It could be usable

[raavashing]

Characters: Wan & Zuko & possibly you!
Date: Jan 26th
Location: The Palace of Landed Sky
Situation: Exploring and scouting the palace for usability.
Warnings/Rating: None, it's mostly just exploring the now somewhat gutted palace

[After the races were over and Zuko had had a day to rest from the race and the feast that came right after, Wan insisted he come with him to the Palace of Landed Sky. They'd both been back in Keeliai for about a month and finding regular jobs to keep themselves fed and buy a few necessary possessions hadn't exactly been easy. They'd spent the time between the forum and the race working themselves to exhaustion just to earn the entrance fee for Zuko. They didn't exactly have a direction for what to do and it had gotten to the point that Wan was tired of feeling like he was 'drifting'. His life on the turtle didn't feel like it had purpose. So he decided to find one for himself.

Which was what led to exploring the palace. In the short term, it would give him a goal of making it livable if it wasn't bad off. Also, the garden would be a good place to meditate and grow a little food of their own until they could show they were trust-worthy enough to hire on a regular basis.]

Wow. The Kedan haven't been kind to this place, have they?

[Wan asked as he stared up at what was left of the outer walls and terraces. The fine marble that had once adorned it had been completely stripped away and didn't speak well of what might be left further in, past the most accessible part of the outer palace.]

Comments

Zuko

[oceanblue]

Sometimes Sokka had really good ideas, like gathering the foreigners and giving them a safe and judge free location to live. The palace seemed to be the perfect place, she had imagined. Sometimes sokka had good ideas, she thought.

Until she saw the palace.

With a sigh, she had followed him for a while as they had explored what was left, until they decided to split up and cover more ground. Admittedly relieved--yes, sokka, she knew the palace looked like a dump; she want blind-- she took her own path, losing herself deeper and deeper into the once royal quarters. When she stumbled upon the court, she paused, looking skyward at the canopy of what she assumed had once been a grand ceiling. Sunlight dotted her face as she closed her eyes. It was sad to see something so good wasted away to so little. Maybe with hope and a lot of hard work, it could be as beautiful as it once was.

[lordhotman]

While Wan was meditating in the gardens, Zuko was wandering the living area of the palace himself, looking for a suitable place for them to stay and how to make it more secure. ... He wasn't expecting to stumble across a certain Waterbender in the halls.

"Katara?"

He asks as he stands at the opposite end of the room. She was probably still angry at him, so he kept his distance.

[oceanblue]

Lost in her thoughts and deep breathing, Katara was entirely unaware of Zuko's approach and jerked harshly at the sound of her name, throwing her gaze toward him as she lifted her hand to her waterskin.

Upon realizing it was him, she slowly relaxed and stood tall amidst the dotting rays again, staring him down like a wary snow leopard for a few long moments as she struggled to decide on a plan of action.

[lordhotman]

He didn't like the way she looked at him. As if he was still like he had been when he'd chased them around the world, trying to catch Aang. That was over, things were supposed to be different. This reminded him of how he had to earn Aang's trust for a second time. But this was different. She was mad at him just for not saying goodbye.

He frowned at her lightly.

"What are you doing here?"

[oceanblue]

"I'm came with Sokka," she told him, rooted to her spot. "He wanted to make this a safe place for foreigners, but we didn't know that it was in such bad condition. I just wanted to see what was left."

A pause, her gaze still steady. "What are you doing here?"

[lordhotman]

"I came here with Wan. He's meditating in the garden. We're wanting to live here, too."

The place was definitely in bad shape, that much was clear, but it could still be livable and even homely if it was fixed up a bit.

Zuko decided to take a chance and took a few steps towards Katara.

"There's plenty of room for all of us. It shouldn't be hard to make it livable."

[oceanblue]

It stings.

"Of course you did," she mutters plenty loud for him to hear, turning her face away. Of course he came here with Wan. Of course they wanted to move in. Maybe it doesn't hurt as badly as it had before, but... it still hurts.

When he stepped toward her, she lifted her eyes again, staying where she was. "Yeah," she replied heavily. "It's...big."

[lordhotman]

Zuko sighed, stopping a few feet away from her. At least she wasn't yelling at him... but still. This had to stop. Somehow.

