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in every alleyway
WHO: Zuko and You!
WHEN: Early to mid-August
WHERE: Around Taravast, at some fancy parties, skulking on some rooftops, etc.
WHAT: A catch-all!
WARNINGS: None yet, will edit as needed.
1. zuko vs the nightlife
Francesco - Checco to his close friends, family, and now Zuko - had made his fortune in gems, a detail that was easily ascertained by looking at the man. He almost glittered, from the walnut-sized stones in his rings to his gilded doublet - he was a hard guy to miss.
The trick to it, he said, to an increasingly glassy-eyed Zuko - was to know everyone in your chain of shipment. When the men like you, they don’t ‘lose’ your crates. While it seemed like common sense to Zuko, Checco thought he was imparting a pearl of wisdom the size of the one on his pinkie ring. The older man clapped him on the shoulder with such voracity that Zuko felt his knees bend slightly before he straightened up again, glad that his mask hid the scowl that had firmly affixed itself to his face since the beginning of this stupid assignment.
While he was silently trying to pick out a passable answer for the old merchant a distraction presented itself in the form of a tall woman in a light blue gown. She crossed Checco’s line of sight, making the older man lean in and give Zuko a nudge, remarking on her figure before pushing him. The shyness Dona Rigarda mentioned was something every old guy with a nugget of advice seemed to be aware of because Checco suddenly had the idea it was going to be now or never that Zuko got over it.
Urged to go talk to the girl Zuko was relieved to be away from the threat of an even longer conversation with Checco, but his dismay at being put up to making a pass at a stranger far outweighed it.
With tense shoulders, he stopped sort of near the girl in the blue dress, as well as a few other people minding their own business, seemingly oblivious to the ball of awkwardness and simmering annoyance in their wake.
“So.” He began, speaking to no one in particular - the woman in blue paying him no mind - but hopefully putting up a good enough show for Checco’s sake - even if he felt like an idiot. “Good party.”
2. zuko vs his pants
Clad in pants he was certain were made to offend him, personally, along with a tunic, and a doublet Zuko scowled down at himself. What was the purpose of a front flap like this anyway? And what was going on with those weird, hole things down the legs? And why were they so puffy?
Shifting uncomfortably under the doublet he’d been given but not yet laced shut Zuko lifted one foot and then the other, repeating the motion as he tried to get used to the way his new clothes moved. Oblivious to the fact that he looked like he was stomping grapes, or trudging through mud, or how dumb he looked to the passing onlooker.
3. batmanning on the roof
He had never seen a busier rooftop in his life!
It would have been strange if he found one other person up on the roof of the Palace of the Doxe, but he was pretty sure he had just snuck past a couple of people having a chat like this was just another room in the palace.
Zuko had climbed up here to sneak around and get a feel for the place, now he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to do that. If a few people were up here, who knows who else he’d run into.
He tried to focus on why he had bothered to do this in the first place, but the sound of footfalls nearby shattered his focus. Turning abruptly and half expecting to see people setting up for a game of Pai Sho behind him he couldn’t stop himself.
How many people are up here?” Zuko blurted the question out, obviously frustrated. Couldn’t a guy get a minute alone on a rooftop to stalk around in peace?
4. zuko vs his pants ii revenge of the pants
For his first attempt, he thought he would see about getting a better pair of pants. With a different, mouthless mask pulled over his face Zuko leaned over the side of a rooftop, peering down at a woman hanging out her laundry.
He felt stupid, stalking people while they did their wash, but he felt even more ridiculous in the pair of pants he’d been given when they arrived - at this point, even the clinging tights he’d seen a few of the other guys wearing would have been preferable to his dismally fancy pants.
Holding his breath he sized up what he guessed was the lady’s husband’s pants and waited for her to go inside. Taking off like a shot Zuko climbed down the building he was situated on and into the yard, dashing through and grabbing the still wet trousers before climbing up the side of another building. Stuffing the wet pants into the bag strapped across his back, Zuko switched masks and climbed down the side of the building into the alley below, hoping it was secluded enough that his return to street level would go unnoticed.
