¤ 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

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

Great--

[but the crabby-sounding word barely forms before it's cut off. He's a little slow in countering with his sore arm, and that whip catches him right in the ribs, knocking him back a couple steps.

...Yeah. Definitely pissed off now. As soon as he catches himself and catches his breath, he sets more purposefully in on her, bolts of flame coming faster now. The fact that he just burned her is almost gone from his mind]

[waterbends]

[With the pond from the water at her disposal, she was able to throw up enough to dissipate most of the heat from the flame. He was backing her up; she hadn't been expecting such an earnest attack, especially without the words as a buffer between them now.

Backpedaling, though, regardless. She didn't want to drain the pond entirely.]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[now that she had an abundance of water, and he was mad, he didn't feel the pressure to hold back so much anymore. This feels much more familiar, and he starts automatically sliding from the predictable back-and-forth pattern of a sparring match, to the much more purposeful rhythm of an actual fight.

This is what they should be doing. Not that talking and trying to be friends crap.

Keeping her moving back, actually beginning to push himself with his strikes]

[waterbends]

[It catches her by surprise, the almost visible way he stops holding back, and she can almost put her finger on the moment that it stops being a sparring match and becomes an actual fight.

It's right around the moment that she dodges a blast of fire and her entire sleeve roars up in flame.

She shrieks, douses the fire and hugs her stinging arm to her chest, before fixing Zuko with a look.]

You knew I couldn't dodge that all the way!

[ACCUSATORY.]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[are you serious? Just perfect. He drops his arms at his sides in a big exasperated sigh]

That's what your water is for!

[since it's obviously not his fault for playing too rough]

[waterbends]

I thought we were sparring. I didn't realize we were trying to kill each other!

[And this? This is her stomping over to him.]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[oh this ought to be good. His fists tighten as she storms over]

I thought we were sparring too, not playing tag! You had a whole pond of water behind you!

[waterbends]

[She jerks her arm up to his face, blackened sleeve and skin pink beneath it.]

What was I supposed to do, drain the lake? Look! Look at this!

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[ugh. He goes to push her arm out of his face]

Oh, how tragic.

[waterbends]

Don't you 'how tragic' me! You can't be that reckless when you spar with people! You were attacking me!

[arm

back in face]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

For some stupid reason, I thought you could handle it!

[finally sparing a real glance at her arm, though he's pretty sure she wouldn't have the energy to yell so much if he'd done actual damage]

I didn't even hurt you!

[waterbends]

You could have!

[And now? We get to the root of the issue.]

You ruined my shirt!

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[--oh THAT'S how she wants to play this? He grabs the collar of his shirt and jerks it to the side, revealing part of the athletic brace wrapped around his shoulder]

And you pulled my arm out of the socket!

1/2

[waterbends]

[Katara stares for a moment at the brace. Guilt briefly flashes across her face, before --]

[waterbends]

You should have warned me that your arm had been injured. It's not my fault you didn't.

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

And you should have warned me that you were going to cry over your clothes.

[waterbends]

I'm not crying! I just expected you to use a little more caution when fighting with, you know, not the evil enemy?

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

Excuse me for wanting to push myself!

If I knew you were going to be such a baby, I would have told you to go back in the castle!

[waterbends]

A baby? Did you just call me a baby?

[She is about to just push him.]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

Yes. I did.

[waterbends]

That's hilarious! Because just between me and you? You're the whiny baby!

1/2

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

2/2

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

What??

[waterbends]

Oh, you know what I'm talking about! 'Oh, poor me, I'm the angsty Fire Prince that no one understands, I'm going to pretend to be better than everyone else and be really grumpy all the time to push people away!'

I've seen through it, Zuko. I know who you are.

[The weight of her words might be lessened slightly by how incredibly petulant her tone is.]

Or maybe you just need to get over yourself!

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[there is a moment where his shock increases exponentially, leaving him momentarily stunned. It takes him a moment to absorb it all and process it, realizing that yes she really did just say all that. ...And then comes the rage, pouring in until his blood felt molten, twisting his face up into a snarl]

I need to get over myself?

What about you? Pathetic and clinging because-- 'oh no, I don't have my family and big group of friends around me anymore!'

Well, guess what! Nobody here does! So, get used to it and leave me alone!