Dark Puck

Roulette 7b

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:57:52 GMT

Title: Roulette
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Rating: PG-16 (language and violence)
Genre: AU, Action, Intrigue, Romance (in that the story focuses largely on character interactions)
Co-Author: Eleanor
Summary: After the theft of her family's ostrich-horse, Song decides to track down the two men responsible, and stumbles across a fragile boy in dire need of help. This chance meeting touches off a chain of events that leads Song to the capital of the Fire Nation just as the final battle is ending, where her skills as a doctor are greatly needed. Just when it seems as though life is settling into a comfortable routine, however, the Dai Li start causing trouble -- and nobody knows who is pulling the strings...
Warnings: Longfic is long, and will eventually span twenty years or so. Contains a Xanatos Roulette. OCs abound. Noncanon pairings. (SONGKO) Deviates from canon before Sozin's Comet.

Continued from here.

It had now been six weeks since Kouji had been brought to the palace, and Zuko's other aides had made a habit of sniping at him every chance they got. They resented this unranked child barging in on their business, particularly since the Firelord hadn't made his position there official — he kept forgetting.

For the most part, Kouji ignored it — he was away from Lǐ Qí, and he didn't have to go home — but he wore Earth Kingdom clothing almost exclusively, to stand out and to spite them, and he made certain his topknot was round in the style of Earth, not fanlike in the style of Fire. Never did he snipe back, however, unwilling to risk his precarious position.

One day, Zuko called Kouji into his study.

Nervous, the boy approached, wondering if he was going to be sent away now.

"I'm sorry I've put this off so long," the Firelord began.

"Put what off?" Kouji asked, a little confused.

"Making your position here official."

Kouji's heart leaped, and his face lit up. "Really?"

The Firelord gave him his little almost smile. "Yes. Really."

"That's great!"

"I'm not sure exactly what kind of contract you were expecting. So I thought we'd discuss that now." This was supposed to be Zuko's lunch break — it hadn't taken Kouji long to realize that he almost never used it for its intended purpose. However, Kouji was a bright young man, and had arranged for lunch to be delivered to the Firelord during these time periods anyway.

"All right," he agreed.

After the discussion was over, Zuko almost smiled again. "All right, I'm glad that's finally settled."

"Yeah," the boy agreed, a little bit stunned at how friendly Zuko had been during the negotiations, even when they argued on whether or not the boy doing a man's job should get a man's contract, or whether or not Kouji needed to have a guardian. In the end, his contract was an adult contract, save only for the clause that made Zuko his guardian, until he was of age or they decided to terminate his employment, whichever came first.

Both Firelord and colonist were pleased by this, though Kouji privately wondered precisely what being Zuko's ward would entail.

As the next several days showed, absolutely nothing had changed in their relationship, other then perhaps a little more friendliness in their interactions. The boy soaked up that friendliness like a sponge, to the point that Song began encouraging Zuko to spend more time with him. "He needs a friend, Zuko," she would tell him.

Zuko, therefore, made a habit of inviting Kouji to sit in his study with him while he was fighting through paperwork. The boy accepted these invitations, and they would talk while Zuko did battle. After the first two times, Kouji began to help him out, taking over the more illegible documents and rewriting them for the Firelord's benefit.

The older boy's gratitude for this assistance showed just how used he was to this difficulty.

And then, on the Firelord's eighteenth birthday, Zuko was presented with a gift from a very shy Kouji.

Startled, he asked, "What's this?"

"A-a present, L— er, Zuko," the boy replied, shifting from foot to foot.

"Thank you," the young man said, still sounding rather boggled.

"You're welcome," Kouji said with a shy smile.

Zuko opened the box to reveal a small dagger.

"I… I thought you might like to have something like that," the twelve-year-old stammered. "So nobody would know you had it…"

"I appreciate it. Really." He got through his surprise at the gift to almost smile at his friend.

Kouji brightened instantly at that.

"Thank you."

There were several things Zuko disliked about his new position. Not the least of which was sitting through Official Functions, such as the one planned for his birthday. It's my birthday, why can't I do what I want to do for a change? he fumed, when he finally managed to escape.

And then he was pulled into a shadowy corner, and soft lips pressed against his. He relaxed a little. Song made everything better. "Evening."

She smiled up at him. "Evening, Zuko."

"How're you doing?"

"Better since I got out of there." She sighed and leaned her head against his chest.

"I know what you mean," he muttered, sliding his arm around her. "It's my birthday, dammit, why can't I do what I want?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "What do you want to do, then?"

"Not a long boring party where everyone wants to dance with me and make me do things and—"

Song kissed him again. It was several moments before that kiss was broken, and Song was breathing heavily, looking up at him with dark, inviting eyes.

"Oh, wow," he said, when he finally regained his ability to speak.

"Is this what you want, Lord Zuko?" she asked him, lips inches from his.

Yes.

"I—" He paused a minute. "Yes, I mean, yes, of course, but— I-I don't know, maybe… I just… I think it's probably better if we wait until after we're married…"

She blinked at him, then after a long moment, she said, "If you're offering what I think you are," she kissed him again, "then the answer is yes."

