蘇 hello, fire lord zuko here. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
atoned) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
eachdraidh2014-09-07 11:01 am
atoned) wrote in eachdraidh2014-09-07 11:01 am
1 ☼ joint tutorial video / open to both courts
[ for the first time since zuko had unlocked his locket, it turns on without fuss. perhaps because it's in the hands of toph that it does. for viewers with a keen eye, they'll spy a thin, red ring around the ring finger on his left hand. after tapping into the power when he had been practicing his firebending techniques, his flame hotter and brighter than anything it had been before, zuko's been attempting to tap into sozin's comet once again. but as he hadn't taken the time to note the time of day he had used his ring, he believes it to be broken (he’s momentarily forgotten what the imps had informed him of, overloading him with information when he had already felt overwhelmed at his boon actually appearing in his hand, a living ring that didn’t feel as hot as sozin’s comet, but had left him feeling invincible). with that thought in mind, he's almost fuming. ]
[ with a scowl, the right side — the good side — of his face can be seen. his left hand is currently occupied, but his right curls by his side into a tight fist, knuckles painfully white. unaware of being filmed, zuko's holding an imp by the scruff of his neck. the little creature snaps its small jaw at him, but the fire lord looks nonplussed. ]
Where are the dwarves!? [ the little beast twists, despite zuko's long fingers digging hard into his flesh, to try and bite at his wrist. leaning in further, he yells so loud the earth may move beneath his feet in fright, ] Where do I find them!? Stop snickering!
[ for good measure, he shakes the imp before his other hand forms into a gun, index finger aiming for the little beast's feet. small blasts of fire shoot at the imp's toes, the creature squealing as it tries to chomp at the air in front of zuko. ] Stop laughing every time I ask what a dwarf is!
[ at first it starts as a small, indistinguishable sound, then grows into a gigantic, unruly, loud, exasperated yawn. ladylike as always. then, a voice comes from off-screen. ]
You’re so predictable. [ a beat ] And loud. [ another beat ] Also boring.
[ the locket clatters to the ground, the view shifting to show mostly the ground, though zuko’s legs are still visible. closer to the locket, a leg covered in green pants is there, a foot crossing over the knee that’s mostly covered in dirt. the toes wriggle. ]
I know where the dwarves are. [ she doesn’t. ]
[ zuko doesn’t hear toph until he hears the d word. not that anyone can see — thanks, toph — but zuko’s head snaps in her direction. how his neck hasn’t is a trick of the spirits. his grip on the imp drops — his ugly feet hit the ground and scamper away — as he turns on her. he shouts, ] Where!?
[ if anyone’s paying close enough attention, they’ll see a subtle shift in toph’s foot that’s on the ground. there’s a soft rumbling and it looks as if something’s moving underground. in the distance, the imp flings off to the side with a yelp. she admits to nothing. ]
I can hear, you know. [ avoid the question. she’s not answering. ]
I know that! [ curling his fingers into a fist, he smacks his knuckles against his head. zuko sighs, exasperated. his shoulders slump slightly, as if the exhale of air has rid him of all the anger keeping his bones upright and stiff. (it hasn’t.) his tone is softer, less of an inferno and more of a comfortable hearth, ] Where are they?
[ she sniffs, then pitches the locket in his direction. sorry but not sorry for shaky cam. her voice grows a little distant. ] Don’t know if I feel like telling you.
[ his voice is as loud as ever, hands balled into fists as he yells, ] WHY NOT!?
[ her voice is definitely farther away now, but she does yell back: ] Don’t feel like it!
WHY NOT!?
[ there’s a long moment of silence, followed rapidly by a rumbling and a moderately sized boulder comes flying right at zuko, courtesy of one earthbender. ]
[ with a scowl, the right side — the good side — of his face can be seen. his left hand is currently occupied, but his right curls by his side into a tight fist, knuckles painfully white. unaware of being filmed, zuko's holding an imp by the scruff of his neck. the little creature snaps its small jaw at him, but the fire lord looks nonplussed. ]
Where are the dwarves!? [ the little beast twists, despite zuko's long fingers digging hard into his flesh, to try and bite at his wrist. leaning in further, he yells so loud the earth may move beneath his feet in fright, ] Where do I find them!? Stop snickering!
[ for good measure, he shakes the imp before his other hand forms into a gun, index finger aiming for the little beast's feet. small blasts of fire shoot at the imp's toes, the creature squealing as it tries to chomp at the air in front of zuko. ] Stop laughing every time I ask what a dwarf is!
