Day 219 [Open]

[daughterofursa]

Who: Zuko and anyone
Open: Open!
When: Day 219, morning
Where: By the lake
What: Being Paar's secretary
Format: I'll match
Warnings: Honor

Zuko can be found by the lake shore, on the Dragonfield side, with a few piles of stone slabs nearby. Many here should clearly recognize the marks carved into the stone as Dovahzul, and some of Paarthurnax's students might pick out the names and skills of those in the Bastion. Zuko has a stack of paper in her lap and is transcribing them with a writing brush. For the ones she understands, she's also adding a line in her own language (traditional Chinese to any Earth folk), and for the ones she doesn't, she's leaving space until she can ask Paarthurnax. Every now and again she makes a note aside on a separate sheet, more for herself.

Some of the turtle ducks are milling around in the water nearby. One particularly curious one is hanging around by her inkstone and probably in need of being shooed away before it gets ink on itself.

Comments

[littlerat]

[ Red liked visiting the lake, particularly in the early morning time, and it was a surprise on that one to see Zuko. But a fine surprise!

Once he close enough to get an idea of what she was doing, he knew nearly right away what it was for. If she's too engrossed to notice him coming to the lake, nevermind- ]

Drem yol lok?

[ There's a friendly welcome with a smile to let her know! ]

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko recognizes the voice and the greeting, but she didn't expect to hear them together. She glances up.]

...drem yol lok.

Are you joining Paarthurnax's classes?

[littlerat]

No. [ A small shake. ] I met him around when I first got here. He taught me that greeting.

[ He looks at the turtle duck with Zuko, then sits himself down onto the grass near to the lake bed and shifting the bag hanging from his shoulder to beside him and unzipping the top. ]

Are you copying the notes he gathered about peoples' abilities? He told me you were a student.

[ From the bag, he takes out a loaf of bread and begins to break off a small part of it, tearing it into smaller pieces. ]

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko nods.] That's right. We both thought it would be better to have it on paper than... all this. [She gestures at the nearest pile of rocks.

Meanwhile the turtle duck already on the shore happily leaves the inkstone alone and waddles towards the bread with an eager quack. The sound draws those in the water in closer.]

[littlerat]

[ Just as planned. Red throws a piece to the one on shore, then begins to throw out bits to those in the water. Here you go, everyone. ]

Yeah, we talked about that too. [ There's a slight amused tone as he says that. ] He mentioned getting someone called Colin to help with it too, I think. About finding a way to store it.

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko smiles slightly, watching the turtle ducks, but it's gone again at the mention of Colin.]

Colin is... our expert on technology, I guess. He's a pain, but he knows a lot. I had some questions for him myself.

[littlerat]

Any you're willing to share? [ He tips his head to the side, just in a friendly motion. ] Sorry if I'm being too nosy.

[ His hands quickly empty of snacks for the animals, Red takes off a ball from his belt around his waist, placing one after another onto his lap. As he does - ]

I'm going to let out my pokémon if that's okay.

[daughterofursa]

It's fine. [Although in her mind she's wondering, let them out from where? and it probably shows on her face.]

I was thinking... we probably have a lot of resources in the Bastion that not all of us understand or even know about. It would help to have an inventory.

[littlerat]

[ He sees it. Which is why he waits on doing anything, with one of the pokéballs in his hands. But he does nod at what she says. ]

I figured there's a lot about the Bastion none of us really know, or what's available. Are you wondering if he can make something that everyone will be able to understand? I know a bulletin board wouldn't be useful here when we write in different languages.

[ Annnd with that said, Red holds out the ball he's holding and upon clicking the button -- out shoots a small light, and Pikachu has been chosen! The small pokémon yawns, stretching out his body and turning in a circle until he stops and faces Zuko - which is when he trips over and lands on his face.

Oops.

