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Post by zuyuri on Aug 10, 2023 20:12:39 GMT
“At least you were able to talk to me straight. I’d rather have that than people who have to pretend.” Zuko absolutely hated when people had to act like the opposite of their true selves. Bella may have wanted to be more outgoing, but that wasn’t her. He liked how true to herself she was. A part of him was jealous that she could do that. If he did show a short side, she probably would like him less.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 12, 2023 2:48:40 GMT
Bella understood what Zuko meant. At least she was being herself. Even Utena would say that was important, even if she made jokes about her sister's shyness. "Well, you were...easy to talk to. Once I got to know you," she admitted. Some people might have been put off by Zuko's scar and think he was someone dangerous or scary. But Bella knew he wasn't like that at all. You just had to look underneath his scar and his stern looks.
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 12, 2023 20:34:34 GMT
“I don’t think I apologized for burning those poor dandelions.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a strained half grin. It had been an accident, but nonetheless he still felt bad. He could have burned the whole field had he been less focused. Well, less focused on where it was. Or maybe he was making a bigger deal out of something that was not that big of a deal.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 13, 2023 16:01:25 GMT
"Hey, if there's one thing I know about plants, is that they can be pretty resilient," Bella replied. "They may get burned or frosted over or eaten by animals, but odds are, they'll grow back." Of course, Bella liked to help plants along if she could, but even without her help, plants could come back stronger than ever if given enough time. Heck, some of them were even built to withstand harsh conditions. Bella had to admire any plant that could grow and thrive in the desert.
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 14, 2023 1:27:19 GMT
That made Zuko feel a tiny bit better. He didn’t know much about plants, but Bella more than made up for her knowledge of it. Maybe that was why he liked spending time with her. She knew so much from all the books she read that it made up for him zoning out in class. Not that he’s mooch off her homework, of course. Wasn’t that a parasite’s thing to do? He was in no way a parasite. He liked working for his goals.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 15, 2023 2:00:47 GMT
That seemed to reassure Zuko a little bit. Bella had to appreciate a guy who cared about plants, which some might seem ironic considering Zuko's powers could destroy them so easily. But Bella knew fire wasn't inherently bad, just like hers weren't inherently good. It all depended on how you used it.
((Want me to wrap this up?))
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 15, 2023 18:04:47 GMT
Zuko finished his slice in comfortable silence. Fatigue from work was finally setting in, mostly noted that while he liked spending time with Bella, he was running out of things to talk about “My people battery’s starting to drain. I should probably get going. Don’t worry. I know my way back.”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 16, 2023 0:20:58 GMT
Bella got what Zuko meant. They had been here a while. And almost as if she was reading her mind, she got text from Utena saying she was tuckered out and if she was ready to go. "Looks like Utena's feeling the same," she said with a little laugh. "But we should do this again. Hang out, I mean. There doesn't have to be...pizza involved." Oh jeez, that came out awkward. How was she still tripping over her words with Zuko?
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 16, 2023 0:25:19 GMT
“Aww, but I loved bonding over cheese and pepperoni and…broken pepper shakers,” Zuko sighed sarcastically. But he got Bella’s point. As she looked at her phone to relay Utena’s text he stood up and looked at her. Part of him wanted to hug her like he was seeing friends do before they left. Has he reached that milestone with Bella yet? “But yeah. We should hang out more.” Instead of a hug, he just patted her shoulder gently with a soft smile before stepping away and heading back to his dorm.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 16, 2023 23:44:45 GMT
Bella had to laugh a little at that. "Not sure how much teachers would approve of a pizza-only diet though," she said. Keeping healthy was an important thing for a superhero after all. Learning all the fighting moves in the world couldn't help you if you were feeling sick or tired all the time. Zuko seemed to hesitate for a second before giving her a slightly awkward pat on the shoulder. She just smiled though before heading over towards Utena.
"Look at you, being a social butterfly and all," Utena joked, giving her sister a playful jab.
"Well, it was easy with Zuko," Bella replied. "It's just kind of...effortless, you know?"
Utena just nodded, but she noticed Bella's eyes lingering on Zuko as he left. Was there something more going on with those two? Or was she reading too much into it? Maybe she should keep an eye on them, just in case anything weird was happening. Bella was her sister after all, and she didn't want anyone, friend or foe, hurting her.
((End thread.))
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