[ at first it starts as a small, indistinguishable sound, then grows into a gigantic, unruly, loud, exasperated yawn. ladylike as always. then, a voice comes from off-screen. ]
You’re so predictable. [ a beat ] And loud. [ another beat ] Also boring.
[ the locket clatters to the ground, the view shifting to show mostly the ground, though zuko’s legs are still visible. closer to the locket, a leg covered in green pants is there, a foot crossing over the knee that’s mostly covered in dirt. the toes wriggle. ]
I know where the dwarves are. [ she doesn’t. ]
[ zuko doesn’t hear toph until he hears the d word. not that anyone can see — thanks, toph — but zuko’s head snaps in her direction. how his neck hasn’t is a trick of the spirits. his grip on the imp drops — his ugly feet hit the ground and scamper away — as he turns on her. he shouts, ] Where!?
[ if anyone’s paying close enough attention, they’ll see a subtle shift in toph’s foot that’s on the ground. there’s a soft rumbling and it looks as if something’s moving underground. in the distance, the imp flings off to the side with a yelp. she admits to nothing. ]
I can hear, you know. [ avoid the question. she’s not answering. ]
I know that! [ curling his fingers into a fist, he smacks his knuckles against his head. zuko sighs, exasperated. his shoulders slump slightly, as if the exhale of air has rid him of all the anger keeping his bones upright and stiff. (it hasn’t.) his tone is softer, less of an inferno and more of a comfortable hearth, ] Where are they?
[ she sniffs, then pitches the locket in his direction. sorry but not sorry for shaky cam. her voice grows a little distant. ] Don’t know if I feel like telling you.
[ his voice is as loud as ever, hands balled into fists as he yells, ] WHY NOT!?
[ her voice is definitely farther away now, but she does yell back: ] Don’t feel like it!
WHY NOT!?
[ there’s a long moment of silence, followed rapidly by a rumbling and a moderately sized boulder comes flying right at zuko, courtesy of one earthbender. ]
Video;
[ but his face falls at the reveal the dragon has since ceased. he doubts it would've been a master, too smart to linger from the safety of their caves unless summoned by the sun warriors, but it still makes him feel a sense of empathy for a dragon who may have been tied to his own heritage. ]
I've been living under a rock. [ literally, there. too busy with raonil, too busy ensuring their own backs aren't being met with blades, too busy trying to ensure toph is okay. his tone is quieter, ] I wish I could've been there. [ it's probably best he wasn't. ]
[ but it's best to not dwell on what no longer lives, even if he thinks too much on those who have since passed during his short life. his brows pinch for a second, ] I know what a dragon looks like. But a dwarf?
Video;
I suppose that makes your situation difficult in terms of catching up and maintaining a hold on current events.
[Or rather, a lack of control over discovering those such things. Zuko wasn't at fault at all, but Lancelot imagined it would be tough to not know such crucial pieces of information. Though, that was something that likely came from being from a different dimension, anyway.]
A dwarf? A bit easier to remember. In appearance, they look like smaller, stouter human beings.
Video;
... Oh. [ he had been expecting something monstrous. but they sounded almost ... like him, but shorter and without the bending, emotional trauma courtesy of his family, and toph as a friend. ] Have you met them? Or is this in a book? [ since he should've known the location if he had picked up a book or looked at his map, but that makes things a little too easy. maybe he can grab one from the station and attempt to read it in a whole day with no distractions courtesy of toph. ]
[ ... yeah, that'll never happen. ]
Video;
[He tilted his head, looking a bit lofty in his expression if only because he just then realized that it was the first time that he, as a heroic spirit, had seen something truly 'new'. Dwarves were never something he imagined he would bear witness to.]
--I suppose I've met them, somewhat. They aren't fond of humans, none the less tall ones, so I was heatedly encouraged to leave their fortress.
Video;
[ but none of this sounds very encouraging. zuko's tall, he's hot-tempered, and he's certain he'll be turned away for being human. how is he meant to help them if they'll turn him away the moment they lay their eyes on him? he takes a moment to think, but he already knows the answer. hadn't his newfound locket pal told him as much? ]
Will they see me if I bring them something?
Video;
[It was a barrage of questions he got once he revealed himself, so Lancelot reminded himself he would have to wear another disguise the second time he walked into that fortress.]