, that's just as good.]

Yeah. They remind you of something back home?

[What she had seen of Rin's home had been pretty crazy to her, but even so she'd seen similarities.]