BUT HE GETS UP ON HIS FEET AGAIN, SHAKING HIMSELF with small sparks of electricity crackling from his cheeks. But oh oh, hi Zuko! Waving!! ]

[magisperica]

[ So, for once, Skyla's decided that being a moody butthead and alternating between the Skyway and her apartment isn't exactly a feasible way of keeping herself occupied and she's decided, shock of the century, to actually go for a walk and try and occupy herself that way.

It's more of a surprise to her than anyone else when she ends up by the lake, crouching down at the edge and peering at the turtleducks with an utterly incredulous look on her face. ]

... what the fuck are these things? Are they supposed to have shells?

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko glances over. Some of the ducks look over at Skyla as well, but she doesn't appear to have any food so they're mostly disinterested.]

They're turtle ducks. Of course they're supposed to have shells.

[magisperica]

... what.

[ skyla glances up and the incredulous look on her face seems to grow only more so. ]

Turtle-- what? Like, ducks with turtle shells, legit turtle shells?

That's fucked up.

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko frowns. Stop insulting her turtle ducks.]

No, it isn't. They're completely normal where I come from.

[magisperica]

... huh.

[ turning back to stare suspiciously at these... fluffy turtle things. ]

You sure? I mean... they're ducks. With shells. Turtle shells.

Did you bring 'em here?

[daughterofursa]

[How can you stare at them with such suspicion? Look how adorable they are. One of them quacks.

Zuko turns quieter at her question.]

I found them in the ruins of my palace. I couldn't leave them there.

[magisperica]

[ oh.

um.

... ok let's gloss over that. ]

... yeah, guess I can't blame you. They're... cute...?

I mean, once you get over the whole 'why does this tiny duck want to be a turtle' thing.

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko gives her a flat look, because they aren't trying to be turtles, but then she shrugs.]

I've always liked them.

[headphoneactor]

[ She had been told she needed to get out more.

She wouldn't have cared so much about that, if it hadn't been Haruka who had suggested it. Now, Takane was begrudgingly taking a walk around the Bastion to keep that idiot from frowning even more at her. Her hands were shoved into her pockets, she was hunched over, and she definitely looked like she didn't want to be outside of the apartment at all.

And yet, she was.

She passed by Zuko and honestly, she didn't care about anything that girl was doing. Really. She didn't. Not one bit.

... Well, maybe she was a little curious.

She was close enough to peer over at Zuko's work, and, surprise surprise, she didn't understand any of it. She was never any good with foreign language to begin with.

She did, however, recognize the Chinese characters ... kind of. It was nothing she could read, of course, but she recognized it as another language from her world, at least. ]

Is that Chinese?

[ The words left her mouth before she could control herself.

Way to go, Takane. You're in for it now. ]

[daughterofursa]

What's Chinese?

[Those are definitely Chinese characters, but Zuko has no idea if she's even referring to those or the Dovazhul. She's only heard of Japan and Korea from Rin.]

[headphoneactor]

[ Takane can only stare at Zuko for a moment. And then, she points to the lines of Chinese that the other girl's written. ]

That. Isn't that Chinese?

[daughterofursa]

[Well, at least now she knows what the other girl is referring to, but nope, she still hasn't heard of it.]

...I don't know. I know Rin can read some of it, but she said she's Japanese.

[headphoneactor]

I'm Japanese too.

[ And she's really bad at language. And every other subject out there. She can recognize Chinese though. ]

So you're not Chinese at all?

[ But you can write in Chinese. She's been here a while now, and it's still hard to imagine that there are people here who aren't really from any countries she knows about. ]

[daughterofursa]

No. I'm Fire Nation, same as these guys.

[She gestures at the turtle ducks and, realizing, carefully nudges that curious one away from her ink.]

[headphoneactor]

[ Fire Nation? Where's that located? Where in the world is that?

She looks over to the turtle ducks and just stares for a few moments before talking again. ]

What in the world are those?

[daughterofursa]

[Where's Japan?

And did she really just notice them now?]

They're turtle ducks.