genessia | i ⚜ video

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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. ]

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[ Weiss continues to listen attentively. It's quite possible that she's taking notes off-screen of the video feed too. The best way to not forget something is to write it down, and this sounds like something she doesn't want to forget. It's an entire different culture of elemental manipulation and frankly? It fascinates her. She definitely enjoys the different cultures aspect of getting to be in Genessia but usually her rude attitude puts people off from the start before she can get to finding out about it. ]

I understand that you all have these bending abilities and you have the Avatar, but.. from what I can tell, most other worlds don't have the creatures of Grimm to contend with. What do you guys use your bending for? Why is it so urgent that you get back, and why can't someone else teach this Avatar?

[ That's important too. She has some suspicions as to the answers, but she knows they could be entirely influenced by her own family's.. less than peaceful situation. ]

[ zuko shrugs. ] Everything, pretty much. Bending isn't just a gift, it's a way of life. It's an art form, a fighting style, and an integral part of yourself all rolled into one. My bending went on the fritz for a while, once, and I didn't feel like— [ myself.

she's asking too many questions at once and that last one, well... ] It's because my country is at war with the other nations and the Avatar is trying to bring about an end to that war. To teach the Avatar firebending would be assisting him in these efforts, which is considered treason.

[ and he's the crown prince who's doing just that. ]

So you're betraying your country to help this Avatar guy instead of helping your country win the war? Why?

[ Weiss doesn't look like she understands. Like at all. Mostly because she doesn't, because she's never been in a situation where you realize that everything your group of people stands for is a lie. Some of it's been shaken, sure, but she couldn't see ever flat-out betraying anyone. She's not unwilling to learn though, and she is honestly interested rather than intentionally being as insulting about it as she sounds. ]

The war doesn't need to be won. It needs to be over! The war's been raging for the past hundred years, and it's yet to accomplish anything except making the people of the other nations hate and fear us. We're conquering cities and destroying homes, ruining lives and making children homeless, and we're doing it to ourselves, too.

[ he's never shared this story with anyone, but it's been on the tip of his tongue since he fled from his father's chamber during the eclipse. there was a lot of shame and dishonor attached to this story before, but that's different now. zuko's proud of what he did that day, is grateful for the hardships he had to endure as a result of his decision to speak up, because it put him on the right path. had he not been cast out of the fire nation and seen the world for himself, he would likely still be as deluded as any other palace-dweller when it came to the war. ]

When I was thirteen, I sat in on a war meeting. I spoke out against a decision to put our soldiers on the front lines for the sole purpose of being fodder for our enemies. The generals don't care about what happens to their men. They're just pieces on a Pai Sho board that can be replaced if lost.

[ zuko steels himself. ]

Questioning the generals meant I was questioning the Fire Lord, too. He did this [ zuko points at his scar ] to me and banished me for four years. If the Fire Lord can do that to a member of the royal family, to the heir to the throne, [ not his son, because zuko is done being ozai's son ] just for talking out of turn, what do you think he's going to do to the rest of the world once he conquers it?

[ Weiss almost objects to being yelled at, but as he continues on she can pretty well understand why he's getting upset. Honestly, it sounds like a tough situation. She isn't sure what she would've done in it, and she's definitely certain that she wouldn't share it with a virtual stranger who was willing to listen. As he pointed out the big scar on his eye and explained it, she kept quiet as well. It wasn't as though she didn't notice it before he'd pointed it out-- but in Weiss's case, she knew well how uncomfortable it was to have someone point out your scars.

Her own wasn't anywhere near as bad as his and she used makeup to make it less obvious even then, but when he spoke about it she felt a little self-conscious about her own scar. That wasn't a tale she would be telling a complete stranger though.

Weiss was almost jealous that he seemed to come to terms with it and know where he wanted to stand, but she certainly understood the problems with being family with someone who wasn't always viewed as a good person. Weiss may have been feeling a little more connected to this than she should have just because she had to deal with people saying things about her family all the time. She just stubbornly never wanted to even consider them a possible reality until recently.

It wasn't so bad as a full on world war, though. Even if she felt a little connected, she wouldn't act as though she understood. She knew the difference. ]

I think it sounds like you picked the right side if that's the case. I'm sorry.. about your family. It's difficult to have a family situation that doesn't prioritize family over business- or politics, or war. Doing the right thing is even harder if you still want to believe in your family. I don't give compliments out a lot, but it sounds like you're very strong to try to do the right thing.

