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[ Oh. It's like that? Zuko's an easy read; that gets under his skin just the way she wants it to. ]

No, it's not that — I'm not afraid of any challenge! It's just— I'd rather not set your house on fire. I'm sure you'd agree.

[It is like that.]

Ah! Then, your complicated problem has quite an easy solution, we cook outside! With that small matter settled, we both can agree, you shall learn to cook.

Edited 2021-06-09 06:02 (UTC)

Like what? Over a campfire? Are you sure?

[ Zuko's certain he trusts her, just... not himself... ]

We shall slowly, but surely, allow you to actually be INSIDE the kitchen itself at some point.

But until then, yes, over a campfire. There is plenty to be done with that, I shall bring the necessary pots and pans as well as the ingredients.

You, my dear student, will bring a willingness to try.

[And a rag and brush for cleaning later. The ones not cooking do the cleaning, those are the rules. And since he's LEARNING, it doesn't count.]

[ Oh god, he accidentally just signed up for cooking lessons gieujrnsfk
They're sorely needed, though. Even if his personal chef from Lunatia is back in the city, he'd never been overly crazy about the man's tasteless food... And he and Azula had begun to overfish shoplifting from convenience stores, it'd seem. He wears a steely look of resolve mixed with obvious tentative hesitation, but gives a sharp nod to the camera. ]

Fine. So be it.

[ so dramatic, why does he make it sound so ominous, even if he's just joking geirjnsk stop it, prince ]

Splendid! We will begin after our picnic, that way I can get a sense of your palate.

[Or lack there of.]

And we shall start with something quite simple, soup, many of them.

All right... Soup.

[ Oh, boy... He has half a mind to text Iroh right now like "guess what." This is a boy who burned down his apartment (with the concentrated help of the host club) with a microwave somehow. Can he manage soup? He'd like to flatter himself by thinking so, now that it's been put into the context of a challenge. No one's ever challenged him to, uh, function before... But that outside push helps Zuko tremendously or else shit doesn't get done and change doesn't happen. ]

In the Fire Nation, we eat a lot of spicy foods — also seafood, and a lot of meat, like komodo rhino sausage and and roasted duck... But I ate lots of different foods when I was living in the Earth Kingdom, too. Even food I thought I wouldn't like normally, like juk. It's like— a rice porridge, kind of... Uncle made it for me because I was sick once. A-And I've tried lots of new foods since leaving home, too! Like, uh— [ Wait, no he hasn't, he lives off hot chips and take-out, whoops ] ...Sushi! [ Once. ] And uh— Pizza? [ He didn't even like it, don't tell her about the shitty jalapeño pizza you had with Hikaru ~~after also burning down the meditation tent he met Aurora in, actually~~, Zuko, c'mon, man! ]

Oh, well... I personally will not be using meat for anything, but fish would be fine if that is an ingredient you would like to add.

But I have never had sushi or pizza. I do not even know what those are.

Oh, uh— are you a vegetarian? I can eat vegetarian, too, um— the Avatar is a vegetarian! I mean, my friend Aang! I mean— we traveled together... And I ate vegetarian food with him. So it's fine.

[ Always caught off-guard, hrmm... Get it together, prince. He doesn't want to be choosy when she's the one who's helping him out. ]

But, uh— Pizza was gross. Hikaru said it was supposed to be better. It was like cheese on thin bread with stuff on it. And sushi was good— my friend Yamamoto made it for Gokudera's birthday when I was living in another world... It was raw fish and rice wrapped in seaweed. I liked it.

I am, yes. It is a bit difficult to bring yourself to eat the animals you grew up being friends with. But if you would prefer meat, Zuko, that is alright.

My goodness, even more friends. I cannot say I have ever had raw fish. It is safe to eat raw?

No! Let's make something without meat. [ Too forceful? Over-compensating? He's... just an eager person, in his way.

But also a bashful one. Funny how the instinct for avoiding eye contact also translates to avoiding looking at the camera even for someone who's not so used to such technology. After ten months, he's picked up certain mannerisms. He adjusts. ]

You make it sound like I'm so popular... Yamamoto and the Tenth are Gokudera's friends from home. Oh, and Yamamoto dated my sister, but... That's another story entirely. But yeah. It's safe. Pretty sure. He said his dad runs a sushi restaurant back in Japan. It was an interesting taste — there was a pungent sort of dip they had called wasabi. If you're not used to spicy foods, though, I dunno if you'd like it. I have, uh— a high tolerance for heat.

