Zuko fell into an automatic fighting stance, his head snapping around as he hunted for the source of the voice.
"I am Avatar Lu, young Avatar." She stepped away from the tree trunk and waved her arm in one sweeping, graceful movement. "And this is my domain."
Zuko decided he could forgive himself for having thought she was just one more section of tree trunk, with her bark covered board strapped to her chest in place of a shirt, and her skirt made of swamp grass and the broad, flat canopy leaves. She tipped her canopy leaf hat back, her wrinkled face closed off and unhappy. Zuko swallowed and set his jaw. "Why was I brought here?"
A tiny hand parted Avatar Lu's grass skirts, and a pair of bright green eyes stared at him around her leg before the skirts closed and the eye's owner cowered back. Lu stepped back and swept the little girl up into her arms. "This is Avatar Baoshi, and she is why you have come."
The little girl's eyelids were stretched as wide as they would go, her face pinched with fear as she tried to keep staring at Zuko and look up at the woman holding her at the same time. "Make him go away," she whispered.
"It's your armor," Lu explained, patting Baoshi's hair. "She died in a Fire Nation raid."
Zuko's stomach clenched, and he almost reached out to the terrified little girl. His eyes narrowed as he fumbled with the ties on his armor. "If you're trying to make me feel guilty-"
"No," Avatar Lu interrupted sharply. "That is not what this is about. It's my fault she's dead. I'm the one who failed my destiny."
Zuko pulled off the collar and shoulder pads and stripped off the breastplate, leg guards, arm guards, and assorted bits and pieces until all that was left was his gray undertunic and red silk pants, but Baoshi still stared at him, afraid. He kicked his armor aside, frustrated. "What does she want?"
Lu snorted. "You can't just take it off and expect her to forget she ever saw you in it." She wrapped her arms around her young charge and leaned back against the tree. "If you want her trust, you'll have to earn it."
"Why am I here?" he said again, keeping his voice low.
"Hold her for me," Lu told him, trying to hold the child out to him.
"No!" Baoshi screamed. "Don't make me go, Lulu! I don't want to!" Tears poured down her face as Zuko took her awkwardly and tried to settle her on his hip. She squirmed, beating his chest with her fists, her voice cutting through the swamp air.
"Um," Zuko tried. "It's okay, don't be afraid."
She looked up at him like maybe he wasn't that scary, like maybe he was too stupid to be. He rubbed her back, and she shot him a look full of childish disgust before turning into his chest with a wet, snuffling sob. When he held her close, running his hand over her back in soothing circles, he could see her crying, locked inside an abbey, the nuns trying to soothe her tears as the building burned around them and the smoke cut off their air. Zuko gasped.
Lu put her hand on Zuko's shoulder. "When I was alive, I squandered the chance I had to put the world right. No, don't speak," she said when Zuko opened his mouth. "I knew the Fire Nation was bent on conquering the world, but I also knew our swamp would protect us. My people weren't in danger, why should I care about the rest of the world?"
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branchandroot
Laying Aang to rest at the Southern Air Temple, Part 6/7
Date: 2012-05-15 06:10 am (UTC)Zuko fell into an automatic fighting stance, his head snapping around as he hunted for the source of the voice.
"I am Avatar Lu, young Avatar." She stepped away from the tree trunk and waved her arm in one sweeping, graceful movement. "And this is my domain."
Zuko decided he could forgive himself for having thought she was just one more section of tree trunk, with her bark covered board strapped to her chest in place of a shirt, and her skirt made of swamp grass and the broad, flat canopy leaves. She tipped her canopy leaf hat back, her wrinkled face closed off and unhappy. Zuko swallowed and set his jaw. "Why was I brought here?"
A tiny hand parted Avatar Lu's grass skirts, and a pair of bright green eyes stared at him around her leg before the skirts closed and the eye's owner cowered back. Lu stepped back and swept the little girl up into her arms. "This is Avatar Baoshi, and she is why you have come."
The little girl's eyelids were stretched as wide as they would go, her face pinched with fear as she tried to keep staring at Zuko and look up at the woman holding her at the same time. "Make him go away," she whispered.
"It's your armor," Lu explained, patting Baoshi's hair. "She died in a Fire Nation raid."
Zuko's stomach clenched, and he almost reached out to the terrified little girl. His eyes narrowed as he fumbled with the ties on his armor. "If you're trying to make me feel guilty-"
"No," Avatar Lu interrupted sharply. "That is not what this is about. It's my fault she's dead. I'm the one who failed my destiny."
Zuko pulled off the collar and shoulder pads and stripped off the breastplate, leg guards, arm guards, and assorted bits and pieces until all that was left was his gray undertunic and red silk pants, but Baoshi still stared at him, afraid. He kicked his armor aside, frustrated. "What does she want?"
Lu snorted. "You can't just take it off and expect her to forget she ever saw you in it." She wrapped her arms around her young charge and leaned back against the tree. "If you want her trust, you'll have to earn it."
"Why am I here?" he said again, keeping his voice low.
"Hold her for me," Lu told him, trying to hold the child out to him.
"No!" Baoshi screamed. "Don't make me go, Lulu! I don't want to!" Tears poured down her face as Zuko took her awkwardly and tried to settle her on his hip. She squirmed, beating his chest with her fists, her voice cutting through the swamp air.
"Um," Zuko tried. "It's okay, don't be afraid."
She looked up at him like maybe he wasn't that scary, like maybe he was too stupid to be. He rubbed her back, and she shot him a look full of childish disgust before turning into his chest with a wet, snuffling sob. When he held her close, running his hand over her back in soothing circles, he could see her crying, locked inside an abbey, the nuns trying to soothe her tears as the building burned around them and the smoke cut off their air. Zuko gasped.
Lu put her hand on Zuko's shoulder. "When I was alive, I squandered the chance I had to put the world right. No, don't speak," she said when Zuko opened his mouth. "I knew the Fire Nation was bent on conquering the world, but I also knew our swamp would protect us. My people weren't in danger, why should I care about the rest of the world?"