Black Jade - Zuko X OC

Honeymoons (don't last forever)

It wasn't what Dai Yu expected.

In her mind a "beach house" had air that was lighter, filled with fun and playfulness, a place where you could jump off the front deck immediately into sand.

The royal vacation home was set far from the shore line with it's back pressed against a rockside cliff. Hiding behind a stretch of overgrown grass and shielded on either side by large rocks jutting out of the ground.

Stepping over the threshold and out of the bright sunlight, she squinted into the heavy darkness, her lungs were immediately invaded by stale dust.

"It's been a while since anybody's been here." Zuko said quietly.

As Dai Yu's eyes adjusted to the dark, she picked out decorative vases and ornate detailing throughout the large open room. It was obvious that the place had been nice at some point, at least. There was a portrait of several people on the far wall, before she could get a closer look Nanai clapped her hands loudly.

"This place will need to be cleaned top to bottom before anything else." The old woman declared. "Find a room and change into your swim clothes, then go outside so I can work."

Dai Yu followed Zuko down a hallway. When he disappeared behind a door she started opening other doors to find a room with a double bed so that Nanai could share with her. Once she found one that was suitable, she claimed it by tossing her bag onto the bed.

She regretted it as an impressively thick cloud of dust erupted and sent her into a sneezing fit.

Dai Yu dumped the contents of her bag out, searching among the clothes for a swimsuit. Most of the items were the same ridiculously soft silk as her wedding dress, a texture she was quickly getting familiar with. You wouldn't swim in silk though, so she looked for pieces made of more durable fabric and came up with a tube top and a skirt that would stop halfway down her thigh.

She went through all her clothes again to make sure, but there was nothing else that could possibly be right.

At home, Dai Yu was barely allowed to show more than her shins in public or around non-family members. In this, her arms, shoulders, part of her tummy and half of her legs would be exposed. She fiddled with her braid and frowned at the outfit. Surely they wouldn't have packed anything she couldn't wear. Nanai was basically family, and Zuko was now too, wasn't he?

Dai Yu eventually put the swimsuit on and walked back to the entryway of the house to see that Nanai had already made a noticeable dent in cleaning up. The windows were thrown open, immediately making the place feel less oppressive. The old woman was marching around, broom in hand launching an attack on the legions of cobwebs and dust bunnies.

"Zuko's already outside so go ahead- gracious! Is that what they gave you to wear?" She looked at Dai Yu, brows furrowed and lips in a tight frown, the same way she looked when she talked about 'hooligans' or tattoos on women. Dai Yu nodded, and the old woman tsked.

"Well, even the military women show their stomachs. I suppose that's just how it is here." Nanai shook her head, gripping the broom handle tightly in front of her. "Never mind, go on and play, I'll call you in when it's time for lunch."

Dai Yu found Zuko sitting in the grass, head in one hand and a stick in the other, listlessly poking at the dirt.

They hadn't had a chance to be alone together since they first met. Dai Yu wasn't sure how he felt about her and the engagement. He'd been so shocked when he found out, and so quiet during the ceremony. He went through the motions without complaint just like she did, but she didn't know how he felt about it, or about her. She'd thought he liked her well enough after they talked by the pond. But the entire trip here he'd been withdrawn, barely speaking to her and spent most the time by himself in his cabin.