DEAR DICTATOR → zuko

╸seven : the winter solsitce

❝ the winter solstice ❞

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          Nari searches the depths of her brain for the slim lesson she learned in school-- an overview of Roku's temple and how the sages used secret passage ways, fire bending, and other unspecified locks to travel through the temple and keep the avatar safe. Of course, some of those lessons have become out dated, and Nari now narrows her focus to the architectural disadvantages of the building. The layout, weak points, so on.

"Secret passage ways mean less support," Nari mutters as she and Zuko sneak through the doors of the temple with such quietude that their furtive entrance goes completely unnoticed. "If there's less ground or structural holding, it'll be ease to collapse a wall and trap them in."

Nari says this while they sidle past a corner, checking the crossing passageways for idle sages. Zuko raises his brow to her, head sticking out just a little too far for comfort as his face reeks of confusion.

"Two things—" He starts, following a broken instinct as he turns left and Nari turns right. "How do you know this, and how do you plan on trapping them in when we're fire benders? We can't demolish a wall with bending."

Nari tilts her head-- Zuko has a point. She can't earth bend rubble against the main halls of this building, and though she's punched and kicked and busted many holes in many walls, she's not strong enough to total an aisle. "Yeah, well I learned this back in the academy," She explains, keeping a steady eye out for possible opponents or threats as she holds hushed steps to the best of her abilities. The Fire Nation has a few faults in their fashion design, one being the noisy click of shoes. Especially against harsher floors. "And I learned the maps of a few places— the school taught us a lot. I'm surprised I managed to memorize this minimal piece of information."

Nari was no scholar-- not in Fire Nation eyes, at least. Yet, anyone who listened to Nari ramble about something she actually gained from the school aside from battle instincts and fighting would think she was. Nari can recall the strangest information in the most convenient times, or she could blank out mid-sentence, It's nearly a game to gamble which one will happen in which situation.

Zuko assumes it is and always will be the former. "I didn't know you were a straight-A student. Azula would've been pissed if she found out you were better than her." He recalls, still following in her wake as she turns through the passageways of red banners and lanterns.

Nari shakes her head with a bit of pause. "Oh, I wasn't smart." She bitterly chuckles, glancing back at Zuko for a hinted second. "Or at least, I never 'applied myself'. There were a lot of letters to home for that." There's a small flash of Nari snickering in "Madam Headmistress's"—as Nari so enjoyed calling their head mistress off of the base knowledge of pointless manners— office for both the poor behavior and scores in class, along with an ill-tempered behavior.

Her mother sat next to her, a tight, warm grip against Nari's hand, the little girl having received a squeeze each time her manners were poor. Tightly braided plaits were twisted into her hair, secured at the nape of her neck with a silky red ribbon, and two of her signature cowlick-baby hairs fell out of place against her forehead. Alike to the lack of tidiness with the wisps of her hair, the school's uniform she wore was wrinkled and slightly ripped. She remembers the Headmistress's face beat red with anger. Oh, she had a few hefty disciplinary actions provided for causing such a disturbance-- both via her parents and the school.

Nari grows a mix of emotions towards the memory: pity for her younger self; anger for the way she was treated; laughter for the way she treated the bossy woman; nostalgic, even for her past and long-unseen family. Maybe she misses her mother in the smallest amount. It gravely sucks that the last night Nari saw her mother, Rai was providing the most comforting and tender care that her daughter received from her.