5. wildcard!
[ if none of these work, feel free to hit me up on pm or plurk if you want your own start! ]
WHEN: Early to mid-August
WHERE: Around Taravast, at some fancy parties, skulking on some rooftops, etc.
WHAT: A catch-all!
WARNINGS: None yet, will edit as needed.
1. zuko vs the nightlife
Francesco - Checco to his close friends, family, and now Zuko - had made his fortune in gems, a detail that was easily ascertained by looking at the man. He almost glittered, from the walnut-sized stones in his rings to his gilded doublet - he was a hard guy to miss.
The trick to it, he said, to an increasingly glassy-eyed Zuko - was to know everyone in your chain of shipment. When the men like you, they don’t ‘lose’ your crates. While it seemed like common sense to Zuko, Checco thought he was imparting a pearl of wisdom the size of the one on his pinkie ring. The older man clapped him on the shoulder with such voracity that Zuko felt his knees bend slightly before he straightened up again, glad that his mask hid the scowl that had firmly affixed itself to his face since the beginning of this stupid assignment.
While he was silently trying to pick out a passable answer for the old merchant a distraction presented itself in the form of a tall woman in a light blue gown. She crossed Checco’s line of sight, making the older man lean in and give Zuko a nudge, remarking on her figure before pushing him. The shyness Dona Rigarda mentioned was something every old guy with a nugget of advice seemed to be aware of because Checco suddenly had the idea it was going to be now or never that Zuko got over it.
Urged to go talk to the girl Zuko was relieved to be away from the threat of an even longer conversation with Checco, but his dismay at being put up to making a pass at a stranger far outweighed it.
With tense shoulders, he stopped sort of near the girl in the blue dress, as well as a few other people minding their own business, seemingly oblivious to the ball of awkwardness and simmering annoyance in their wake.
“So.” He began, speaking to no one in particular - the woman in blue paying him no mind - but hopefully putting up a good enough show for Checco’s sake - even if he felt like an idiot. “Good party.”
2. zuko vs his pants
Clad in pants he was certain were made to offend him, personally, along with a tunic, and a doublet Zuko scowled down at himself. What was the purpose of a front flap like this anyway? And what was going on with those weird, hole things down the legs? And why were they so puffy?
Shifting uncomfortably under the doublet he’d been given but not yet laced shut Zuko lifted one foot and then the other, repeating the motion as he tried to get used to the way his new clothes moved. Oblivious to the fact that he looked like he was stomping grapes, or trudging through mud, or how dumb he looked to the passing onlooker.
3. batmanning on the roof
He had never seen a busier rooftop in his life!
It would have been strange if he found one other person up on the roof of the Palace of the Doxe, but he was pretty sure he had just snuck past a couple of people having a chat like this was just another room in the palace.
Zuko had climbed up here to sneak around and get a feel for the place, now he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to do that. If a few people were up here, who knows who else he’d run into.
He tried to focus on why he had bothered to do this in the first place, but the sound of footfalls nearby shattered his focus. Turning abruptly and half expecting to see people setting up for a game of Pai Sho behind him he couldn’t stop himself.
How many people are up here?” Zuko blurted the question out, obviously frustrated. Couldn’t a guy get a minute alone on a rooftop to stalk around in peace?
4. zuko vs his pants ii revenge of the pants
For his first attempt, he thought he would see about getting a better pair of pants. With a different, mouthless mask pulled over his face Zuko leaned over the side of a rooftop, peering down at a woman hanging out her laundry.
He felt stupid, stalking people while they did their wash, but he felt even more ridiculous in the pair of pants he’d been given when they arrived - at this point, even the clinging tights he’d seen a few of the other guys wearing would have been preferable to his dismally fancy pants.
