[ But he attaches a photo of himself making a stern, troubled scowl at the camera, with a strange animal sitting on his shoulder, obviously in the foyer of his grand but now-empty house with the window overlooking Aang's garden behind them. Zuko is obviously trying to make an expressionless face, but even in sadness, he just looks angry always — he looks hurt. Momo just looks... like Momo. ]
except the avatar's lemur. for some reason. just me and momo now i guess...
[ If it was a bad joke, Zuko doesn't seem bothered. He's almost finding a wry, karmic humor in this himself... after everyone being here... to find himself alone again... if he doesn't laugh, he'll cry, kinda thing. Even for Zuko. ]
[ Hikaru's heard enough about Fire Nation cuisine by now to know what "comfort food" entails for Zuko. He wants to burn his feelings away with his taste buds, thanks. ]
got it. be there in about an hour? i'll order ahead like i said.
[And Hikaru comes, like promised. Actually, right on time, the food is delivered as soon as Hikaru arrives too. Fuqi feipian, a beef dish with Sichuan petter and a good amount of other spices. The quality is not exactly what Hikaru would be wanting but also, when you're getting food delivered, the idea is fast and easier done. But Hikaru's gotten food from here before and he found it just fine. Average, at worst.
So he knocks on the door, bags of food in hand.]
Yo, Zuko. I bring the gift of my company and food~
[ The home is beautiful, a rather chic, rather large house with a vague sort of oriental flair mixed in with modern and medieval elements — a house Sokka paid a pretty penny for, as a reward from a particularly unsavory but high-paying quest he once fulfilled. The long entranceway outside is elegant, but colder than it used to look now that they're in the dead of winter. The yards and forest surrounding the house, which is a bit tucked away on the outskirts of the city but still perfectly easy to find, are barren and somber-looking, compared to how much life and beauty it boasted in the fall when they first moved in.
Zuko, himself, looks a little more lifeless than usual. He's underdressed when he answers the door, for it being so cold in such a huge house with so many windows; they have heating, but it's hard to heat a house like this. And all he's wearing is his loose-fitting red Fire Nation pants, which Hikaru's seen ten million times and surely recognizes as a sort of comfort item for a mopey Zuko by now, along with a slightly oversized plain black T-shirt, barefoot with his hair let down... Like he wants to be cold. Dramatic. He answers the door with a nod and a gruff, mumbled tone, but ushers Hikaru in quickly enough before sliding the door shut again to trap out the cold. ]
Yo. C'min. Let's take that to the kitchen.
[ He leads him down the short steps into the foyer, which boasts a little indoor stream with running water, decorated with real stones and live plants, immediately setting some kind of mood here. Not far off, as Zuko guides him in, they've created an indoor rock garden, a project Zuko and Sokka had taken on together. This entrance hall leads them past a wall made up of tall windows and skylights, over-looking a central garden, like a greenhouse tucked away in the center of their home, Aang's own little personal sanctuary, a burst of green compared to the snowy landscapes outside. Zuko passes by this unceremoniously, not really bothering to give Hikaru a "tour," as he leads him past Aang's garden and onto the veranda that separates the halves of the house, like the greenhouse — and this space is very much Katara's own sanctuary, having even affixed some impressive enchanted fountains. It's all incredibly beautiful, a massive step up from his dismal inn room with Azula, and from his chaotic warroom of a flat with Hikaru and Kaoru and Tamaki. The elegance of the house he'd come to share with his friends from home, everyone's unique presence felt in different ways, just adds to this bittersweetness that hangs in the air. ]
Thank you for coming. What did you bring?
[ He might as well make a little chit-chat, walking through this mansion he apparently now owns and will live in all alone... it feels empty. But at the same time, one can also almost feel immediately that it was once probably very lively. The main part of the house opens on an indoor tree that's surrounded by a dining room to one side, its wall made of tall windows overlooking the waterworks on the veranda. To the other side is a very neat but cozy living room, its set-up elaborate enough to fit at least a half a dozen people easily; judging by the long, central fireplace, the flames presently burning steadily drawing one's eye to it, and the massive TV, it's easy to assume this is Zuko's mark on the house.
