shatterverse | (no subject)

Current Location: The Cooper Farm, Kansas

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Suki is sitting in the shade of a big beech tree, a little way removed from the buildings and goings on of the main farmstead. It's safe to say that her time at the Cooper Farm has not started very well, what with meeting Sokka and finding out that he's not the one that she left behind at the Western Air Temple, and having to swallow the fact that he's with some other girl here. Hence why she's distinctly unhappy right now.

There are other Sokkas here, allegedly, but she refuses to get her hopes up about that. Meditation hasn't helped at all. So she's just sitting there in her Earth clothes, brooding, and looking nothing like the proud Kyoshi warrior that some folk know her to be.

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Suki double-takes when she spots Zuko. She's still not accustomed to the whole 'other people from her world have also been displaced here' thing. It's her first day at the farm! Give her a break.

She follows up with a wave and a smile, of all things. Sure, they got off to a bad start, but he also helped with the Boiling Rock rescue, and he's teaching Aang firebending. He's actually pretty cool in her opinion now.

"Hi Zuko!" she greets, buoyantly.

His continued lack of recognition dampens her spirits however. That can only mean one thing.

"You're not from the same time as me either," she sighs. "I'm Suki. The leader of the Kyoshi warriors."

"The girls with the fans whose village you demolished?"

"...Oh!" he says suddenly, staring at her in sudden recognition and looking shifty. "Yeah, uh- Sorry. About the demolition. I, er..."

He rubs the back of his neck in supreme awkwardness. "Didn't recognise you without the makeup. Um. How are you?"

That's normal, right? Right?

He seems fairly close to the Zuko she'd left behind, at least in terms of hair-style and the mellow way he bears himself. But it's clear that the Boiling Rock incident hasn't occurred for him yet.

"I've... had better days," she reveals, her smile flattening slightly as she gets up and makes her way over to him. "I'm okay though."

"How about you?"

The bitter twist to his smile is a little more like his former self. After all, he has a lot more practise with that.

"Yeah, I imagine so."

He drops his hand and heads a little closer to talk more easily, with a strange mix of formal stiffness and the desire to talk. "I'm getting used to it. Been a couple months, here. Have you just arrived?"

"Sort of," Suki says, shrugging.

"I've been in Japan for the last few weeks. Barbara, Dinah and Zinda picked me and a friend up in their plane yesterday, and brought us here. So far I've met one of the Sokkas and his girlfriend, and Steph, who's girlfriend with another one."

The Sokkas situation probably doesn't mean much to Zuko, but her disenchanted tone should be a clue as to how she feels about it.

"Oh, and Toph."

Zuko grimaces sympathetically. "Yeah, I get that."

Then he frowns and clarifies, "I have no idea where Japan is. But Dinah and Zinda found me somewhere too, after a while, and brought me here. Steph and Toph and the Sokkas were here already. Did you at least arrive with someone you knew?"

"Yeah," Suki replies. "Rei's not from our world though. She comes from Japan on a different Earth—um... it's an island far far west of here, over the Pacific Ocean."

The Kyoshi waves her hand in a vague westerly direction.

"She was the first person I met when I arrived, and we stuck together from then on."

There's a short dry chuckle before she continues. "She has this special ability that seems to protect her from fire. Not 'bending. Something else. If she ever figures out how to control it, she'd be really useful in the war back home."

"Huh..." says Zuko, looking thoughtful.

"Maybe I'll ask her to demonstrate some time. It's good to know what everyone can do. Lots of people seem to be able to do stuff that isn't bending. This girl Val can make... things out of this glowy white field she creates, shields and simple weapons and armor. Is Rei's anything like that?"

"Nope," Suki replies, shaking her head. "Nothing at all. You can't really see anything different when she does it. Fire just doesn't touch her or harm her, like there's this protective bubble around her."

"It only happened the few times that she was about to get burnt: in a house fire, and when the giant worm made the subway station explode. It's like... a self-defense reaction? So I'm not sure how she could demonstrate it."

Forehead furrowed, Suki does come up with one solution.

"You'd have to surprise her. Like, jump out from a hiding place and Firebend at her when she's not expecting it."

