avalon inbox;

[rediscovering]

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username: fireprince 🔥 text • audio • video

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open to all. permanent catch-all. deliveries, action logs, etc welcome.

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[bakudan_bambino]

OK. Good

1/2

[rediscovering]

OK GOOD???

[ Oy va voy, he’s switching to voice message. ]

2/2; audio;

[rediscovering]

What am I supposed to do…?! Should I just go along with it?! Step off and let her do whatever she wants?! Half the comments are people who know me worried I’m on my deathbed or something! You and Hikaru and my friends from home can see through this right away, but like— I’ve only met Li Min and Aerith a few times! They’re buying it, Aerith just sent her money! My acquaintances offering to heal me and Azula’s making up all these rude, crazy excuses that don’t make sense!

[ Cue Zuko’s stunning (or maybe not so much) Azula impersonation, lifting his voice and trying to mimic her cadence. It’s not not good, but… it does make it kind of hard to take his plight seriously when his reaction is so comedic. ]

“Your healing magic won’t be necessary, he may or may not be contagious, I don’t want to risk starting a plague! Oh, it’s not necessarily just a physical ailment!”

[ And an emphatic return to his own voice. ]

What does that even mean?! Is she implying I’ve gone crazy or something?! Ugh!

Pointedly staying text 1/2

[bakudan_bambino]

yeah

2/2 text

[bakudan_bambino]

Just accept that people want to help. It’ll be easier.

If they realize Azula tricked them, that’s on her, not you.

The soup Aurora made is good. She likes taking care of people.

Likewise staying voice pointedly lol…

[rediscovering]

But they want to help a problem that doesn’t exist! What if her lies snowball?! Now I’m lying to keep up with her because Aurora wants to feed us! So if anyone realizes it’s a trick, it’s on both of us! It seems like Li Min caught on, thankfully, but… Aerith and Aurora are trusting and giving and kind… I don’t want to trick them! We do need money and food, we always need money and food — but not like this! If this is her latest solution, I’d go back to shoplifting with her in a heartbeat!

[ He doesn’t think he’s ever even mentioned that criminal stint they had to Gokudera. As far as Zuko’s aware, only Sokka knows, and Sokka only knows because… well, he caught him in the act. Whoops. ]

[bakudan_bambino]

Contact them privately and explain, then. You’re making a bigger deal out of this than you need to.

Stop shoplifting. You’re only inconveniencing who you steal from, and that makes the prices higher.

[rediscovering]

Azula’s lied to me all our lives, now she’s lying about me — publicly — to exploit my friends! I think it’s a big deal!

Anyway, we haven’t stolen anything for months, it’s fine. At least I haven’t…

[ You hear that exasperated tone? He’s not in the mood to be scolded for this. Again. ]

[bakudan_bambino]

Do what you can, but you remember what I said last time? You can’t be responsible for your sister.

Still, if you do. Know that you’re only making more problems for yourself.

[Gokudera is not conveying a tone. He’s not in the mood for… anything.]

[rediscovering]

I know, I know… You’re right… it’s just— [ He heaves a sigh. ] …aggravating! Maybe I should just message Aerith and say “turns out we don’t need it” and send her the money back… I don’t know… This is so dumb.

[bakudan_bambino]

Yeah

[rediscovering]

…Are you in a bad mood or something?

[bakudan_bambino]

Aurora caught me trying to take off my collar. Takeshi is gone. The Tenth found out I’ve been keeping secrets from him.

I’m doing great.

[rediscovering]

…Since I’m not actually sick— can I come over?

[bakudan_bambino]

Why?

Isn’t Aurora coming over?

[rediscovering]

Right… After?

[bakudan_bambino]

Do what you want

[rediscovering]

…How about we go somewhere, instead, then? You can get out of the house. Distraction.

[bakudan_bambino]

No.

Thanks

[rediscovering]

fine
then i’ll come over after all

[bakudan_bambino]

see you then

action; lol i wrote you a long reflective one, sup

[rediscovering]

[ It's an hour or so before Zuko's over, uncharacteristically not as prompt as usual. The whole ordeal with Azula's post and Aurora's soup became much more time-consuming than he'd expected. However, she did bring him some chamomile tea, so he's brought that along to share with Gokudera; he figures he could actually use it more than Zuko... but right now some calming tea is just what he needs, too. The irony; how time has flown since he would have screamed at Iroh for offering him some when he was upset like this... Two years feels much longer. So much has changed. His relationship with Azula has changed so drastically in that time, too. But somehow today... it felt like old times. He'd rather be with a mopey Gokudera than a jokey Azula right now.

He knocks at the door with a bit less force than usual. He's wearing comfortable clothes, more casual than usual too, just a big grey T-shirt and his loose-fitting red Fire Nation pants, and black and white trainers with stripes — Abibas style, you know. He has a thin black backpack, carrying the chamomile tea, his sheathed twin dao swords he's seldom without, and unseen, also Zunyan in there... Overall, pretty chill and somehow sporty looking, different than his usual jeans and hoodies or fitted trousers and pullovers — these are his house clothes, really, he just came right over. Most noticeably, though, he has got his hair cut short again, like it'd been when he first arrived in Avalon and met Gokudera for the "first" time. He's not bothered to deal with it in months, and his hair grows pretty fast, so it's a nice change for him. Hikaru did it just today, maybe made it a little more clean and chic and modern, but flattering indeed; the host has a knack. Zuko's always happy with his haircuts from Hikaru, and he'd even admit... it's kind of fun. They always had good talks during his haircuts.

That, of course, happened before Zuko casually browsed the network and saw a crude drawing of himself as a very unpleasant surprise. Maybe the day's not ruined, though... He also always has fun with Gokudera seemingly no matter what they do. And even if they don't have any fun at all today, even if they just sit in silence together, brooding — still better than being home with Azula right now. ]

Aww, sup thanks dude

[bakudan_bambino]

[It takes a few minutes for Gokudera to get to the door, and when he does, he looks haggard. Dressed in grey joggers and a white t-shirt, it seems he’s trying to be comfortable. There is cat hair on him, and bags under his eyes that are far more noticeable since they draw darkness to the bloodshot pink of his eyes which are simultaneously swollen from crying. The boy’s nose is pink, face pale, and neck flushed, looking no more irritated than usual.

He opens the door and turns to walk back into the small living room, shooing Uri off, who takes to approaching Zukon and welcoming him in with rumbling purrs.]

How’s Aurora?

[His voice is terribly hoarse and congested as he moves to pull out his journal and write in it, G-script filling most of it.]

[rediscovering]

[ Zuko's still wary of this new Uri, the rumbling purrs sounding more like growls to his ear; they haven't bonded yet like they had when he was tiny. So he's fine with Gokudera shooing him off. Besides, Gokudera looks, uh... unwell. Zuko just wears a discerning scowl, cocking a brow as the boy pulls out a journal. ]

She's fine... [ He says distantly, half-heartedly, gazing at Gokudera's hands, wondering what he's writing. ] Azula isn't fine.

[ The irritation in his voice is clear, even if his eyes are still distracted. ]

[bakudan_bambino]

What do you mean?

[Uri moves, but comes right back to sit against the arm of the sleeper, leaning against Gokudera to comfort him. He reaches up with his unoccupied hand to stroke over the leopard's head.

He's writing, but not hurriedly. Just... trying to gather himself. He has a lot to think about.]