Day 256 [Open]

[daughterofursa]

Who: Zuko and anyone
Open: Open!
When: Day 256, evening
Where: By the lake
What: A failure to meditate
Format: I'll match
Warnings: Honor

Zuko knows she's always been hard on herself, but she's never really considered it to be too hard. But some of the things people have been saying about her... Well, people in the Bastion have always expressed a more positive view of her than she thinks she deserves, and she always figured it was because they don't know what she's come from, but she's finally starting to wonder. Maybe the flawed perspective is her own.

Which is why she is attempting something else which, like positive thinking, she is not very good at: meditating. Whoever really wants to can find her by the lake, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed and... definitely scowling more than she ought to be.

Comments

[twinked_witch]

Ever spend a week with your hair a completely different color and resisting any efforts to dye it back to your normal color?

That sort of thing.

[daughterofursa]

"...you mean you use magic to get your hair that color?"

She assumed some people just came from places where things like red or blue hair were normal, but this might be a better explanation.

[twinked_witch]

"Well, I could, but I don't. Not intentionally, at least. Though before we had the hair shop, I was using a spell to clean it. Prestidigitation, the most basic tool of any Wizard's cookbook - you cast it, and you can do petty magical things for a few hours. Nothing that goes much past the 'party trick' category, but it's enough to work in place of some of the more high-tech conveniences developed here. Except with a limit of three casts per day..."

Megaera chuckled. "Well, I could probably figure out how to create a magic item for the effects that I could carry around, but there'd near-definitely be a Shard cost involved."

[daughterofursa]

"Presti..." What.

Zuko felt like she understood only every third word of that.

[twinked_witch]

"It's a fancy word for 'really basic magics'," Megaera quickly explained. Not quite accurately, but...

"I'd compare it to your first punch. Once you have that one right, the art begins to develop from there."

[daughterofursa]

"Oh." That made sense, she guessed. "You seem to use it for some pretty strange things."

[twinked_witch]

"Well, why wouldn't I?", Megaera responded. "If I have the spell and it does the thing, there's little reason not to use it unless I'm already out of my three casts for the day."

[daughterofursa]

"I guess." It seemed vain to her to use magic to do things like wash your hair, but she wondered if waterbenders did it.

[twinked_witch]

"Mind, any untrained person being able to pull several of the same things with technology's a marvel. Showers, especially," Megaera observed. "That's a luxury I can get behind."

[daughterofursa]

"Those are... nice." Zuko wasn't going to mention how long she puzzled over the plumbing in her apartment before figuring it out, but she had grown to appreciate it. Especially when the more natural options for bathing were so... public.

[twinked_witch]

Megaera nodded. "Technology's a wonderful thing... Though I doubt it can fully replace magic in all ways."

She chuckled. "But enough on that. This isn't about me. It's about you, and trying to discover you a little, if you know what I mean."

[daughterofursa]

"I have plenty to think about already."

[twinked_witch]

"And yet, some discussion perhaps has led to a few thoughts," Megaera observed. "I can't tell you your place in this world, only offer ideas. It's on you to put them together or discard them."

[daughterofursa]

"Yeah." She turned towards Megaera, bowing her head. "Thank you for your help."

[twinked_witch]

"'To find yourself, first find your comforts.' An old quote of unknown origin from my world," Megaera said, as she stood and started off.

She considered, for a brief second, saying one last thing to try and startle or fluster Zuko... But thought better of it. Better to leave the woman to her meditations.