idk I guess I still play this dumb asshole

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Tag me or something. Let me know if you have a preference for canon point (I usually default to post-show with some comics inspo). Also feel free to comment blank and I'll make a prompt.

Comments

let's return to an AU crossover of two series I haven't canon reviewed in 5+ years

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Normally, Zuko's instinct would be to prefer to be evaluated on his martial skills. He's more comfortable failing there than he is failing in conversation in front of important authority figures, and he's done enough of both to have formed a preference. But he's so cast adrift internally, floundering except for the moments Sokka cuts in and bolsters him with either a sarcastic aside or a chatty, distracting remark. Somehow he always seems to know which one Zuko needs at which moment.

It's new enough having a Companion that Zuko hasn't gotten used to that yet. He gets lost in his own head so easily, like he's slipping bit by bit down a rockslide into a dark cavern, painstakingly slowly, and all his attempts to scramble back up make things worse... and then Sokka cuts in with something irreverent and it jolts him out of it.

He can't imagine giving this up. Zuko frankly hasn't bothered to fathom unconditional support since his mother disappeared. He would endure a lot more than exile in a land of demons and having to pass muster with a fellow traitor, even if he does miss his uncle.

He tells himself all this, but he's still jittery with nerves, and as he follows Alberich toward his office, his accent in Valdemaran thickens, hampered by his self-consciousness. But his grammar is smooth, proving he isn't as terrible a student as he always thinks he is in comparison to Azula. "Do we even really know anything about each other beyond our names?" he complains crossly, defaulting to agitated as always. "I hope you're not planning on testing me on that first, because half of everything I've ever learned has been a lie."

it's rp, baby

[exiled_honor]

Alberich feels a pang of sympathy, remembering what it was like to try to reconcile all the things that didn't seem to make sense when he arrived. And worse, the things the way the things he'd taken as given turned out not to make sense when held up for real scrutiny. His expression, though, remains impassive. "I don't believe we do."

At least the boy has seems to have the grammar down. The language won't be an issue, just everything else.

It isn't, actually, an office that Alberich leads Zuko to. He does have an office, of course, but it's cramped and airless. In light of the trainee's agitation, Alberich decides to treat his sitting room as the office today.

The room they turn into is furnished sparsely, but with old, heavy wooden furniture of high quality. A couch and a few upholstered chairs sit near the fireplace, and there is in fact a desk in one corner, a shelf next to it holding a small collection of books. But the dominating feature is a large stained-glass window. The design is unmistakable to any follower of Vkandis - the sun in glory, though it's laid out against a rich, peaceful blue rather than the red favored by the Sunpriests of Karse.

Alberich doesn't gesture for Zuko to sit. Another test of how the prince will react. Instead, he walks over to the hearth and hooks the kettle above the fire. "Tea? I have it from one of the Sunpriests in the city."

:Killing him with kindness?:

:I doubt anyone else has tried: Alberich's response is more mournful than dry.

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The Karsite royal family's concept of below-par in anything is above-average anywhere else, so while Zuko thinks of himself as pitifully unskilled in languages, including Valdemaran, it's more than enough to make himself understood in the actual country. That's one of those concepts he hasn't even thought to scrutinize in the light of the day and found faulty yet. The deeper embedded concepts, the personal realities, will be the last and most painful to go.

Zuko's eyes dart immediately to the stained glass window, and he pauses briefly before standing awkwardly, and tensely, some feet away, facing his instructor. He's surprised they let Alberich have such a flagrant display of religion, and then Alberich goes even further.

"There's Sunpriests in the city?" he repeats dumbly, his sensibilities still firmly set in the perspective of outlawing foreign influences. "Uh... sure." Zuko does not actually want tea, but he accepts automatically, used to his uncle forcing it on him. It's usually easier to accept and not drink it than make a fuss. And he desperately wants to make a good impression, while simultaneously being miserably sure that's not possible.

:You should really give people more of a chance to not hate you before getting all wet cat on them,: Sokka cuts in cheerfully.

:Like that's going to happen. I'm lucky they didn't kill me on sight.:

[exiled_honor]

Alberich sits down in the chair nearest the fire. Sits, but doesn't relax - his posture remains military. "They call it the Temple of the Lord of Light. But the priests are Sunpriests, and they worship Vkandis, yes. All religions are accepted in Valdemar." His voice drops slightly, to suit the weight of his next words. "Though some find it best not to draw much attention."

