tushanshu_logs | April Catch All

Entry tags:

April Catch All

Characters: Zuko and You!
Date: The month of April
Location: Just about anywhere. Mostly the palace gardens.
Situation: Zuko is missing Wan again and looking for Aang's soul gem.
Warnings/Rating: None

[Closed to Gene]
This was not good. One of his best friends had his soul gem stolen, and he didn't have the first clue on where to look for it. Sure he had already scoped out the place where Aang said he'd been attacked, but he didn't really find anything there.

So now Zuko is roaming the streets, looking for any clue as to the whereabouts of that soul gem. And without much luck. Druk is following along, walking at Zuko's side and now big enough to keep up with him. The dragon still earns him a few glances, and a few Kedan keeping their distance, but no one says anything about it. Any potential muggers will probably think twice about attacking him with a dragon at his side.

[Open to all]
It's been no secret that Wan has been gone, having gone out camping to be alone. Plus its no secret that Zuko is not exactly happy about it. First the quarantine, and now this. No, he doesn't blame his boyfriend for wanting some time alone, but that doesn't mean he has to like it. In otherwords, he's lonely, and could probably use some companionship.

He did promise to look after the gardens during construction, which he is. During the day when construction is happening, he can usually be found there. He had also promised to keep an eye on Valdis, so will be visiting her from time to time. Other than that, he's mostly just by himself, unless someone decides to give him some company.

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Gene's been out and about running some errands, and he's getting ready to head back to the Hotel when the sight of a dragon catches his eye. Druk's gotten bigger. And if there's Druk, there must then be--

"Zuko," he says, picking up his pace a little to join the firebender. "What's up?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Zuko pauses and turns to look.

"Gene?"

It's been awhile since he'd talked to the guy. But spending most of his time at the palace gardens will do that. However, there is a distinctly worried and serious look on Zuko's face as he addresses the other guy.

"Aang's soul gem was stolen."

While Gene's been spending his time at the palace, he's been doing so mostly at the construction areas, and not in the gardens.

He looks alarmed. More muggings? He'd known he should have followed up after Akito's, but...he'd had other things on his mind of late. "Shit! Do you have any leads?"

"No, that's the problem. Aang couldn't tell me much. It happened here in the Earth Sector, by some lady that looks like a mom? And she was able to paralyze him somehow. But I don't know anything else, or where to look."

He's clearly frustrated. Zuko knew that if they didn't find that soul gem soon... well.

"A lady that looks like a mom?" That doesn't mean a whole lot to Gene. "And she paralyzed him." That's not good. His brow creases.

"I'll help you out," he says, nodding. He's still trying to be helpful, even if it's not doing him much good. 'Virtue is its own reward', his left foot. "We're looking more for the gem than the thief, I assume. Although I don't know why they'd want to steal a soul gem. They can't be of any use to anyone else."

You see what he has to work with Gene? This is why it isn't going so well. But Zuko does look a little relieved at the offered help. Two heads are better than one after all.

"I don't know either. Unless they're wanting to kill him."

Which... could be possible.

"But then she could have easily done that when he was paralyzed."

So that doesn't really make any sense either.

"There's been a rash of these muggings, all popping up very suddenly. But for what purpose?" He frowns. "Someone's behind this, something has to be the driving force. We'll find the gem, and then we can get to the bottom of this."

Sure, he's still mad at Akito, but that isn't going to stop him from finding things out.

"Yeah, but who? Aang also said the woman said she was sorry. So there might be someone who is forcing people to do this."

That sort of thing wasn't unheard of after all.

"But where do we look? It could be anywhere!"

"First things first," Gene says. "We find the soul gem. Then we find the woman, and work up the chain from there." He taps a finger to his cheek, thinking. "It might not get us very far; if whoever did this is sophisticated enough to use that kind of magic, they might have a sophisticated chain of command. These attackers might not have an easily-trackable central command. They could be in cells, getting their orders some secret way."

He shakes his head. "Anyway - that's immaterial right now. Where was he in the Earth Sector? Did he say?"

After a day of overseeing the construction at the gardens and telling the Kedan workers what to do and how it should be done, he returned to the Midnight Hotel where he was staying. No doubt he was getting on the Kedan's nerves, but he wanted to make sure everything was done right.

But he had another promise to fulfill while Wan was gone, and that was checking up on Valdis.

Thus he'll be stopping by her room first to knock on the door. Hopefully she's actually there.

She was indeed there, her notes on the Snakes carefully ordered and placed to the side as she compiled her observations of the Woodsmen from what she had seen at the Festival. She looked up at the knock, and recognizing the scent wafting toward her, she would sigh.