He rounds a corner through a tiny hall by the dining area, which spills into the tucked away little kitchen, bright and clean and comfortable. Just like the rest of the space... one can tell this accommodated many people hanging out together at once. This was surely a central meeting spot for the group of friends. And it looks way more functional than Zuko would need, Hikaru knowing how poorly Zuko knows his way around a kitchen, so someone must have known how to cook here. ...Now it's just Zuko, though, yeah. In a beautiful home customized to suit all his friends' tastes and needs. And that's just the common space, not even considering the many bedrooms upstairs or the private suite they'd reserved to isolate host Azula, before she'd disappeared.
Zuko pulls a stool out for Hikaru at the island as he passes by, but goes to grab two pairs of chopsticks and two glasses of water before he joins him at the counter to eat, letting Hikaru manage the takeout. He's feeling rather numb, so words aren't coming easily, but he can already tell just from the tone in their text conversation that Hikaru's energy will probably at least snap him out of it, if cheering him up is too much to hope for. ]
[All Hikaru can think is how depressing this big house is. It screams with the type of energy that this was once a house filled with people, people who had enjoyed their time here. But now they're gone and leaving only memories.
It's bumming Hikaru the hell out and he's not exactly a big fan of that. Besides, he knows that Zuko brought him here to try to get him out of this very clear funk he's in. One that Hikaru does understand. Once losing Kaoru, he'd been so deep in his own sadness (sadness that Zuko had seen) that Hikaru knows he owes so much to Zuko for. It's still a sadness that Hikaru's in but he's learning to live with it.
It helps when you have people who care.]
Fuqi feipian. Spicy meat, just like you wanted. [Though it's usually made with beef tripe, Hikaru got it with just tongue this time. He's not as big of a fan of tripe and prefers tongue. He opens up the takeout containers, still steaming and with crushed peanuts and nan ling celery leaves.]
This is the best that I got for take-out. Anything better we'd have to eat out and I got a feeling we'd be running into a pizza place type situation again. And really, being so public now, I'd rather people not know I left without paying.
[It's all just simple chatter, meaningless, so Zuko doesn't have to think. It's just noise for the sake of being noise.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text; backdated to date of katara and aang's disappearance
no subject
what
1/2
2/2
except the avatar's lemur.
for some reason.
just me and momo now i guess...
1/2
That wasn't what he was expecting and he feels really bad actually.]
well.
you have more space?
2/2
that wasn't a good joke. sorry.
want to do something?
no subject
wanna come over later?
let's order dinner.
[ If it was a bad joke, Zuko doesn't seem bothered. He's almost finding a wry, karmic humor in this himself... after everyone being here... to find himself alone again... if he doesn't laugh, he'll cry, kinda thing. Even for Zuko. ]
no subject
[He's trying to be thoughtful and well, Hikaru gets it. He's the only from his world here as well.]
no subject
[ Hikaru's heard enough about Fire Nation cuisine by now to know what "comfort food" entails for Zuko. He wants to burn his feelings away with his taste buds, thanks. ]
no subject
[And Hikaru comes, like promised. Actually, right on time, the food is delivered as soon as Hikaru arrives too. Fuqi feipian, a beef dish with Sichuan petter and a good amount of other spices. The quality is not exactly what Hikaru would be wanting but also, when you're getting food delivered, the idea is fast and easier done. But Hikaru's gotten food from here before and he found it just fine. Average, at worst.
So he knocks on the door, bags of food in hand.]
Yo, Zuko. I bring the gift of my company and food~
action; a novel, lol, to get it out of the way
Zuko, himself, looks a little more lifeless than usual. He's underdressed when he answers the door, for it being so cold in such a huge house with so many windows; they have heating, but it's hard to heat a house like this. And all he's wearing is his loose-fitting red Fire Nation pants, which Hikaru's seen ten million times and surely recognizes as a sort of comfort item for a mopey Zuko by now, along with a slightly oversized plain black T-shirt, barefoot with his hair let down... Like he wants to be cold.