Holding his breath he sized up what he guessed was the lady’s husband’s pants and waited for her to go inside. Taking off like a shot Zuko climbed down the building he was situated on and into the yard, dashing through and grabbing the still wet trousers before climbing up the side of another building. Stuffing the wet pants into the bag strapped across his back, Zuko switched masks and climbed down the side of the building into the alley below, hoping it was secluded enough that his return to street level would go unnoticed.
5. wildcard!
[ if none of these work, feel free to hit me up on pm or plurk if you want your own start! ]
4?
He couldn't be certain, but.. he thought he recognized the mask from somewhere. Maybe.
"..Do I know you?"
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"How am I supposed to know?" His voice was quiet and tense. "We're both wearing masks."
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Or perhaps an Attaryl disciple? Though male students were very few..
Eleven slowly loosened his grip on his sword in favor of tucking his fingers beneath his mask. He lifted it up, then angled it over the side of his head.
"I don't mean any harm; it's just that you startled me."
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"Sorry I startled you I–" From the yard he had dashed through an angry yell could be heard in the alleyway they stood in, and Zuko looked towards the sound before turning back to Eleven.
"I gotta go."
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But there wasn't time to think much beyond that, as the urgency in the other man's voice shot straight through his stomach and sharpened his senses. He was running from something.
"The canal," he volunteered, closing his fist to extinguish the flame. He dropped his mask down over his face again. "It's easy to lose people across the water."
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4
And hair dye. Can't forget the hair dye. He'd wanted it, and the food. And he had next to no money, but he did have light fingers, and he knew how to work a black market. He'd lifted some valuables, found a place he could barter them off, and haggled until he'd squeezed all he could out of the buyer. Did he have any idea how much these coins were worth? No. Was that going to stop him? Also no.
So now he'd had some of the best, weirdest food in his life, and his hair was fucking magical. Not bad for a bit of petty theft.
He was taking a shortcut back towards the palace when he noticed something moving where it shouldn't be. Somebody climbing down a nearby building at speed. That put him on edge, reaching for a knife he kept on him.
The figure reappeared over the top of a nearby wall, a sack in one hand.
Oh, that's familiar.
So's that mask.
He puts the knife back in its sheath. "Hey kid," he says quietly, so as not to startle too much. "Let's walk together. There's thieves around here, y'know."
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Dropping his hand to his side, he adjusted the bag he carried and gave the other man a quick nod. "Yeah," he puffed out a brief chuckle. "Can't be too careful I guess."
Zuko was more than certain that Slick was aware of what he had been up to, but as long as the other guy didn't decide to make trouble about it, or call any attention to it, Zuko didn't press the issue. Let the guy think what he wanted - he had needed to take action against these terrible pants and he had no regrets.
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"Right," he said, once he judged they were far enough away. "You're pretty good at that. Had some practice with it?"
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"Yeah, a lot of practice. Getting around unnoticed has gotten me out of trouble." And it worked most of the time. Slick seemed like a practical, straightforward kind of guy, Zuko supposed he could have been caught by far worse.
"These pants are ridiculous, I had to do something about it," he gestured down at the red and black things he'd been given to wear. "It was a nice house. Nobody will notice they're gone." He didn't like stealing, but he did what he had to do.
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"Don't blame you. I'm not fond of this stuff either, makes me look like a senator." Or at least, what he imagined senators looked like. They showed up sometimes in the propaganda holos, covered in clothes that looked like hell to move in and probably cost as much as ten men's armor.
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1.
While her tone is a bit dry, she doesn't seem to be making fun of his response. Parties like this aren't for everyone, after all, and Checco seems to be putting him through the ringer. But as she flags down another drink, she inches a bit closer so he can hear her over the crowd.
"Draw the short end of the stick?"
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"Something like that," he began, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Checco's got a lot of opinions." One being that he needed to get over his notorious shyness and talk to a pretty girl before the party was over. Thankfully, while Allion wasn't the woman in blue that had brought him over here, she certainly fit the bill.
"You're the matchmaker, right?" Maybe Checco would think Zuko was taking control of his own destiny and looking for a wife. That should get him out of a lecture from the older man.