"Come in," she said, quickly gathering up the notes she had been working on.

The door opened and Zuko walked in, taking a moment to look around before focusing his sights on Valdis. Noticing the notes that she was gathering up.

"Hey. How are you doing?"

"As well as can be expected."

She finished gathering up the notes and set them on the bedside table, before turning her attention to him.

"I am trying to integrate back into society, something that isn't exactly easy when you can feel every negative emotion and each one causes pain."

But that wasn't his problem to deal with, it was hers and she would deal with it. The best thing was to move forward.

Zuko could only stare at her, stunned, for a moment. He couldn't imagine what that must be like for her. Or how she could even begin to cope. Valdis had herself rather put together for going through something like that.

"Do positive emotions help?"

He really didn't know how her... condition worked.

She looked at him, waiting for an answer, but the one he gave surprised her.

"Yes," she replied softly, "Wan especially helps. Our souls are connected to each other. I don't know how, I don't know why, but his presence has been able to sooth the darkness since we possessed Tu Vishan together."

Worry crossed her features, an emotion that she couldn't hide, a fear that grew stronger as she thought about how Wan had left her before she had woken. Had he felt the damage done to her soul through their connection? Was he feeling it now? Was he in as much pain as she was?

"... Oh."

He... didn't actually know that. That made sense though, why she was looking for him and all. Truth be told though, he was a little jealous. Wan shared his soul with a spirit and now had a connection with Valdis. Zuko didn't really have that sort of connection with Wan.

He then caught himself, realizing she might be able to feel that.

"Uh... sorry. Positive thoughts then. Okay."

Unfortunately he wasn't always the best at positive thinking.

The negative emotion was like a knife, and, due to its nature as one of the Seven, more painful than a lesser grievance might have been. She flinched, the memory of the serpent's fangs cutting through the barrier and dragging her soul away from the light. She felt Zuko try to crush the thought, but the damage was done. She reached for her sword, which was never far from her side, her hand shaking as she gripped the hilt. The gem flashed and she felt the pain fade away. Only then did she release the breath that she had been holding to prevent any sound that could be connected with pain.

"You are only human," she replied, "It is to be expected."

Zuko saw the flinch, and the subtle signs of pain in Valdis' expression. For a moment he was horrified, and felt a stab of guilt for causing her such torment. All because of a stupid little emotion that was petty and stupid.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized quietly, despite her attempts to dismiss it.

"Maybe I should go."

He didn't want to stand there and cause her further pain. This isn't what Wan wanted.

Edited 2015-04-19 21:04 (UTC)

She pulled the blade up and sat it in her lap, one hand laying gently on the blade as it glowed softly.

"No," she said quietly, "Revelations will help keep the pain at bay. I am sorry for hurting you, I didn't realize that Wan hadn't told you about our connection."

Well... if she was sure, then okay, he would stay. And sat himself down wherever it was convenient.

"He doesn't talk about you much," Zuko admitted.

But he decided he would try to be positive, even if he didn't feel like it. So he mustered a small smile.

"He'll be back soon. I'm sure of it."

"He probably didn't think it would be important to you," she replied, "Wan is odd that way. He doesn't always realize how darkness seeps in."

She hoped that he was right. She need to speak to Wan, to explain that it wasn't his fault, to make sure that he wasn't feeling her pain.

"I don't know about that. I think he just might want to respect your privacy."

But then, both were just speculation. Only Wan could say for sure one way or the other.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure he's doing what he thinks is best for you."

"He always has," She said, looking at her sword, "and I haven't done anything to deserve his care, or the care of anyone else. This world is so strange, they ask nothing of me, they do not care about my darkness, they just care about me, and that is a gift I cannot repay."

"I know what you mean," Zuko says carefully, trying to keep his emotions in check. He's trying Valdis, he really is.

"I don't always understand it either. But it doesn't have anything to do with deserving. Sometimes people will love you just for being you."

It was something that was hard for him to learn, and sometimes he still forgot it. He thinks that's what Katara was trying to tell him.

"I suppose." She shifted the blade in her hands, once again wondering how she was even able to use it.

With that, Zuko wasn't sure what else to say. Instead letting his gaze fall down to the sword that she held in her lap.

"Where did you get that sword?"

"I found it on Evidet," she replied, "But that wasn't the first time I've seen it. It is a blade from my homeworld."

"That's where I found Druk."

Weird how things from their own worlds can just show up like that.

"Is there something special about it?"

The sword flashed brightly in response to his question, the blade a soft gold and the gem bright red.

"Yes," she replied, "It has the ability to purge darkness...It the the blade that pulled my soul out of Oblivion and restored it to me."

