¤ 27 - A Challenge

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[though he's been too wrapped up in his own 'problems' to really follow whatever has been brewing in much of the rest of the castle, he can't dodge the tension. The air feels tangibly charged, people seem to be getting ready for something, and it's very contagious.

With him wanting to test out his newly-healed shoulder, and this whole place feeling like it's itching for a fight... it seems like an obvious combination]

Anyone who wants to blow off steam-- I'll be out on the castle grounds. [and then a pause, as the voice of a certain piratess comes to mind. He better clarify--] ...For sparring.


((ooc: it's been a while since Zuko's been in a good fight. Open for training or whatever else. Come at him, bros!))

Comments

dictated

[waterbends]

You shouldn't be training right now. It hasn't had time to heal properly.

dictated

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

I got it fixed.

dictated

[waterbends]

Oh.

... how have you been?

dictated

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[don't sound so happy for him, sheesh]

Bored, now that my arm's better.

dictated

[waterbends]

Just make sure to take it easy. I don't want you getting hurt again.

dictated

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to 'take it easy.'

[...even if he is still wary of his shoulder and will be wearing a brace from now on]

dictated

[waterbends]

Things are really dangerous right now. [A pause, and then:] You probably shouldn't even be out on the grounds, anyway!

dictated

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[he scoffs]

That's the whole reason I'm training. And there's nothing out here but people.

Zuko

[waterbends]

You're fighting, too, then?

Katara

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

I just want to be ready.

Zuko

[waterbends]

Why?

Katara

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

What do you mean why?

Zuko

[waterbends]

You kind of make a point of not caring about anyone but yourself, and I know you hate the castle.

So why protect it?

Katara

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[...Katara, you actually make him shut up for a minute]

...I don't care about protecting the castle.

Zuko

[waterbends]

Then what are you protecting?

[People. There are people that Zuko cares about; she knows it. She just wants him to acknowledge it.]

Katara

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[he's surprisingly not turning argumentative at this, but he's not answering directly either. Another pause as his voice goes another touch more serious]

...Did anyone tell you about the tree that appeared here months ago?

Zuko

[waterbends]

No. I don't remember, at least, if anyone did.

[She pauses, fidgets.]

I'm heading out to the grounds. I hate talking over these things.

Katara

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

Whatever.

[he'll be here, going back to training]

[waterbends]

[It takes her a little while to find him, but she wastes no time when she does.]

What about the tree?

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[he hears her coming up behind him, but pretends he doesn't. Until she speaks, anyway.

He's tempted to brush the question off. He doesn't want to talk about it anymore, but... it's not like he stopped thinking about it since he'd brought it up.

So, he sighs and drops his stance, arms falling at his side]

There was this big dead tree that showed up outside one day. It was weird, but nobody was really worried about it at first.

[waterbends]

[She can talk and bend at the same time, Zuko; she's going on the assumption that so can you.

Uncorking the sling at her side, she bends some water from it, before flinging a thin disc of ice at him. Dodge.]

What happened to it?

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[yep, now he's paying attention. He bats the disc out of the air with a slap of flame]

It brought these creatures that no one could see... except for children.

[return fire in several lashes, as he slowly closes some distance]

[waterbends]

[She shields herself from the bursts of flame with arcs of ice and water, waiting for an opening to lash a whip of water at his legs.

As he closes the distance, she steps away, trying to keep it; she has the advantage with it.]

What sort of creatures?

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[he's watching this time-- he's not eager to get another one of his limbs wrapped up or tangled in those whips of water. He leaps to the side and keeps up the beats of flame, keeping up his advance]

The kind that goes after kids.

[waterbends]

[Katara's backing up a little more quickly now, swinging out in an arc around him; she's running out of water quickly, trying to advance them both toward the pond.]

..what did it do to them?