Trainee Zuko, of course, will not be able to escape drawing attention. Captain Alberich, a man of no political consequence, had drawn more than enough himself. He has been accepted, more or less - the benefit of serving in combat on Valdemar's behalf, and of making himself a niche in which he's proven his skill (and which very few people think to consider him outside of). But there's still mistrust, from some quarters. The older nobles and the border lords. People whose families were killed in wars with Karse or the Tedrels. And that's for Weaponsmaster Alberich, the simple warrior. Not Prince Zuko. Valdemar is an accepting land, for the most part, but he will not pretend Zuko has a smooth road before him.

But he will, at least, have the Companions and Heralds to accompany him on it. They trust Alberich. And they know that if another Karsite has been Chosen, he can be trusted too.

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Another potentially blindingly obvious point Zuko will take a long time to realize: the masterful genius of making the next Fire Lord a Herald as a method of overturning Karse's current path, and the high likelihood that it was entirely, well, deliberate in a divine way. Zuko, at this point, has completely written off ever being the Fire Lord. Emotionally, it feels like it's been a long time coming rather than a surprise... and doesn't that just say everything. He fully expects to be in for a rough time, because he always is; he doesn't know if he even wants to have others understand just how fully he is unwanted in his own family. That would be horrible in a completely different, and more sharply personal, way.

In the present moment, he struggles to parse and accept the reality of Valdemar. "Don't worry, I'm used to drawing attention," he answers flatly, folding his arms. "Not like I can hide who I am with this scar." The Crown Prince, now an infamous traitor, having a giant burn scar on his face is certainly both memorable and identifiable even to those who've never met him.

Some of his floundering uncertainty becomes obvious, Zuko terrible as always at hiding his feelings. "... We can go to the temple if we want?" That seems obvious from the window, but Zuko is having a hard time figuring out what he has to let go of about Karse and what he can keep. He's never been an especially religious person, but the royal family, of course, knows every ritual and ceremony backwards and forwards and frequently has their own unique place in them. There's a comfort in that familiarity, and in knowing the rules.

Zuko slowly meanders over to a chair not next to Alberich and tentatively sits.

[exiled_honor]

Well, the boy likely needs to sit at this point, so Alberich will consider the test passed. He remembers how dizzying that revelation in particular had been for him. That it was possible to serve both Valdemar and his God. That generations of Karsite exiles had quietly found a home here, without sacrificing everything of what they were.

Alberich considers the prince's scar. It's true that even with expert makeup, Zuko's only chance to escape notice would be with a hood, very poor lighting, and luck (Alberich himself still can't manage to fully hide his scars in sunlight). But then, he suspects part of why the prince was Chosen was to be visible.

:I couldn't comment on that.: Kantor says, his mental voice the equivalent of an innocent whistle.

"Not yet. It will be some time before you can leave the Palace grounds." The distrust of some and the look of things still has weight. "But in time. And the priests may always visit us here."

how the fuck does mlackey manage convo vs. companion

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Zuko's not sure he can even picture what a Sunpriest is like outside of the political machinations of the capital. They're all corrupt, half of them are spying for his father, and maybe one of the reasons Zuko had never felt religious is that every religious experience has been overshadowed by their critical eyes. He's never been able to easily let go of anything, even things that aren't good for him - case in point: he still cares about Azula - so Zuko is nonetheless eager to retain whatever he can of Karse, however tainted or confusing the memories are.

It's going to be a lot of new experiences here, that's for sure.

"It doesn't matter," he replies, looking aside, inadvertently embodying a sullen teenager despite his very real reasons to feel morose and bitter. Zuko at least sounds subdued, hands gripping the cloth of his gray trainee pants. He still thinks they should be red; he's not hiding. "I know they didn't have to let me be here. I'm supposed to be a Herald-Trainee. What do I need to do?"

His language is more revealing than he intends: supposed to be. Zuko is still skeptical he won't be tossed out on his ear if he takes a single step out of line.

:You think that because your dad is a total dick. It won't be like that. I Chose you - they can't kick you out!:

:There's a first time for everything, and I'm really good at finding ways to fail.:

:I'm still not saying it'll happen, but you know I'd go with you, right? If you had to leave?:

Zuko, distracted in this conversation, stares down at his knees and lets his intense upswelling of gratitude answer for him. There aren't really words for how that makes him feel, anyway.