[ but sharing this story, his side of the story (the story most are often unwilling to listen to), is very cathartic for him — liberating, even. confronting ozai and saying these things to his father was one thing, but telling someone else is another, and something he was very much unwilling to do for the longest time. it's yet another big step for him, a sign of how far he's come from the angry sixteen-year-old who threatened an old woman at the south pole while on a pointless quest to capture the avatar.

there's still a lot zuko's sorting through that he hasn't come to terms with — like how avatar roku is his great-grandfather and what it means to be the great-grandson of both sozin and roku, how he and aang are both parts of roku's legacy. there are still choices to be made, but he can say honestly that, for the first time in a very long time, he's finally confident in the ones he's made so far.

he's doing the right thing, even when it feels like it's wrong. ]

Royalty doesn't always have that luxury, and it's not unheard of for members of royal families to turn on one another for political gain... [ there were plenty of examples throughout history, from times long before sozin's reign and within the earth kingdom's monarchy, too, that he remembered from his studies. ] But, that doesn't exactly excuse burning a child's face, does it?

[ zuko scoffs. ] The only member of my family I still believe in is my uncle. [ ozai be damned.

he has mixed feelings about azula, having seen shades of his sister he'd forgotten were there during his time back in the fire nation before he made the decision to leave and join aang, but he can't let that get in the way. if forced to choose between his sister and the avatar a second time, azula's not the one he's going to be siding with. ]

I don't get compliments a lot, so... Thank you. It's actually kind of nice hearing that. I'm not exactly known for making the best of choices, so it's good to know that I've finally got the hang of that.

Well, the fate of the world might not be hinging on me teaching an Avatar how to wield fire, but I've made mistakes before and.. even if I'm hoping I won't make more, I'm not deluded enough to think I won't. And my father might not be a Fire Lord or anything, but he is the CEO of one of the biggest Dust Companies in our world. I understand that politics can be... difficult on a family.

[ Weiss isn't quite sure that she's getting her point across trying to be subtle about this, but it's hard admitting to a stranger that she sees a lot of things that she can relate to in his story. Mostly because she is usually a somewhat closed off individual until she decides she can trust someone. ]

I suppose what I'm trying to say is, you're not alone and I think I understand. Not completely, obviously, since no one could completely understand after just one conversation but- from one person who doesn't always make the best decision the first time to another, you're not the only one.

[ And that's somewhat important to her, because she knows what it's like to feel alone in something. She pauses for a moment, before deciding to add something else to draw attention away from that little admission. ]

And since you're here now, at least, it might be a good idea to take this opportunity to refine your skills and practice instructional techniques. It might benefit you when you go home and it certainly can't hurt!

[ zuko's a little stunned. she gets it. like, really gets it. this stranger from another world can relate to him in ways nobody seemed able to. zuko always felt alone in his experiences, his poor choices and difficult, ever-changing view of the world and the rocky path he had to go down in which he stumbled, fell, and backtracked a few times before he really found his footing and started walking in the right direction.

he smiles, grateful for that understanding. having that — well, it honestly makes him feel a little steadier in both this unfamiliar place and the path he's chosen. ]

I might have something new to teach Aang when that happens. [ he can work with this. something for him to do that isn't falling back on old obsessive habits and wasting all his time and energy trying to get home. ]

Of course you will. I can hardly let someone like you slack off entirely now that I know your story.

[ Weiss sounds oddly proud of that fact, as though she's the number one person he could've met to make sure that he doesn't slack off. ]

Besides, I wouldn't mind seeing your firebending in person at some point.

[ She's sure she could probably pick up something from it to getting herself better at using her fire Dust. ]

[ that smile slants into a smirk. firebending is feared more than it's revered back home, so of course he's going to jump at the chance to showcase his bending for someone who actually wants to see it — for someone who isn't afraid of getting burned. ]

Give me a few days to get settled in this place, and that could be arranged.

[ It helps that Weiss knows how to use her aura to stop a lot of the damage she would take in a fight otherwise. ]

If you've figured it out on your own by then, you can use this device to call me before you come over so I know not to let Yang or Ruby ambush you. But if you don't, just stop by Tupelo Alley room 402 when you're ready. Preferably after 3:30, since I have to work in the mornings.

[ It isn't like she's got her father's money to back her up here, after all. ]

Yang and Ruby?

