Black Jade - Zuko X OC

Such Fragile Broken Things

Dai Yu carefully threaded the string through the cloth. She didn't have her dolls anymore, but she really wanted to use the supplies she was given for something, so she was attempting to make her stuffed komodo rhino a jacket.

"What is that?" asked Zuko.

"A dragon."

"Looks like a lizard that got stepped on."

She frowned down at her embroidery work, it kind of did. "It's a lot harder to make things look right when it's so small."

They were currently in the gardens at Master Piandao's estate. For his thirteenth birthday, Zuko was permitted a longer than usual stay with the sword master accompanied by Dai Yu and Uncle Iroh. It was a much more subtle celebration than the banquet Azula had gotten for her eleventh, but Dai Yu knew it was everything Zuko wanted. To be away from the palace and allowed to spend time unrestricted with her and Uncle.

Despite the trip being Zuko's gift, Dai Yu was also enjoying herself a lot. She liked master Piandao. He was dark skinned like her, and she wondered if he was mixed too. She'd never ask, because you just don't ask questions like that, but she wondered. Uncle took Zuko out on all day trips into town a few times since coming here, and she thought that was probably to give their gracious host a quiet break. She would stay and embroider on those days, careful not to make any noise while Piandao was reading or practicing calligraphy.

When Piandao trained Zuko in the garden, Dai Yu played songs on her pipa for Uncle.

When the adults played Pai Sho inside, the teenagers wasted time away in the garden.

"You can mess with that later, c'mon and spar with me." Zuko said. He was brandishing two wooden practice swords and casually whacking at a straw stuffed dummy.

"Aren't we too old to 'play swords'?" It had been a lot of fun on their honeymoon, sure, but that was an entire year and a half ago. She was a mature thirteen-year-old now, and it felt silly to do that on a real sword masters training ground.

"It's not 'playing' if I actually show you some forms." He said.

"I'm in a full length dress." She knew he was just bored, but at her level she wouldn't be any more challenging than the dummy.

He shrugged, "Not that different from the robes Master Piandao has us practice in."

It was totally different. Those robes had slits up the sides and pants underneath, for one. Her hair wasn't even braided back right now. Before she could say that Zuko tossed one of his swords to her. She caught it clumsily, dropping her embroidery hoop. Dai Yu looked towards the house, there was no sign of Piandao, he was likely playing Pai Sho with Uncle somewhere in the mansion. So he wouldn't see her butcher the artform he'd spent his life perfecting.

"Fine," she said, "but don't hit me too hard."

A few minutes later she was whacked on the arm, hard. "Ough! Hey!"

"Raise it higher and hold it across your body, you can block me that way." He said.

She mimicked the pose he showed her. She managed to block it but the force of the blow knocked her on her bottom.

Zuko laughed at her, "Maybe you should ask Piandao to teach you too."

"Firebending is hard enough," Dai Yu said as she pushed herself back onto her feet. Really, she didn't need something else to be bad at. Music and needlework were respectable skills for nobility to learn in the Earth Kingdom, but here that was for middle class merchants at best. By Fire nation standards she wasn't good at anything worthwhile.