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[rediscovering]

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[uncle_iroh]

"IT!" he called back, as if in an answer. "Did that work?"

[rediscovering]

"Stop goofing around and press the green circle to pick up the call, Uncle!"

Oh, the poor prince...

[uncle_iroh]

Okay so he had to press the glass as if it was a button. But he'd touched it several times and it hadn't depressed at all. So maybe he needed more force? Or... oh! Perhaps it required Fire Bending and that was why this had not worked so far. Zuko could have said as much, but his nephew was still new to teaching. So maybe he just presumed that Iroh would have realized that he needed fire to activate it.

He took a deep breath, focused, and then pressed down with strength, pressure, and flame on his finger.

Well, his finger went down. He opened the door. "I don't think that worked, Zuko," he said holding up the melting phone.

[rediscovering]

"Wha- Uncle, what did you do...?!" Zuko's voice almost cracks as he yells, so much in shock to see this... catastrophe. He left the room for, what, five minutes?! How did Iroh manage this?!

[uncle_iroh]

"I attempted to press the screen to do what you asked me to do."

[rediscovering]

"H-How did you do that...?!" Zuko's incredulous, blanched, gawking at the broken phone in Iroh's hands.

[uncle_iroh]

"Since the glass did not depress I pressed harder," he said, completely failing to mention the Fire Bending. If Zuko could not figure that out for himself, they clearly had more work to do than Iroh realized.

[rediscovering]

Zuko just... smacks himself in the forehead with his free hand. He can read between the lines. It doesn't help much.

"Uncle, c'mon, let's go... We'll go buy you a new phone... Damn it..."

Zuko checks his bank app with a withering look; he has enough to cover it. But he's gonna have to borrow money from Azula later if he finds any other surprise big expenses. He hates borrowing money from Azula... But this is worth it. He won't tell her what happened exactly, though. He'll spare Iroh's honor.

[uncle_iroh]

"Do I really need one, prince Zuko?" he asked, doubtfully.

[rediscovering]

"Yes! All your money was in there!"

Exasperated. Zuko's grasped a still rather clouded understanding of how digital currency works, and while he understands it's not actual money physically inside the phone, he doesn't exactly get that it's attached to the account, rather than the particular phone. If he lost all his money by accidentally burning it back home, the money is gone, right; that's his logic. So while he knows it's immaterial, he still can't take that final leap of logic. He's protected his phone from two dragons in the many months he's been here, and Iroh burned his to a crisp on his second day. He doesn't have hopes that the cell phone store workers can give Iroh back all the money he just burned, in Zuko's mind, but he at least needs a new phone to start earning more again... He pulls up directions to the nearest cell phone store on his own phone and turns on his heel to leave, waiting for Iroh only after a few paces down the hall if the man doesn't follow him immediately.

[uncle_iroh]

Iroh, meanwhile, was looking inside the melted remains of his phone, trying to find the money.

That part at least was for comedy's sake. Mostly. Since Zuko had showed him how to show the device to pay for food the day before. But still. The money was in there? He hadn't thought much about it at the time. He was thinking now.

[rediscovering]

"Come on, Uncle! Let's go buy you a new phone...!" Zuko calls from the hall with a huffy tone. Maybe the guys at the store can set these two straight.

[uncle_iroh]

He followed him. "I do not see where the money was, prince Zuko." He was holding it carefully flat now so the money wouldn't fall out.

[rediscovering]

"It's magic money. They're not coins. But it's kept inside your phone somehow. You need to use the phone to pay for everything. Like how I did last night at the inn."

At least his tone of voice is growing softer...

[uncle_iroh]

"Magic... money...?" he was so perplexed as he followed.

[rediscovering]

"It's all invisible — tiny parts inside the phone or something. I don't know how it works. Hikaru's boyfriend tried to explain it to me once, but— I didn't follow, honestly... Maybe the shopkeepers at the cell phone store will know how to explain."

[uncle_iroh]

"I hope so. And that they know how to get the money out to pay for it," he said, clearly unconvinced.

[rediscovering]

"I'm paying for it. My phone is fine."

He's clearly insistent to spend all the money he can on Iroh until the man's set up himself.

[uncle_iroh]

"And where did you get all this money, Zuko?" he worries. He's allowed to.

[rediscovering]

"Quests," he says flatly, glancing aside. "...I've been careful with my money."

Now that, in any universe, is an obvious lie. Zuko's a favorite customer at the teashop he frequents because he goes up and asks for 'the most expensive' tea leaves, verbatim, equating price with quality and flavor. They love him there.

[uncle_iroh]

"Why do I find myself growing more concerned, not less, prince Zuko?"

[rediscovering]

"Uncle, I'm fine," he insists, letting out a little sigh, but closing his eyes as they walk. "Please don't worry. Once we get you your new phone, I'll show you the Questboard — that's how people make money. There are all kinds of tasks and errands and challenges posted there that locals pay us to help with, some meaningless and tedious, some intensive and dangerous. I do a fair bit of both. I'm not rich by any means — just frugal. So don't break the next phone...!" he tags on, finally making eye contact again just to throw the old man a face.

[uncle_iroh]

"Tell me, Zuko, how exactly have you been frugal?" This is the problem with having someone who knows and loves you, Zuko. He knows you.

[rediscovering]

Oh, no. He wants details. Examples. Fuck.

"Uh— well, for one, I still live in the inn, so I don't have to pay rent or anything. Um— I don't have very many clothes or things... So I don't waste my money on frivolous shopping," he manages. These are both true statements that save him money. But... not... really impressive budgeting wisdom? "Oh, and, uh! Azula and I split the costs. For food. And stuff."

Financial expert.

But also not a lie. Him and Azula split the costs for takeout, which they order on the regular because neither of them can cook or wants to learn to cook, so they're not even that bothered that they don't have a real kitchen, either. However, they both manage to save so much money because they steal all their 'groceries' from the convenience store... which is really just a bunch of hot chips and flavored water. It's not a very regal life the Fire Nation royal siblings lead here. Shoplifting saves money, too, this is the real budgeting hot tip.

[uncle_iroh]

"And stuff...?"

If he was aware of the meta plans for a cast house he would feel that it could not come quickly enough.