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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! ]
no subject
"Before," Zuko began, still shaking out the pants in an effort to get them to dry faster so he could put the horrible ones he wore far behind him. "How did you make fire?" He knew it was opening himself up to having the question turned back around on him, but he had to know.
no subject
"It's just a Frizz spell," he said, frowning. The query would have been less surprising from someone unable to do the same thing. "Fire magic. You have it, too."
no subject
"It's not magic, it's called bending. It's an ancient art unique to my culture," as though he meant to demonstrate Zuko lifted his hand and a flame swirled to life, hovering at the center of it.
"Don't tell anyway you saw me do it," he lowered his hand, the fire he made disappearing as he moved. "I don't know about those Bessis witches, and I don't want to." Zuko paused for a beat, "please."
no subject
He nodded. "I won't mention it to anyone."