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It seems like he was a bit awkward with the girl, so maybe getting into the dating pool is not what he's looking for. It's also possible that he needs it to play the part, however.
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"No, no. Just a distraction," he spoke quickly and awkwardly, clearly thrown off by the thought of employing a matchmaker to, well, match him. "If you could just pretend you're talking to me about it," he tilted his head to the side in the direction of the jolly and bejeweled old man looking on, hoping the sight of the enthusiastic Checco would finish his thought for him.
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3
Super senses help in the way he is able to pick out exactly how many people in the near vicinity have decided to come up to the roof in general. He teleported up himself to an area he thought would be mostly empty.
It was, but not nearly as empty as he had hoped.
There's the faint smell of smoke and brimstone.
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"I guess," Zuko began haltingly. "Both?"
Catching the smell of smoke he took his eyes off the stranger to look around the roof, idly wondering if one of the small groups of people who seemed to be using this place as a casual hangout had decided to fully lean into taking their leisure and start a bonfire for the fun of it.
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"Six in this section other than the two of us, fifteen to twenty on the rest of the roof," Wrath says as his gaze moves down the roof. Granted, he is limiting his view of this roof to this building itself, but it is still quite a lot to be off the ground. "Seems to be a popular spot."
Here he had thought to come up on the roof and survey the city.
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"How's anybody supposed to find out anything," he asked in frustration, straightening up from his crouched stance to lift his mask with a scowl.
"Are you just out on a walk too?" He didn't mean to sound accusatory, it was just - how he was most of the time.
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"I thought I would see what I could from the roof." Get a lay of the land. It is the strategist in him, preparing for all potential outcomes including needing a quick escape. "What exactly were you hoping to find out?"
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1 - but later :>
He stood out more than he wanted to since he was, regrettably, the youngest looking person there -- while likely being one of the oldest, as per usual. The mask didn't do enough to disguise his height, and he looked all the more like a kid dressed up for Halloween in the outfit they picked out for him. If it wasn't his age getting attention, the partygoers who had somehow heard of his farfetched backstory would make a remark about a child prodigy and he'd have to restrain himself to smile instead of throwing them through a second floor window.
Eventually he was left alone at the corner of the room with the best vantage point. At least nobody hassled him when he grabbed a drink off of a tray and watched some young man take tips from his sister. While he was too far away to hear what was said, they spoke long enough that he kept an eye on him when they finally parted.
As soon as he noticed he was alone again, Five decided it was time for a refill and walked by before he was engaged in another conversation. (There was another man already approaching, so it was a surprisingly small window.) The masks made it hard to distinguish their group from the normal people who resided there, but he was fairly sure he was familiar. He looked him over and gestured with his glass to get his attention.
"Did she help?"
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He took his chances with the stranger.
He looked younger than Zuko, which wasn't something he dwelled on - after meeting the Avatar how old a person looked had become irrelevant. "Yeah. Why? You want advice?" Turning towards the shorter guy a little more, in an effort to dissuade Checco from trying to talk to him again, Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and gave the kid a nod.
"She seemed like a smart lady. Good luck."
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"You're staying at the palace?" He squinted at him a little longer. At the beginning he had notes on everyone, and he'd fallen far behind on getting even the most basic information since they left Sa-Hareth. Now that his siblings were there, it was more important that he caught up. "What's your name?"
i'm sorry you forced my hand
"Do I have something on my face?" He asked flatly, his eyebrow-raising as the neutral scowl on his face remained. Maybe it was the scar - he knew people stared at it, or maybe it was because this kid realized Allison was unreasonably pretty too and felt possessive about Zuko talking to her. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to let it throw him. He knew who he was now, and there was no reason for a stranger to make him feel unsettled in any sense of the word.
"Macaluso's wing," Zuko nodded. "I'm Zuko. You?"
rude paul
"Five." He said nothing for several more seconds, still staring, then shrugged. "How long did it take you to get in character?"
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