‹7› » boy's dormitory × locked to Zuko

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

[It's been a while since Aang has talked to Zuko, let alone hang out with him, so he's decided to drop by and give him a surprise visit. It's not like Zuko's room is very far away from his own. He has a plate of food and a pot of rapidly cooling tea as a peace offering, just in case. Now he's standing outside the door to Zuko's room, waiting for the other boy to respond to his knock.]

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[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[The last time Zuko talked to the Avatar was the day he excitedly told him of the news. Katara had accepted Aang's dance proposal, and it had made Aang the happiest Zuko had ever seen him since they had become friends at Garden months back.

Zuko was in the middle of meditating when he heard the knock. Three of the five cats respond by crouching down low to the ground and scurrying off into Zuko's bedroom on faint growls, while the other two stop in surprise at the sound to stare at the door.

He rises up off the ground, sighing to himself, and ushers the other two cats into his bedroom, closing the door to keep them in. Then he's going to the door to hit the unlock on the keypad, the door sliding open.]

...Aang? [Looks at the tray of food and pot of tea.] Uh-- hey...

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

Hey, Zuko! I thought we could hang out--if you want. [He flashes Zuko a grin and gestures to the food.] I brought snacks.

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[A peace offering was more like it.]

Yeah, sure. Come in.

[Zuko stepped aside to let him enter and waited until he was in the dorm lobby of his room before closing the door behind him.]

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

Great! [Aang glanced around the room before setting down the plate.] How are you?

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Blinks at him. It's only polite, right, that Aang start off the conversation all friendly-like.]

Uh- good. I guess. And you?

[Goes to the island where two stools sit, otherwise known as the small everything table for eating at, doing work at, whatever. He clears away the chicobo's nest of clothes - Katara has the chicobo still from when she was ill.]

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

I'm good, too. [He smiles before realizing that attempting smalltalk with Zuko is probably a bad idea. So he decides to skip that.]

So, what do you wanna do?

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Smalltalk and Zuko, never works.]

...You're the one who came to me.

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

...Right. Uh. Tea? [He offers Zuko both an apologetic smile and the pot of tea.]

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Eyes that pot of tea.] What kind?

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

It's strawberry! It might need some warming up though.

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Strawberry tea. That's a new one to him...]

You're the Avatar. You control the four elements. Heating up a pot of tea should be child's play for you.

Just pick up the pot and focus your chi to the center of your palms; warm them and that should work.

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

Yes, sifu! [He straightens up and replies before he even realizes what he's doing. Zuko sure has this scary teacher thing down. Then, he focuses on doing what Zuko told him to the pot of tea still in his hands. Warming it up only takes a moment.]

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Zuko is one of the meanest sifus around, bro. Watch yo'self.]

[He nods, not surprised it takes the Avatar to catch on. Kid may be young but he takes orders pretty well ... from a sifu.]

Good. And you can do that for anything if it involves raising a temperature. Like water.

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

So I could waterbend and firebend at the same time?

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

Not... not exactly. [Rubs his brow and then folds his arms over his chest.]

It's like what you just did with heating the water. You used your firebending, the chi that works with the firebending, to heat up the warm. Say you sit in a cold tub of water and you want to warm it up, what do you do then?

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

I would use firebending.

agh *heat up the WATER

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Nods.]

That's right. [Hesitates because he has to actually think about it.] I... don't really know if a waterbender can heat up water. All I know is that they can freeze and manipulate it.

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

I've never tried it before. I'll ask Katara later.

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Katara. Did Aang know..? No, if he had heard then he wouldn't have come over with the snacks and tea for their own little boys tea party.

Zuko watches him warily and squints as if trying to read him by just staring at him. Nope. He can't tell anything. Would Katara even tell him? No, maybe it was better to just ... not tell anyone. Yet.]

Yeah... If anyone knows- it would be her.

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

She is a waterbending master, after all. [He grins, proud of his friend.]

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

...yeah. She is. [Zuko nods; to think they were all "masters" of their elements. Some days Zuko didn't particularly feel a master firebender.

He gestures to the tray of snacks and tea.]

So. Uh- what is this all for--

[A faint scratching can be heard at his bedroom door followed by pitiful but curious sounding meowing.]

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

Uh, Zuko...what's that noise? [Aang turns to look at the bedroom door, completely ignoring Zuko's half-formed question in his confusion.]

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[He throws a look over his shoulder. Oh no no--]

I think you're just hearing things--

[More scratching which is then followed by a keening meerrrrrrrowwwwww that has Zuko cringing and immediately feeling bad for the furballs.

He turns and hesitantly makes his way to where his bedroom door is, shoulders slumping.] You have to swear on... on your Avatar honor, or your Avatar something, that you won't breathe a word about this to anyone.

[monkingaround.livejournal.com]

[What? What are those noises and why is Zuko hiding it?] I don't know what you're talking about, but I swear on my Avatar everything that I won't tell anyone.

[pyromatics.livejournal.com]

[Zuko glances back and stares at him for a minute, narrowing his eyes as if trying to figure out if Aang's really telling the truth, or if he'll sell him and the cats out. But Aang's the Avatar so ... he can be trusted, right?

There shouldn't be a reason for Zuko not to trust him.] Okay. Good...

[He reaches out to fit his fingers into the notch of the door, pulling it open. The instant it's open, all five cats come running out with relieved and content meowing. Some of them stretch, some rub up against Zuko's ankles and the others come to a stop in front of Aang, staring up with big curious eyes, cautious of this stranger they've never seen before.]