i ⚜ video

[banishment]

What in Agni's name is a vid-ee-oh-pho-nuh supposed to be, anyway?

[ zuko has no idea that the strange looking device he's holding up over his head and squinting at is the item in question. it's not his fault he has no concept of electronic communication, let alone electronics. his world has yet to hit a true industrial age. "advanced technology" in his day and age involves fires, steam, and bending, not... whatever this is supposed to be.

useless — that's what zuko decides it is. just a strange, mangled piece of metal and glass.

he discards it, setting it against the roots of the tree he's propped up against, but it's still recording him as he draws the pamphlet back out of the box. the necklace glistens on his wrist where he's affixed it like some sort of beaded cuff as he unfolds it. ]

Comments

[Action]

[tessenjounin]

[When Temari was not in the hospital doing rounds or in the gym which she was currently constructing, she was scouting the city. For one, it helps identify potential threats. Aside from this, she needed to know if her brother had arrived in Genessia already. She didn't want Kankuro to be pulled away from their home, but if he was here, she needed to be the first one to be aware.

When the feed started, Temari was not far from Zuko's location. In fact when he dropped the feed, she was in one of the branches of the tree where Zuko was resting on.]

That was my exact question when I arrived. But nonetheless you will find that thing useful here.

[Action]

[banishment]

[ zuko draws his dao from their sheath at his back, jumping to his feet. he whirls around, pointing the still blades, still joined together as one, up at the tree. ]

Who's there? Show yourself!

[Action]

[tessenjounin]

[Temari watched him move about from the top of the tree. He seems to be someone with a feisty temper. Dangerous too if he's carrying a blade like that.

Temari steps forward a bit, to where there's light shining within the leaves. A smug look present on her features.]

You've got a fiery temper, don't you?

[Action]

[banishment]

[ on edge since he woke up in the bay, zuko sighs flames and smirks up at the girl in the trees. ]

You have no idea.

[Action]

[tessenjounin]

[Was this a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village? Or was he one of those magical individuals. Temari wasn't sure, but with one swift motion, she took her fan from behind her, pulled it open to reveal one star, and summoned winds towards the other man to extinguish the flame.]

Who are you?

[Action]

[banishment]

[ all notions of fighting back are dispelled the moment he's hit with that powerful gust of wind. it's only by virtue (if one could call it that) of having fought aang so many times before that zuko manages to stay upright. eyes wide, zuko lowers his sword. ]

You're an airbender.

[ he takes a hesitant step forward. lee ought to be the name he gives her, but she's an airbender. or someone he, at least, perceives to be one. there are no airbenders left. they're all gone. his grandfather, sozin, saw to that. aang's the last one, yet she just—

he really is far away from home, isn't he? ]

My name is Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. [ maybe technically not anymore, but he wants to see — recklessly — how she responds to that. ]

[Action]

[tessenjounin]

[An airbender? Is that what he calls someone who has control over wind using her chakra? She sort of likes the sound of that. But instead of confirming or denying his thoughts, she simply jumps off the tree and then appears swiftly in front of the man. It was too easy to extinguish his flame, so she can only take that as a sign he didn't wish to fight with her. He also withdrew his sword, which is a positive sign. So she drew her fan back behind her and gave him a formal bow - He was a prince after all.]

Prince Zuko.

I'm afraid you are far from the Fire Nation. This is Genessia and that device you just threw on the ground is essential for your stay here.

[Temari was formal as always. She doesn't know where the fire nation is, but he certainly sounded like a ninja from the Leaf Village.]

[Video]

[dreamingartist]

Um...it's a device that lets you talk to people and see their face. If you want to!

I guess you're new here...my name's Jeb! I'm not an expert on anything but I'd be happy to help with whatever I can.

[Video]

[banishment]

[ zuko jumps, skittering away from the offending object. it wasn't supposed to start talking to him. it wasn't supposed to do anything!

he rears back, then leans forward, curious yet weary. zuko squints, peering at the glow emanating from it. he's never seen anything like it before. it's like someone's lit a fire inside of it. was there a spirit trapped inside of it? ]

Jeb?

