Awkward firebending bros time.

[browbeater]

Who: Mako, Zuko.
What: Awkwaaard turtle after Kithika.
When: Sometime in March.
Where: Fire Sector.
Warnings: None.

[Mako tended to spend most of his time between the Fire and the Wood Sectors. The Fire Sector because he worked there, and the Wood Sector because he lived there. So, most of his exploring tended to be between the two sectors.

Though, he was a city boy by nature. Picking up vein streets and generalized directions throughout Keeliai didn't provide him with too much trouble.

Today, he was idly browsing the shops along the main drag in the Fire Sector, not planning on meeting anyone.

At least... until the Fire Nation attacked.]

Comments

[sizzle]

[ Meanwhile Zuko spent the vast majority of his time in the Fire Sector, living there and... still managing to stay unemployed. That part might not last for long, considering he'd agreed to help his uncle in an attempt to set up a new tea shop, but for the time being he was jobless and roaming the streets. Even Zuko had his limit of time spent alone sitting and brooding before he needed to get up and stretch his legs.

He hadn't actually been looking for anything or anyone in particular, but wasn't usually when he managed to run into people here.

When he first spots Mako he debates just walking in the other direction. He hasn't spoken to Mako after what went down in the bottle, and there's something more than a little awkward about accidentally seeing someone else's traumatic past, and Zuko's not really sure how to talk to him after that.

Still, one thing he's definitely learned over the years is that you can't just avoid uncomfortable situations forever. Yeah... that's definitely one Zuko knows well at this point in his life. So when he's standing about three feet from Mako, he'll finally speak up.

Or he'll look up at the sky. Turn and look at the people walking by them. Scratch the back of his neck. Start to leave no less then three times before stopping himself--

Okay, now he'll finally speak up. ]

... Hello.

[ He's so good at this. ]

[browbeater]

[... well it's a rather good thing he hadn't been avidly paying attention to that entire display, or else he would've... probably made it easier by either saying hi or walking away. Probably would've said hi.

But the decision is no longer in his hands. He looks at Zuko, surprised to see the other firebender there. Though he realizes he probably shouldn't be, since wasn't this where they met before anyway? Yeah, so it could've happened at any point.

It just happened to be then.

Mako nods casually, his hands in his pockets as he turns to face Zuko more fully.] Hey.

Looking around too?

[sizzle]

[ That definitely would have made it easier on Zuko, though getting caught int he act of being an awkward loser might not have thrilled him all that much. Still, what's done is done, and at least Zuko got his act together enough to say something at all. Points for Zuko!

Points for Mako too, considering how calm he's being right now considering their last encounter. Zuko frowns, looking at his face, trying to determine if it's an act or not. He doesn't know the guy well enough to tell if he's actually that relaxed about people knowing these sort of unfortunate intimate details about his life, but he knows himself well enough to know he'd be pretty agitated if someone had seen his past in that fashion.

He crosses his arms and tries to stay casual for now himself. ]

Yeah, something like that.

[browbeater]

[It’s somewhat of an act, somewhat of Mako just trying to get back to what he considers ‘normal.’ He’d rather no one had ever seen his parents, or their deaths. That one moment in his childhood had changed everything for the worst, for a very, very long time. Suddenly he and his brother had had no where to turn but out on the streets, and until then, his brother had never even really known what happened.

But Mako was good at managing to deal. Sure, he looked a little more tired than he otherwise would have, but there wasn’t much you could do to deal with nightmares. He figured it would go away soon enough]

Cool. Anything you’re looking at?

[sizzle]

[ You'd think, but if there was one thing Zuko knew at this point in life it was that nightmares don't go away that easily. Especially nightmares that involve family. ]

Not really.

[ He takes a glance at what Mako was just checking out. Trying to see if he can figure out a good comment to make about it.

Sadly, he cannot so he just goes with-- ]

What about you?

[browbeater]

Not much… All the stuff around here’s too expensive. [though he knew he could probably afford it, if he really wanted to. For once in his life.] I don’t get how people are willing to spend this much for things like this.

I’m just looking around before I head back home. I live on the other side of town. [in the wood sector. Which presented some problems for practicing firebending. But between his job and the few times he sparred with Korra or his brother, he really didn’t need the practice.

But if he was honest with himself, he wasn’t heading home because he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He felt kind of listless, and the nervous energy he had was being persistently hard to get rid of.]

[sizzle]

[ Mako was talking to the wrong person here if that was his concern. While Zuko wasn't an extravagant spender by any stretch of the imagination, he was from the royal family. Three years in exile didn't change how much of his life had been spent getting anything he might have wanted paid for easily.

Then again, he'd seen a little glimpse of Mako's life, so he had some idea that their situations had been very, very different.

And as for a reply to everything Mako just said? ]

Oh... that makes sense.

[ Why are conversations so hard?! ]

At any rate, you seem to be handling things well right now.

[ There it was, the thing he wanted to bring up since the start. The fact that Mako had seen some pretty traumatic imagery not too long ago. ]

[browbeater]

[are you kidding? Money is always a concern to this kid, even when he has money. Money that he is hoarding. But that is for another log... Either way, it wasn't entirely lost on him that Zuko was trying to broach the subject of the other day with him.

And he didn't blame him, entirely, but it wasn't something that he really wanted to talk about. While Zuko knew about crazy firebenders, there wasn't anything Mako could say. It had happened. It was something that had changed his entire life in dramatic ways.

But it was almost 11 years ago.]

I've had a lot of practice with that. [a sigh] Sorry you had to see that, not exactly one of the better moments in my life. [putting it lightly]

[sizzle]

[ Mako, you're a person not a dragon, you don't need to hoard your gold. Definitely a conversation with another time, and with another person.

Right now, Zuko's just going to try to awkwardly work with the subject at hand. This time he was the one to bring up the uncomfortable topic, but it doesn't mean that he knows how to handle it now that it's out there. This doesn't seem like one he can offer a quick "that's rough, buddy" for either. ]

Don't worry about it.

[ Wait... no! Mako's obviously going to worry about it, that's not something you can not worry about. Ugh... ]

No that's not--

[ Uhm. ]

What I mean is... there's nothing for you to apologize for in the first place.

[browbeater]

[do they even have stories of dragons hoarding gold? Headcanon to consider.

But shrugged awkwardly at the awkward reply, his hand going up to the back of his head. While he appreciated the kindness, and the reminder that, hey, he wouldn't have made anyone endure that... The apology was all he had that he was really willing to say. It wasn't an easy topic of conversation, especially then.]

Don't worry, I got you the first time.

[a sigh. Wwwwhat to say next]

Anyway, there really isn't much else I can say about that...

[sizzle]

[ A very good question.

Zuko gives him a slow nod in response to that. The situation isn't any less awkward, but at least he doesn't seem to be stumbling over himself right now. This isn't a matter that he should be pressing into, and this certainly doesn't seem like one Mako wants him prodding further into. ]

I understand.