"I understand that you're angry Katara. I get it. But don't you think you're taking this a bit far? We're friends. Or at least, I thought we were. I didn't mean to hurt you, you know."

[oceanblue]

Well. He certainly wasn't going to take this slow.

"I thought we were too... especially after everything we had been through," she finally sighed, shaking her head and following him in stride into the confrontation.

A moment passed, and she lowered her gaze, unable to look him in the eye. "I get it: you chose Wan, and you've been gone for years back home where I'm supposed to be, but I at least thought someone like you would have the decency to say goodbye. Especially after I fought at your side the entire time, despite it all."

[lordhotman]

"I didn't know you were staying!"

How many times did he have to explain himself?

"I don't know what you want from me Katara. I messed up. But it wasn't on purpose. I thought everyone was going home. I didn't think I needed to say goodbye. If I had known, I would have. I might have even stayed. Because you're important to me."

[oceanblue]

"That's just an excuse!" she bit back, returning her glare. "Everyone else said goodbye: Wan, Aang, Korra--" The last made her throat tight, and she swallowed hard, closing her eyes again and taking a moment. "Everyone else cared enough to check. And then they all left."

"The me at home wouldn't know any about any of this. I wouldn't feel like this," she added, weakly motioning to their surroundings. "Forgive me for thinking that maybe, after everything we went through, after everything I told you, that you cared enough to find closure here before you went back."

[lordhotman]

Fire flashed in Zuko's eyes. Try as he might to keep his anger in check, he didn't quite succeed as he snapped back his reply. His patience was wearing thin.

"And I thought after everything we've been through, you could be a little more understanding! I told you I was sorry! What else do you want me to do? I'm not doing this again, Katara! This isn't fair! I'm tired of having to prove myself to everyone over and over again!"

[oceanblue]

"I could be a little more understanding?!" she bit back, cold as ice. "I had feelings for you, and you completely abandoned me and the rest of our friends without so much as making sure we had survived! And then you just show up with Wan and tell us you didn't know we were here!"

She stepped forward, sweeping a hand before her as her emotions made her more animated. "You didn't stop and think, 'hm, I'm back--maybe my friends are too'? Sokka and I have been in the most obvious place we could have been, and you didn't think to check the hub that connects the sectors for the rest of us? Did the thought even cross your mind, or were you too distracted?"

Fire reflected in her own eyes as blue met gold. "I want to know that you understand how much it hurt to be left here with no explanation... especially by you."

[lordhotman]

Zuko gawked at her for a moment, then gritted his teeth, his fists clenching. This was stupid! So stupid! Yet at the same time he felt sorry for Katara, and his own feelings were hurt. A war of emotions coursed through Zuko, and it showed in his eyes. But her words did remind him or something. She had feelings for him, something that he'd forgotten about in all the chaos and going home, and coming back again.

"Is that what this is really about?! Are you so jealous that you're using this as a way to get back at me?! I love him, Katara. Why can't you be happy for us?!"

Now he was really angry. He cared about Katara, a lot, but this was just inexcusable. Using this as vindication for her own hurt feelings.

"This isn't the Katara I know. But if this is how its going to be, fine!"

And with that he turned and started to stomp off.

[oceanblue]

Spot on, jerkbender.

"Fine," she repeated, the fight stripped entirely from within her.

Hands clenched at the waterbender's side, the snow catching in the shattered glass of the dome above her branched out, each flake reaching for the delicate arms of its sisters until the ice was thick enough to distort the rays she had previously enjoyed. The collected drops at each broken wall slowly iced over as well as she struggled to contain her emotions and reached out with her bending instead of words.

[lordhotman]

As he stomped away, Zuko paused, and turned a glare back on her.

"Goodbye Katara" he said in a nearly spiteful tone. That's what she had wanted wasn't it? She can't accuse him for not doing it a second time.

With that, he didn't wait for a reply, and left the room. Heading for the gardens where Wan was.

[oceanblue]

Though her head was hung and she couldn't see his glare, she could still hear his words, and after half a second of processing, started laughing, so hard it actually brought her to her knees.

[oceanblue]

For a few minutes she laughed, alone, and slowly, her laughs became tears, her shoulders no longer shaking from the irony of the situation, but the gravity of what had just happened. The laughter, no matter how spiteful, gave way to sobbing, hushed as quickly as she could handle.

She wished he had never come back.