[Video]

[dreamingartist]

Yeah, that's my name. Well, not my given name, but that's what everyone calls me. Who are you?

[Video]

[banishment]

Zuko.

[ foolish to give out his real name, but it's even more foolish to lie to a spirit. ]

How did you get in that? Are you— Are you trapped?

[Video]

[dreamingartist]

No, nothing like that! The camera's just picking up my image and showing it to you! ...have you never used a video camera before?

[Video]

[banishment]

Camera? [ another word he's never heard before. ] What's a camera?

video;

[whiteas]

Do you usually just throw away useful technology just because you don't know what it is?

[ This guy's a total caveman in Weiss's head right now. ]

video;

[banishment]

[ zuko sits up, looking over in the direction of the voice, but sees nothing. no one. he eases up onto one knee. ]

Who said that?

video;

[whiteas]

Weiss Schnee. Look at your video phone.

[ She'll wait. For like. A little bit. She's not that patient. ]

video;

[banishment]

[ oh. so that thing's the videophone.

zuko retrieves it, looking down at the girl's image on the screen. it's extremely bizarre to see someone's image so small and moving, lifelike as if there's a smaller version of them within. definitely going to take some adjusting to. ]

Guess I should've finished reading that flyer. [ which he'd been about to do, but... ]

video;

[whiteas]

People don't just make flyers and pamphlets for giggles, you know. Only an absolute dunce would ignore information he's given when he's put into a situation where he has none.

[ She's definitely judging him, but to be fair, she's the kind of person who occasionally has pamphlets to hand to people. ]

video;

[banishment]

I'm not a dunce! Trusting information that's been conveniently left for you after you've just been kidnapped is foolish. People get killed that way. [ his anger deflates a little, giving way to a moment of regret. ] I would know.

[ aang almost got killed that way. he hadn't been lying to katara, but she was certainly foolish for trusting him then. zuko was trying to earn her forgiveness, but he couldn't argue with her about that. he did betray her misplaced trust in ba sing se. ]

video;

[soldierofloveandbeauty]

I know I was a little confused when I first got it, but you'll get use to it in no time. Trust me on that one.

[After all if she could get the hang of it, everyone else can to.]

video;

[banishment]

[ by this point, zuko has the videophone in his hands and is talking directly into it when he's not turning it over in his hands. forgive the somersault the scenery just did, minako. he's still a little baffled by the thing. ]

We don't have anything like this where I'm from.

video;

[soldierofloveandbeauty]

I can tell. I mean we had something like this, but it's functions are different, but if you have questions I can at least answer them now I do have a grasp of it.

[It was like the rune she had, only not a rune. She kind of missed having that stupid rock for communication sometimes.]

video;

[banishment]

[ again, the scenery shifts. zuko's holding it upside down, head turned to the side as he examines it, as if tipping it over and giving it a good shake will reveal its secrets to him. it doesn't, of course, and the feed soon right's itself, zuko sitting back against the tree. ]

How does it work? I mean — how is it made?

[ it's technology. he understands that now. like one of those work-in-progress inventions that sokka and teo are always tinkering with in the back rooms of the temple. like the steam engines in his warship. ]

video;

[soldierofloveandbeauty]

You know, I don't question it because I don't know. I'm not all tech-savy or whatever people call people who know it all. I just know it's very useful to be able to talk to people from long distances.

[Best help ever, right?]

video;

[banishment]

Tech... savvy?

[ he blinks, the worlds feeling odd and heavy on his tongue. that's not something people call anyone where he's from. or if they do, it's something done outside of the fire nation, and not in any of the circles he's been in. maybe those engineers from the earth kingdom that were captured during the failed invasion on the eclipse? they're probably all at the boiling rock, now... ]

I take that to mean you're quite a ways away from me right now. [ but just to be sure, zuko looks around him and — nothing. she's nowhere. he'd see something, hear something. he's good at paying attention to his surroundings. (most of the time.) ]