Jaded Petals ↛ Zuko x OC ✔️

11 | In the Heart of Ba Sing Se Pt. 1

The jade-eyed girl looked at Jet and then nodded her head. "Thanks for telling me something I didn't ask to know." She said coolly, as she stood and walked away. The boy known as Jet followed behind, persistent in his chase. Zuko scowled, watching with fiery eyes at the boy who followed Daiyu. "Who is that young fellow following Daiyu?" Iroh had asked, "It maybe someone that is interested." He went on to say. "Why are you telling me this like I care?!" Zuko howled, everyone around them looking at them as Iroh appeared afraid himself. He could've sworn he had saw his nephew breathe fire and smoke was rising from the top of his head and ears. "O-Oh... My apologies, nephew." He held his hands up defensively as his nephew walked around him and stormed off.

"Look, Jet, can you please leave me alone?" Daiyu looked over her shoulder at the boy with a stalk of prairie grass in his mouth. "The more you push away, the more challenging it gets." He had said as she rolled her arms and folded her arms in her chest. "I'm not interested in anything you have to offer." She made it clear, not sure what his intentions were. "It's just your face reminded me of someone." Daiyu had knitted her brows together. "Of whom might I ask?" She bothered to ask. "Me." He pointed his thumb to himself. "I can see you dealt with some heavy loss. Let me guess, you lost your parents." The Earthbender eyes lowered sadly. "My parents were taken by the Fire Nation, were yours too?" He had asked her as she sighed. "No. My mother died giving birth to me and my father was ordered to commit suicide by the Army. He surrendered during a losing battle and so they made him kill himself. My brother had died against Earthbender in the warrior."

"That's tough." Daiyu heard him say as she nodded her head. "It is. Now, will you leave me alone?" Before the boy could utter another word, Daiyu had kept walking with her eyes looking straight ahead and her face scrunched up in irritation. 'Who does that guy think he is? He called me 'Doll face' the nerve of him.' She thought as she had searched for Zuko who was leaning on the ship rail. She was going to speak to him, but then saw Jet walking towards them. She turned around, wondering just how that strange guy managed to move so far and what did he want with Zuko in the first place? Not only that, Jet wasn't alone. Two people were with him, one short and the other tall. The prairie grass boy then stepped out towards the rail, his minion as Daiyu thought of them had followed right behind him. She wanted to go over there, to know what was being discussed but she didn't like Jet. And so she turned away, walking around once more.She would go see Min Ki, but she didn't want to bother him since he was probably irritable cramped up so low in the ship with the other animals. Iroh was too busy interested in what Jet had to say and so she avoided him as well. Maybe she was being paranoid and becoming herself not easy to trust people or maybe the guy just stepped on her toes a little and she's holding a grudge. Whatever it was, she did intend on solving it or changing it. Iroh had then approached her, a smile on his face. "What is it, Iroh?" She had asked, wondering what made him smile. "Zuko and your new friends are going to steal food from the Captain, who has giving people his rotten leftovers. They are going to share them with the refugees." He explained as Daiyu rolled her eyes. So, maybe the Jet guy wasn't as bad as she thought he was. "That's nice." She put it nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders with her arms still across her chest. "What's the matter?" Iroh had asked her as she looked at him from the corner of her eyes, "I don't really trust that Jet guy. I don't know why, but I just don't. He gives off a bad vibe but then again, maybe I'm just paranoid."

The older man nodded, "It is only logical that you would feel that way. There are few people you can trust in this world but even the people you trust will or can betray you faster than a stranger." He had a point, but she didn't want to believe that Iroh or Zuko would ever betray her. "This journey in search for the Avatar has been tough on us all. I know you that you don't want to say that it has been tough on you, but I know it has. There's an emotional strain on you and your relationship with Zuko has been up and down." Daiyu had lowered her eyes and let out a sigh. "Sometimes I don't know if we're distant or if we're close..." She replied softly. "I know but I think these highs and lows will get you to be closer again. Zuko has changed since being banished; he's not the same person he was before. And you are not the same since your years in Kyoshi lsland. You have grown where Zuko is still finding himself."