Dramatic.He answers the door with a nod and a gruff, mumbled tone, but ushers Hikaru in quickly enough before sliding the door shut again to trap out the cold. ]Yo. C'min. Let's take that to the kitchen.
[ He leads him down the short steps into the foyer, which boasts a little indoor stream with running water, decorated with real stones and live plants, immediately setting some kind of mood here. Not far off, as Zuko guides him in, they've created an indoor rock garden, a project Zuko and Sokka had taken on together. This entrance hall leads them past a wall made up of tall windows and skylights, over-looking a central garden, like a greenhouse tucked away in the center of their home, Aang's own little personal sanctuary, a burst of green compared to the snowy landscapes outside. Zuko passes by this unceremoniously, not really bothering to give Hikaru a "tour," as he leads him past Aang's garden and onto the veranda that separates the halves of the house, like the greenhouse — and this space is very much Katara's own sanctuary, having even affixed some impressive enchanted fountains. It's all incredibly beautiful, a massive step up from his dismal inn room with Azula, and from his chaotic warroom of a flat with Hikaru and Kaoru and Tamaki. The elegance of the house he'd come to share with his friends from home, everyone's unique presence felt in different ways, just adds to this bittersweetness that hangs in the air. ]
Thank you for coming. What did you bring?
[ He might as well make a little chit-chat, walking through this mansion he apparently now owns and will live in all alone... it feels empty. But at the same time, one can also almost feel immediately that it was once probably very lively. The main part of the house opens on an indoor tree that's surrounded by a dining room to one side, its wall made of tall windows overlooking the waterworks on the veranda. To the other side is a very neat but cozy living room, its set-up elaborate enough to fit at least a half a dozen people easily; judging by the long, central fireplace, the flames presently burning steadily drawing one's eye to it, and the massive TV, it's easy to assume this is Zuko's mark on the house.
He rounds a corner through a tiny hall by the dining area, which spills into the tucked away little kitchen, bright and clean and comfortable. Just like the rest of the space... one can tell this accommodated many people hanging out together at once. This was surely a central meeting spot for the group of friends. And it looks way more functional than Zuko would need, Hikaru knowing how poorly Zuko knows his way around a kitchen, so someone must have known how to cook here. ...Now it's just Zuko, though, yeah. In a beautiful home customized to suit all his friends' tastes and needs. And that's just the common space, not even considering the many bedrooms upstairs or the private suite they'd reserved to
isolatehost Azula, before she'd disappeared.Zuko pulls a stool out for Hikaru at the island as he passes by, but goes to grab two pairs of chopsticks and two glasses of water before he joins him at the counter to eat, letting Hikaru manage the takeout. He's feeling rather numb, so words aren't coming easily, but he can already tell just from the tone in their text conversation that Hikaru's energy will probably at least snap him out of it, if cheering him up is too much to hope for. ]
damn ellie
It's bumming Hikaru the hell out and he's not exactly a big fan of that. Besides, he knows that Zuko brought him here to try to get him out of this very clear funk he's in. One that Hikaru does understand. Once losing Kaoru, he'd been so deep in his own sadness (sadness that Zuko had seen) that Hikaru knows he owes so much to Zuko for. It's still a sadness that Hikaru's in but he's learning to live with it.
It helps when you have people who care.]
Fuqi feipian. Spicy meat, just like you wanted. [Though it's usually made with beef tripe, Hikaru got it with just tongue this time. He's not as big of a fan of tripe and prefers tongue. He opens up the takeout containers, still steaming and with crushed peanuts and nan ling celery leaves.]
This is the best that I got for take-out. Anything better we'd have to eat out and I got a feeling we'd be running into a pizza place type situation again. And really, being so public now, I'd rather people not know I left without paying.
[It's all just simple chatter, meaningless, so Zuko doesn't have to think. It's just noise for the sake of being noise.]