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Post by zuyuri on Apr 15, 2024 23:01:36 GMT
“Who knows? Kind of surprised we don’t have any ‘study abroad’ opportunities.” Zuko ran a hand through his hair as he mulled Bella’s question over. Metropolis was a good town. Sure, there was crime, but hey, what city didn’t have it? Maybe even a chance to get out of the town to see the crime there would help the superhero resume.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Apr 18, 2024 0:18:38 GMT
"Guess it depends how much other places need help from us," Bella mused. Each city had its own group of superheroes. They might call in some outside help if they needed someone with a particular power, or if a supervillain was strong enough that it required several heroes from various places to take them down, but they mostly handled things on their own. Turning back to Zuko, she realized that she'd been babbling on for a bit but hadn't asked Zuko much besides how he ended up at the carnival or how work was. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she gave a little laugh and said "Listen to me, I'm jabbering on like a monkey and I've barely asked you anything. You asked me about stuff I did when I was a kid, what about you?" Come to think of it, she really didn't know much about what Zuko's upbringing. She'd gotten a vague answer here or there, but most of it was a mystery.
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Post by zuyuri on Apr 18, 2024 0:56:29 GMT
A dark shadow suddenly passed over Zuko’s face. Why? Why did the conversation have to shift there? He was enjoying the peace of the carnival. His first carnival. But then again, Bella was his friend. His past was bound to come up eventually. Maybe not every detail was needed, but at least he could talk about some parts without relapsing. “It was lonely. I didn’t have any friends; Unless you count characters from the books or movies. Mostly because I never stayed in one place for long. But then when I was ten, I got a job at this five star hotel called the Slipper. It…helped ease a bit when I was by myself. Cinder was always busy…” Busy doing dirty work as a way to bring in money. Deeds disguised as superhero work.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Apr 18, 2024 23:36:10 GMT
Zuko was quiet for a long moment before he replied, and his answer pulled at Bella's heartstrings. A lonely childhood, never staying in one place for too long. And having a job when he was just ten? She'd never met anyone who'd started working that young. But having more friends in her head rather than real life was something she could relate to. "Oh. I'm sorry," she finally offered, not sure what else to say. "I...know what some of that's like, when books seem a lot better than your life." They'd been her escape more than once, especially when things had gotten tough with her parents and they were fighting constantly. "Cinder. You've...mentioned her before, right?" Zuko hadn't said what exactly she had been to him, but it had been clear she wasn't in his life anymore.
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Post by zuyuri on Apr 19, 2024 1:58:31 GMT
Zuko exited the buggy when the Ferris wheel coasted to a stop, eyes facing forward but ears on Bella. Of course she’d understand the book characters connection. She read so many books, that it was hard to not see her pining over some Byronic hero type. He had never had any fictional crushes that deep. “Let’s just say I got my super power from her.” Zuko clenched his fist, choosing to answer Bella’s response about Cinder. Tiny flames sparked and disappeared in the motion.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Apr 19, 2024 22:26:05 GMT
Bella wasn't even aware she and Zuko had reached the ground until the ferris wheel stopped again. She hurried after him, noticing the tense way he answered her question about Cinder and the tiny flames that sparked for a moment around his clenched fist. Getting his super powers from her, literally or figuratively, could mean a lot of things. But probing any further at this point would be like poking a bear with a stick. She'd asked enough questions for today and didn't want to push her luck. Instead, she reached out and took Zuko's hand in both of her own, as if trying to smother any flames that might be smoldering underneath. "I'm sorry," she said again before adding on "Her...all of that...at least it's behind us. And we're here now. And we don't have to let it follow us." She and Zuko had both had painful things happen in the past, but that didn't mean it had to affect the present. That was then, this is now, that was how Bella saw it.
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Post by zuyuri on Apr 20, 2024 5:00:45 GMT
Two hands clamped around Zuko’s clenched fist. He turned to see who had gripped him and blinked once. Bella’s blue eyes were locked onto his, and he could feel the anger in him subside. Replaced with it was shame. He had almost snapped at her, when she had done nothing wrong. A rush of something he couldn’t identify took over Zuko, and he hugged her. Bella was comforting and genuine, and oh so sweet.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Apr 23, 2024 1:05:07 GMT
Bella couldn't tell what Zuko was feeling when she looked at his face. Angry? Confused? Sad? She wasn't sure if she should say something else, or let go of his hand. She was definitely not expecting him to pull her into a hug. Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, and maybe another time, the usual blush would have crept onto her face. But there was none of that nervousness she felt so often or embarrassment. It just felt...right. She hugged him back, just hoping that he knew he had a friend in her. So often in her life, she was usually the person being helped. But she wanted to be the helper this time, to be that person that said everything was going to be okay and have someone believe it.
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Post by zuyuri on Apr 23, 2024 14:06:04 GMT
Zuko held her closer. The mere thought of her presence pushed away every other emotion that was plaguing his mind. She was his friend. His best friend. The longer he held her in the hug, the louder he felt his heart beat in his ears. The desire to protect her from anything horrible in her life ever was surging through him. He felt lighter, like he could walk with confidence, knowing Bella was there. The emotions roared through him and as they dwindled down to comfortable silence, he released her. “Didn’t know how much I needed that,” he said softly. “Thank you, Bella.”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Apr 24, 2024 1:49:58 GMT
Right when Bella was having the thought that Zuko actually smelled kind of nice, like wood smoke and herbal tea, he pulled away to thank her. She shut the thought off before she started blushing, wondering why the heck that had crossed her mind. Friends didn't usually think about that sort of thing. "Of course," she replied earnestly. What else were friends for, right?
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Post by zuyuri on Apr 25, 2024 15:35:41 GMT
The blush that spread on her face was, admittedly, sort of cute. Something about it made her look like one of her flowers. It didn’t help that she either wore a perfume that smelled like fresh cut flowers or fingers a side effect of her plants. Zuko cleared this throat to return to the present. “Uh…what…else do you recommend?”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Apr 26, 2024 0:00:46 GMT
Shoot, right. Bella and Zuko were here to enjoy the carnival, not dwell on the heavy stuff the entire time. She cast around for an idea for a moment before remembering her offer of getting Zuko something to eat while they were here. "I think that snow cone went right through me, not much nutritional value in flavored ice," she said. "How about we find something a little more filling?"
((Want to wrap this up here? I'm good with ending it here or keeping it going a bit))
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Post by zuyuri on Apr 26, 2024 5:05:53 GMT
((We can end here.))
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