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[river_meimei]

No notebook today. No scribbled tangle of equations and layouts and plans.

River listens to advice, sometimes. Even reluctantly

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[princeinexile]

There is a prince with rot in his soul; no other way to put it, really. But just becauase somenoe is soulsick dosen't mean they don't know compassion.

"...you supposed to be under there?"

[river_meimei]

River gives him a very flat look.

[princeinexile]

Zuko blinks his eyes, bewildered. He considers a moemnt, and then rephrased, "...Are you okay?"

That's closer to what he meant, anyway. But he's never been good with words. Wolves (and boys) rarely are.

[river_meimei]

River looks away, her face tight and tired.

Low, "I'm shiny."

This is kind of a blatant lie.

[princeinexile]

"Like coal rolled in rhino dung is shiny," Zuko drawls, and then sits down just outside the booth, on the floor. Why not? He's been told he's pathetic, had nightmares, and now there's a girl on the floor looking helpless and something about that bothers him and--

-- he's not digging deeper into the reasons why.

"You wanna talk about it, or you want to lie? You lie, by the way, about as well as I do."

[river_meimei]

River scowls at him.

"It's not relevant."

[princeinexile]

"Isn't it?"

He shrugs; the motion is spare, barely a gesture at all.

"I dreamed I tore my own throat out. And woke up with blood in my mouth. Bit my cheek. What about you?"

[river_meimei]

River flinches, head jerking away.

"No," she says. "Nobody's bleeding."

It sounds as if she's trying to convince herself more than anyone, and not entirely succeeding.

[princeinexile]

Zuko tilts his head, pale eyes glittering -- wolfish.

"No. Nobody."

Yet.

"Are you okay? Really? Do you need something? Somebody?"

[river_meimei]

River's hands tighten on her ankles, folds of skirt flattening under her palms.

"Count the seconds," she mutters. "I'm listening. Can't come till she's ready."

"It's the job."

And a deeply frustrating and wearisome one, apparently.

[princeinexile]

"What's the job?" Zuko asks, tilting his head. He doesn't know-- he doesn't understand. "...and why do you have to do it alone?"

At least he has his uncle.

[river_meimei]

River's eyes close.

"I'm not," she says, low.

And then, contradicting herself, "Everybody does. Face the dark."

[princeinexile]

Zuko sighs -- though that keys off something, some memory. He-- can't recall it clearly, though; the wolfbrain has it, he doesn't. It's something long ago and lost.

"It's better if you're not alone," he says after a long moment. "Or at least, know someone is waiting for you."

[river_meimei]

"Waiting."

River's face twists slightly, and settles again into older lines than before.

"I know it. Crew and khef."

[princeinexile]

Zuko thinks on his crew -- scattered by Zhao's conscription, probably many dead in the failed seige of the north. He wonders if Lt. Jee survived, to give some other commander a hard time.

"I was a lousy captain."

[river_meimei]

River glances at him silently.