[ housemates, he imagines. he commits the address and time to memory.

work. yeah, he should... probably figure something out in regards to that, especially since his agreement with temari involves finding a job to help contribute to the apartment since she so generously offered to let him stay with them. he's going to try and do this whole surviving in a strange land thing the right way before he pulls a blue mask over his face and does things the old-fashioned way. (the wrong way.) ]

They're two of my teammates. I live with them, so there's a chance they'll open the door and make a big deal out of it.

[ Because the number of times Weiss has gone out to do anything with someone in which they pick her up is basically zero so far. Before and after arriving at Genessia. ]

Why, because... because of my scar?

[ usually that would be "because i'm fire nation," but that doesn't matter here. obviously, he doesn't get what kind of a big deal can be made out of a boy showing up on a girl's doorstep. nevermind that he's there because she offered to spar with him so he can keep up with his bending while he's stuck in this agni forsaken place. ]

I can just be a.. difficult person, from time to time. I don't have a lot of people who come over. They've never asked me about my scar though, so I don't think they would worry too much about that.

[ Though his is much more noticeable than hers. She doesn't think either of them are that rude though.. probably.. Well not about something like that at least.

..She's trying to have faith here. ]

You have a scar?

[ nevermind that zuko can be a very difficult person, too — his uncle can attest to that — he's distracted from commenting on that by holding the videophone close and squinting at the feed, as if that'll help him see her scar better. ]

I don't see it. [ he pulls away from the screen. ] Even if I did, I don't see why it would matter. [ shrug. ] Scars aren't always bad, people just have a habit of assuming the are.

I would have to move the camera closer to my face for you to see it better and I don't particularly like showing it off.

[ He might not think scars are bad, but Weiss doesn't want to draw attention to hers any more than she has to. ]

I show mine off whether I want to or not. I used to be ashamed of it, but now... [ he shrugs a second time, pulling a face and scrubbing at the back of his head with the palm of one hand. he's such a work in progress, it's not even funny. ]

Now, I guess I'm trying to look at it as something I'm proud of. I stood up to a tyrant. I shouldn't be ashamed of that. [ the "right?" that follows goes unspoken, but implied. ]

Well, you might be proud of yours for your reasons but my reasons aren't the same as yours. It's good that you've got a reason to be proud of it.

[ She's going to aim for a topic change now, since she doesn't particularly want to get into an argument about face scars. ]

How outdated is the place you're from? Do you know about indoor plumbing and air conditioners?

[ ..Hey, if he's from a place without video feeds, she might as well tell him about some basic amenities before he freaks out at faucet water and temperature controls. ]

Yeah, that's true... [ he trails off. sometimes, he forgets that people have their own reasons for things. he's working on that, too. ]

We're not outdated. Just... We haven't gotten to all [ he gestures to the screen ] this yet. We probably will, someday. Probably in different ways than it's done here or where you're from, as a lot of our technology is bending-based...

I had indoor pluming growing up, and in Ba Sing Se. [ he'd loved that about ba sing se after leaving the ship. that was probably the best thing about living in the earth kingdom city. ] I'm not sure what you mean by 'air conditioning,' though.

Obviously. Things here are different from where I'm from too, since a lot of our technology is centered around Dust.

[ Outdated to her, anyway. She refrains from commenting on that though and just moves on. ]

Air conditioning is a way to control the temperature of the air. If it's hot outside, you can make it cool inside so you're comfortable at all times.

[ oh, he certainly feels outdated and uncivilized. it has him apologizing to a number of spirits he doesn't even worship in his head while regretting all the times he called people 'peasants' and belittled them for being part of societies that weren't living up to high fire nation standards.

this is probably karma finally catching up with him. ]

I can make myself comfortable by controlling my body temperature with my bending, but for non-benders... They'd like something like that. Especially in the Fire Nation. My country's always hot.

Maybe there are a couple of things you can take back here for after you get that Avatar in shape. It never hurts to learn about new cultures anyway.

[ She actually likes that part of being here, honestly. ]

That sounds like something my uncle would say.

[ an iroh-like voice in his head that was a billion times better than his impression of the man told him he should do just that: take advantage of this place while he was here. working on better honing his bending and studying cultures of other worlds was better than sitting around being angry about his inability to do anything to get himself home. ]

I think I'm going to explore for a while. I guess I'll — call? Call's the right word, right? — you on this thing later?

Then your uncle is a smart guy.

[ She doesn't have a problem complimenting someone while complimenting herself. ] Yes, it is. I'll talk to you later, Zuko.

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banishment - 2014-07-05 02:49 (UTC) - Expand

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