Zuko's eyes widened in surprise and awe as the sword reacted and began to glow.

"A sword can do that?"

They don't have magic swords where he's from, so this is a foreign thing to him. But nonetheless, he was certainly intrigued.

"This one can," she smiled sadly, "Revelations is a holy blade, infused with the power of light. It was created for the sole purpose of purging evil from the world." The smile was followed by a brief laugh, "It is also considered to be a failed experiment."

"Failed? Why?"

That didn't make any sense to him. Seemed to be working just fine. But then he's never seen this sort of sword before, so its not like he really knew anything.

"Because it failed to kill me," she replied, not bothering to soften the answer to his question. Dancing around the issue would help no one.

Okay... he wasn't expecting that answer at all.

"What? Why would anyone want to kill you?"

Forget why it failed to kill her. He was more concerned with why anyone would want to end Valdis.

She laughed bitterly, Wan really had kept Zuko in the dark. She appreciated how he wanted to protect her privacy, to protect her in general, but it was moments like this that she hated explaining.

"I used to be a monster," she replied, "I had no soul, no morality, no virtues. I thrived on creating chaos and death. The Angels, I suppose you could call them warriors of light and defenders of mankind, sought to destroy me in order to, not just kill me, but to ruin my brethren. They believed that, without a Queen, the Hellhounds would cease to be a threat."

She took a breath, "So they created this sword and gave it to one of their best warriors. However, when he plunged it into my heart, it did not destroy me. So it was considered a failure."

Yes, Wan had kept him in the dark. Though at her explanation about how she used to be, it almost sounded familiar. Not in a literal sense, but a figurative one.

"So if it didn't destroy you, what did it do?"

Zuko was glad it hadn't destroyed her, but she was obviously different now than she apparently was before. Had the sword changed her?

She smiled softly, "It restored my soul and thus the light that Wan senses I possess. It returned my morality, my ability to feel emotions, my compassion and empathy for others, my sense of justice...everything that my brethren lacked." Her smile faded, "So then, they too, sought to destroy me."

"So that's what you meant. When you said everyone in your world was trying to destroy you."

She was caught between two worlds and accepted by neither. That must be hard. And yet, again, Zuko could somewhat relate.

"Yes..." It wasn't the whole story, but she wasn't going to give him the whole story, especially not when even Wan hadn't heard it.

"I sense that you too are struggling," she said softly, "Care to talk about it?"

She could sense that too? Zuko sighed and ran a hand through his hair before mustering a small smile.

"Most of it is behind me. But you shared your past with me, so it won't hurt to do the same for you."

But where to start? That was the tricky part wasn't it?

"You know that Wan is the Avatar, right? Aang is one of his future lives. He's the Avatar in my time. Before we were friends, I chased him around the world, trying to capture him. So that I could restore my honor."

She had heard of reincarnation, it was a part of one of the many religions in her world, but she had not heard Wan speak of any future lives.

"I know a bit," She replied, one eyebrow raised, "Did you restore you honor?"

Dove was mostly content, aside from being mugged. It was so nice to be free to use her wings, and this place she had been pulled into was providing ample opportunity for curiosity and exploration. Sure, it wasn't home, and she was starting to miss the atmosphere and business, but it seemed things here were just as busy. Just...different.

In addition to the locals, the construction--rebuilding? maybe-- had captured her attention, and on occasion, one might catch her flying nearby the palace construction. Finally curious enough to allow for a quick stop, Dove would carefully alight in the gardens, interest piqued by the nature amidst the machines and walls.

She frowns. Looks like someone needs to care enough to tend to the flowers. At least it was natural... that much was nice.

Edited 2015-04-21 21:50 (UTC)

Zuko was pretty much just holding down the fort, making sure that the Kedan didn't mess things up or do things they weren't supposed to. This is where he and Wan were going to live after all, and Zuko wanted to make sure it was done right.

But when he catches sight of some woman with... wings? Landing in their garden, he doesn't waste any time stomping towards her.

"Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here?"

He's not exactly in the best of moods today.

At the sudden bark of questions, Dove spun, her gaze meeting Zuko's over her shoulder before she could fully turn.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. The earth is well here, and I was curious," she responded, tucking her wings back and standing tall to match his commanding tone. He didn't feel like a bad kid, though instantly, she felt a tug in her chest and a need to be wary. Some scars weren't only skin deep, and she could almost sense a warmth similar to hers.

"My name is Dove. I mean you no harm."

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April Catch All

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in which my knowledge of terrorist organizational tactics comes in handy

[Closed to Valdis]

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