inricochet:
disregardedscar:
Niccoló’s response made Zuko scowl. It certainly was much more, considering those bastards gave him nothing but pain. He didn’t know what to say, but an unwarranted apology lay on the tip of his tongue.
All he could do was make sure his life from this point on would be better, for as long as he could help it.
Zuko rubbed his thumb idly along one of the dragonfly’s wings, trying to recall if they were given to him or if he made them himself. They were a little wilted with age, but they should still fly.
“No. I mean - some are, but these are.. Here, let me show you.”
Zuko placed the toy dragonfly’s abdomen between his clasped hands, then swiftly moved one of his hands to create a spinning motion. The dragonfly took flight, albeit, an unimpressive one. It landed in small space between the bed and the side table.
“Eh, hopefully the others are better.” Maybe he should make some new ones. Some better ones. Maybe he could show Niccoló how. If he’d ever want that.
Zuko placed them aside, wishing he had something better to offer. If the man healed well enough soon, perhaps he could explore and find something else of interest. If he didn’t jump at the chance to leave, anyway.
He noted the scowl and wondered what it was for, given the myriad of options… however, given what he knew of the prince, it was likely for the sheer affliction of the prison, or imprisonment.
When he answered and made a dragonfly sweep across the room and crash into the slight chasm by the bed and the stand beside it, Niccoló watched with some surprise, having never seen anything like it before — the toys he had as a child were, simply, different… they had more practical purpose, were made to last but not to beat against the wall on a whim.
Vampires were brutish by nature, he had always been told, despite knowing an ‘exception’ more now… Zuko put the toys away, though, and Niccoló was left not knowing what else to say, if he should say anything else to that at all.
After a short while, a servant knocked and spoke to the man outside the room, where Niccoló couldn’t hear but he eyed Zuko as he returned from the door, wanting an explanation but not wanting to ask for one.
He noted Niccoló’s silence - stunned? - as he observed Zuko demonstrating what the toy could do. Sure, it might’ve been interesting if Niccoló was a child. What was Zuko thinking?
“So, uh, what did you play with, growing up?”
He wanted to hide in the darkest corner the castle could provide, but, despite everything, he wanted to talk to the man more.
Zuko’s mild embarrassment grew worse when the servant’s presence at the door made him jump. Most of the time he’d know when someone was coming, but clearly his attention had been fully occupied.
The servant handed Zuko the paper listing Niccoló’s ailments and the regiment required to alleviate them. He returned to the human and held the paper over to him.
“In writing,” he stated, stupidly.
If he needed to prove the doctor’s credibility, he’d find a way to do so as well. Anything to put him at ease.