"But that'd be very mean," she concedes.

Zuko stares at the ground for a moment.

"Yeah, well," he says, and pauses. Then he continues, "Maybe if I ask her first. Not like I'm running short of fire."

A little giggle escapes Suki.

"That's true," she agrees. "It sort of takes the element of surprise out of the whole thing though. Her ability may not work if she suspects an attack might be coming. And then..."

Anyone for barbecued Rei?

She shrugs.

"I dunno. Talk to her. You might be able to figure something out."

"Yeah," says Zuko thoughtfully. "I will. We've been training a lot since we arrived here, but with different abilities, it's better to know who can do what. She might be able to teach other people, who knows?"

He's kind of taken his teaching role to heart.

"Maybe."

After another shrug, Suki cocks her head at him.

"When are you from anyway? I know you haven't helped Sokka rescue me from the Boiling Rock yet, or you'd have recognized me. But I get the feeling you're past your crazed Avatar hunting days."

Zuko opens his mouth to answer her, then stops.

"You were in the Boiling Rock? We broke into the Boiling Rock and got out?"

Suki nods emphatically, beaming all the while.

"Yep! Chit Sang started a riot, I kidnapped the warden, and we all got out on the gondola. Azula and Ty Lee tried to stop us, and the guards tried to cut the cable, but we still got away."

"It was a great team effort."

"...So it sounds," and is about to ask what about Mai?

He doesn't know if he wants to hear the answer.

"So you join up with us, then? Joined?"

It's a shame he doesn't ask about Mai really.

"I was planning on it, yes," Suki says. "I didn't really get a chance to do anything to help out though. I'd just gotten to the Western Air Temple when I was zapped to this world."

She guesses if he's saying 'us' then he'd already joined the Gaang, but she waits for him to confirm.

"Oh," Zuko says, thoughtfully.

"Yeah... we were there. The Avatar and I had just come back from going to find the Sun Warriors, to help with our bending, when I came here. It's a good base camp."

"Ooh, we're really close. Sokka told me about that. It was just a few days before you came to get me!"

Suki seems very excited about this. She's grinning, and very nearly bouncing up and down on the spot.

...She looks like she might hug him.

If she does, Zuko may panic.

Er, I mean, be manly and stoic and... panic. To himself. Nobly. Or something.

Meanwhile, he tilts his head at her, thinking. "Really? That is close. I wonder how we found that out." And a little bit of him is wondering if there's a Suki in his world stuck there still because he's here and can't help.

Yes. It takes talent to angst this constantly.

Aww, Zuko. Where's the synchronicity love?

Suki doesn't follow through with a full hug, but she does take hold of his arm for a few moments, such is her happiness.

"Oh, you didn't know I was there. You went to find Sokka's dad and break him out. It just so happened that I got sent there after me and my warriors lost our fight with Azula's team, because I was the leader."

He looks kind of surprised, but holds it together well enough, and nods.

"Oh. That makes sense." Beat. "Still, you must have put up quite a fight. Only really high-profile prisoners get sent to the Boiling Rock, even leaders."

It's a compliment of possibly the most backhanded kind possible.

It doesn't go unnoticed. Suki gives him a grim yet grateful nod.

"It wasn't long after we found Appa in the woods near the Serpent's Pass. He was all filthy and full of porcupine-boar spines. And he was very scared about something."

Sighing, she lets his arm go.

"We'd just coaxed him into trusting us and cleaned him up when Azula attacked. She wanted to hold him hostage in order to get to the Avatar, but I made sure he escaped." She wrinkles her nose unhappily. "My distraction with that job gave Azula the advantage, and the fight was lost once he'd flown away."

Zuko's expression goes very still and distant as she speaks.

"It was a good plan," he says flatly, then glances sideways at her, face still rigidly emotionless.

"I'm sorry you lost. But I'm glad you stopped her."

He gets a little smile in return. Suki knows it was also his plan, back then—Azula said as much. She also knows that he wouldn't dream of doing it now.

The smile becomes a cheeky smirk, and she reaches out again. This time to poke him teasingly in the ribs.

"I would have stopped you too. And I wouldn't have lost."