Zuko was less than pleased to finally be forced out of the school. He'd put up with the foul smell until he'd started to feel ill, before finally packing up his meagre belongings and abandoning the classroom. He paced the area around the school looking for anywhere remotely sheltered to last out the night, his mood near fouler than the mold at this point. He wasn't the only one escaping the rancor of the school, and that only put him more on edge.
He'd decided to wait it out, leaned against the shadowed back side of the school, his pack tucked between him and the stone wall. He crossed his arms and glared out into the night, determined to outlast his own exhaustion. Especially when the first few drops of rain bloomed on the ground by his feet. He felt the frustration boiling higher under his skin, but even as his anger simmered his eyelids drooped heavier and heavier. His last thought was that the sleep claiming him seemed unnatural, then he was gone.
When he blinked back to awareness the first thing he took note of was the uncomfortable damp clinging to his clothes and weighing down his hair. The second was that said hair hanging in his eyes had not been there when he fell asleep. He pulled the bangs down to stare in confusion, before pushing them out of his eyes and checking over the rest of his person and belongings. His old travelling rags were gone, replaced by far more comfortable casual fire nation robes. Red, pants and short sleeves, covered by a darker red tunic trimmed in yellow gold. Tall dark boots with a comfortable soul and a strip of yellow gold running down the front.
"What in Agni's name?" It was familiar to him, the way a half remembered dream was. Those weird visions he'd had when he first arrived, of being on seemingly good terms with the Avatar and his friends, of Mai yelling at him, telling him they were over, of being trapped somewhere cold, of standing up to his father. It was fractured still, but it felt... truer, than it had to him before. He shook his head, something to worry about later, for now, he needed to find somewhere to dry off.
Gift In Time Gift In Time Nary A Reason Nary A Rhyme Gift In Time!
It didn't take him long to realize that the mold had magically disappeared seemingly overnight, the same way his hair had grown and his clothes had changed. Spirits, he really hated this Agni-scorned island. But at least access to a dry classroom was a small blessing.
He found it while he was checking through his bag, to make sure nothing had gone missing while he slept. He pulled out his sleeping roll, and from the bottom of his pack a familiar waft that made his stomach curdle as the smell hit his nose. He stepped back, eyes watering, and swore loudly, tried to, at least. How in Agni's name- He pulled his new tunic to cover his nose and reached in to retrieve, sure enough, his uncle's filthy old slipper.
He stared at it, utterly confused, and a little put out by it appearing in his bag of all places. He'd never get the smell out. He held it as far from himself as he could, pinched lightly between his thumb and his forefinger. He turned it slowly. Aside from the bottom of it being absolutely cacked in mud, or- he hoped it was mud, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it. He sighed, going to drop it in a corner until he could decide if it was worth keeping, or if he should just go throw it into the ocean.
He paused as it his the floor, a tiny clink of sound pulling his attention. He kicked the slipper upside down, leaning in to look more closely at the muck, coughing even through his shirt. Sure enough, a tiny sliver of white tile was just distinguishable between gunky treads.
He huffed. Nothing was ever easy for him, was it? A few experimental pokes and prods proved whatever the object was, it would not easily be dislodged, and he stood with another frustrated shout, kicking the wall for good measure.
The likelihood someone had overheard his frustrations as they were reclaiming the school were probably pretty high. He hadn't considered this probability, so anyone poking their head in the door was sure to surprise the guy. Though they were just as likely to get a surprise in the smell department as soon as they opened the door.
Zuko - OTA
Zuko was less than pleased to finally be forced out of the school. He'd put up with the foul smell until he'd started to feel ill, before finally packing up his meagre belongings and abandoning the classroom. He paced the area around the school looking for anywhere remotely sheltered to last out the night, his mood near fouler than the mold at this point. He wasn't the only one escaping the rancor of the school, and that only put him more on edge.
He'd decided to wait it out, leaned against the shadowed back side of the school, his pack tucked between him and the stone wall. He crossed his arms and glared out into the night, determined to outlast his own exhaustion. Especially when the first few drops of rain bloomed on the ground by his feet. He felt the frustration boiling higher under his skin, but even as his anger simmered his eyelids drooped heavier and heavier. His last thought was that the sleep claiming him seemed unnatural, then he was gone.
When he blinked back to awareness the first thing he took note of was the uncomfortable damp clinging to his clothes and weighing down his hair. The second was that said hair hanging in his eyes had not been there when he fell asleep. He pulled the bangs down to stare in confusion, before pushing them out of his eyes and checking over the rest of his person and belongings. His old travelling rags were gone, replaced by far more comfortable casual fire nation robes. Red, pants and short sleeves, covered by a darker red tunic trimmed in yellow gold. Tall dark boots with a comfortable soul and a strip of yellow gold running down the front.
"What in Agni's name?" It was familiar to him, the way a half remembered dream was. Those weird visions he'd had when he first arrived, of being on seemingly good terms with the Avatar and his friends, of Mai yelling at him, telling him they were over, of being trapped somewhere cold, of standing up to his father. It was fractured still, but it felt... truer, than it had to him before. He shook his head, something to worry about later, for now, he needed to find somewhere to dry off.
Gift In Time Gift In Time Nary A Reason Nary A Rhyme Gift In Time!
It didn't take him long to realize that the mold had magically disappeared seemingly overnight, the same way his hair had grown and his clothes had changed. Spirits, he really hated this Agni-scorned island. But at least access to a dry classroom was a small blessing.
He found it while he was checking through his bag, to make sure nothing had gone missing while he slept. He pulled out his sleeping roll, and from the bottom of his pack a familiar waft that made his stomach curdle as the smell hit his nose. He stepped back, eyes watering, and swore loudly, tried to, at least. How in Agni's name- He pulled his new tunic to cover his nose and reached in to retrieve, sure enough, his uncle's filthy old slipper.
He stared at it, utterly confused, and a little put out by it appearing in his bag of all places. He'd never get the smell out. He held it as far from himself as he could, pinched lightly between his thumb and his forefinger. He turned it slowly. Aside from the bottom of it being absolutely cacked in mud, or- he hoped it was mud, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it. He sighed, going to drop it in a corner until he could decide if it was worth keeping, or if he should just go throw it into the ocean.
He paused as it his the floor, a tiny clink of sound pulling his attention. He kicked the slipper upside down, leaning in to look more closely at the muck, coughing even through his shirt. Sure enough, a tiny sliver of white tile was just distinguishable between gunky treads.
He huffed. Nothing was ever easy for him, was it? A few experimental pokes and prods proved whatever the object was, it would not easily be dislodged, and he stood with another frustrated shout, kicking the wall for good measure.
The likelihood someone had overheard his frustrations as they were reclaiming the school were probably pretty high. He hadn't considered this probability, so anyone poking their head in the door was sure to surprise the guy. Though they were just as likely to get a surprise in the smell department as soon as they opened the door.