[ The bitch can breathe fire, he's putting it lightly. Gokudera tried to trick him with the wasabi, telling him to eat a glob of it by itself, and everyone was disappointed with his lackluster reaction... Zuko's tastes would put Aurora in danger, don't listen to him, he's not normal. ]

Vegetarian it shall be, then. Don't worry, I assure you, it will still be plenty spicy for your tastes, I've been using the new peppers that Camelot offers here.

I think popular is not quite the right word. I think more... you are much easier to get along with than you believe.

Ah! Actually! May I trouble you for something? There is an extremely hot pepper I bought from a trader by mistake. I've researched it a bit, and I believe it will be much hotter than really anything I can handle. It's called the Ghost Pepper. I know you can handle very spicy things, would you like it? I don't wish to waste food like that.

Ha... Okay, uh... Thanks.

[ To both remarks, the same reply. He's reassured hearing this from Aurora, who seems so naturally affable. Nevermind she grew up in even more isolation than he did. ]

Yeah, I'll try the Ghost Pepper. You'll have to teach me how to cook something with it, though. Maybe I can share it with my sister and my uncle. They like spicy foods, too — y'know, we're all Fire Nation. Actually, Hikaru and Gokudera like spicy food, too, though...

[ Like likes like. Zuko keeps a certain kind of company, it seems. ]

If I may, something tells me that the ghost pepper may be... a step above just "spicy" by the way the trader spoke of it.

Though... I DO know of a dish we can combine them with. I would just need to get some other ingredients and those rice noodles they sell in the market.

I can't believe how many amazing fruits and vegetables exist! Have you had a mango yet, Zuko? Or a pineapple? They are simply delicious!

A step above spicy? We have some extremely hot foods in the Fire Nation — I'd definitely wanna try something a step above spicy.

[ He sounds a bit cockier now, more excited too. And more cheerful. It suits him. Spicy food challenges is definitely a Zuko comfort zone and he doesn't even realize it yet. ]

I know mangoes; we had mangoes back home. But I've never heard of a pineapple — that sounds like something from my world, hah, from what my friends here always say when I tell them about plants and animals where I'm from... A pineapple is a kind of apple that grows on a tree that looks like a pine tree, I take it? Something like that?

[ Discussing flora and fauna has been a constant source of bemusement and amusement as much as frustration. But with Aurora right now, he sounds pretty lighthearted about it for once. Usually he's pretty stressed about ostriches and horses. They may get to that, though; the mystery of the halved ostrich-horse comes up often enough. He really just needs to google a picture of an ostrich sometime and satisfy himself at long last... ]

I'll take your words for it. I'm... honestly not very fond of anything too spicy. I'm more fond of sweet, my birthday cake for my 16th birthday was absolutely covered with frosting.

Surprisingly no! Pineapple is grown on a bush. I'll bring you one and slice it up for us! It is a bit prickly, though.

I don't care that much for sweets... If I'm ever given sweets, I'll give them to you.

[ That's... some kind of generosity? Forethought? Funny boy. He means well. ]

"Prickly?" Like a dragon fruit? Or a lychee? Do you know what those are?

[Aurora knows Zuko well enough to know he's trying, and it's not as if anything he said is rude.] And if anything is too spicy, I shall give it to you, Zuko.

I... am afraid both are unknown to me. If they are here, and you show me, I'd love to try them. I want to try everything new at least once.

[ It earns a smile from the prince, a little lopsided. ]

Yeah, I’ll try to find some. We can bring them on our picnic. With the pineapple.

We really must go soon, I'm getting more excited by the day.

[ And... that earns a much wider, warmer smile, with an unusual softness in his tone. ]

...Me, too. The next really sunny day, let's go.

I hope it's soon.

[ Stop making him smile, he's flustered, he quits sjnfjk. He's diverting the topic! And averting eye contact with the camera — though he can't help the smile, it stays put. But he can be seen shifting rooms as they talk in the background, flopping down lazily into his bed as he speaks, lighting a bit bluer in here by the window and the grey, off-and-on drizzly day out. ]

...Do you like rainy days like it's been? Or do you prefer the sunshine?

I love rainy days and sunshine too. After all, you cannot make a rainbow without rain. But back home, I could lay in bed for hours reading as the rain pitter-pattered on the roof and against the window.

Springtime is my favorite season because I can get rainy days, sunny days, and depending on the year, I may even get snowy days as well.

What about you?

Sunshine. And summer. ...Because of the sun.

[ He says it so matter-of-factly, without a doubt or hesitation. That's it. She gave such a thoughtful answer, though. Does he owe her more explanation...? He reconsiders, maybe so, and adds on, tentatively: ]

...Rainy days make me feel restless and lazy. My fire magic back home is made stronger by the sun, so training was more gratifying when it was sunny. So even though that doesn't have any bearing here anymore... I still sit and think too much when it's rainy.

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