He froze for a moment, mentally going over what he'd just said. He flushed darkly. "That— I— I had a whole speech planned and everything, I wasn't planning on asking yet, I—"

She shut him up with yet another kiss. It seemed to be working well so far.

He relaxed a little against her, hoping he kept his self-control enough to maintain his resolve. Song, however, seemed willing to hold to his request to wait; after a few minutes, she pulled away and looked up at him, amusement glinting in her brown eyes. "Is there anything else you want to do, Zuko?"

"I don't know," he said, honestly.

"We could go for a walk," she suggested.

"All right."

She slipped her hand into his and led him outside. He followed willingly, twining his fingers with hers. It was, perhaps, inevitable that they wound up by the turtleduck pond. He was happy to while the time with her there. He knew he'd pay for it and not be able to sleep the next night, trying to make up for lost time, but it was worth it. There, standing by water that reflected the moon, she kissed him again, taking care to respect the boundaries he'd set.

* * *

While everyone was pre-occupied with the festivities, a Dai Li agent snuck into the palace, searching for the planted subject. On finding his target, he quietly woke him, whispered the trigger phrase, and smiled softly as the tool slipped into the receptive state. Orders were given, the tool was forced back to sleep, and the agent slipped out.

No one noticed, save the curiously blank-eyed noblewoman who ran messages for an ally of the Dai Li in the palace. Such was her conditioning that she would not remember seeing him.

* * *

The next morning, Firelord Zuko was in an unusually good mood.

Kouji noticed, and commented on it. "Did something happen at the party, Lord Zuko?" The boy had been permitted to skip the party, since he was only twelve and nobody else his age was going to be there. The fact that the only person his age with whom he interacted was Yì Suì had not been commented upon.

"After," he said, unusually brightly.

Kouji arched an eyebrow at him. Zuko told him what had happened when he met Song in the hallway after the party, and the younger boy laughed. "So you're engaged now?"

"I think so, yes," he said, still oddly bright.

"That's great!" Kouji exclaimed, grinning up at him.

Zuko almost smiled back.

"Anyway," said the boy, deciding the happy time was over, "I've got your schedule for today."

"All right, let's see it."

Work progressed as usual, until that afternoon, when Zuko returned to his study after his meeting with Song. He opened the door, drowsily content…

And it exploded.

This cliffhanger brought to you by Phoenix King Ozai's silly helmet. AHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Roulette 7a

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:54:28 GMT

I seriously need a Songko icon.

Title: Roulette
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Rating: PG-16 (language and violence)
Genre: AU, Action, Intrigue, Romance (in that the story focuses largely on character interactions)
Co-Author: Eleanor
Summary: After the theft of her family's ostrich-horse, Song decides to track down the two men responsible, and stumbles across a fragile boy in dire need of help. This chance meeting touches off a chain of events that leads Song to the capital of the Fire Nation just as the final battle is ending, where her skills as a doctor are greatly needed. Just when it seems as though life is settling into a comfortable routine, however, the Dai Li start causing trouble -- and nobody knows who is pulling the strings...
Warnings: Longfic is long, and will eventually span twenty years or so. Contains a Xanatos Roulette. OCs abound. Noncanon pairings. (SONGKO) Deviates from canon before Sozin's Comet.

As autumn became winter, it became abundantly clear to anyone with eyes that Song and Zuko were madly in love, though they made certain to never be together without some sort of chaperone or escort. This didn't stop the rumour mill, of course, but it did help to temper it.

In the middle of winter, Haru and Ty Lee were caught in bed together. The rumour mill went wild with this, and Zuko spent one of the better afternoons in his life restraining Ty Lee's father.

When Haru vanished, the rumour mill went even crazier, only to die down on the earthbender's return a mere two days after the start of spring — with Dai Li prisoners. He proceeded to spend half a day locked in a room with General Iroh, presumably debriefing, and once more he and Ty Lee were rarely seen apart.

Zuko's afternoon meetings with Song, much to their displeasure, grew shorter and shorter as the days grew longer again. There was simply too much Zuko had to do — as it was, it was distressingly common for him to go two or three days without food or sleep.

The only people this really seemed to please were the aides involved in scheduling the Firelord's meetings, and they didn't seem to be aware of how Zuko was stinting himself in order to meet their demands. "It isn't fair," complained Song to Ty Lee one day, when the younger girl had dragged her out to the market. "He's so tired, and starting to get depressed because he can't be in five places at once like he thinks he's supposed to be!"

"Seven," Ty Lee corrected absently, holding up a bolt of silk to her face to check the colour. "I think right now he's supposed to be in seven places."

"How can he possibly do that?" Song demanded. "You'd think someone would realise what was going on."

"People have. But Zuzu insists he can handle it." Ty Lee rolled her eyes and picked up a second bolt of cloth.

"Why can't someone just— schedule him? You know, like Doctor Chang is?" Song asked, sounding a little desperate.

"That's what the aides are supposed to be for," Ty Lee replied.

"Well, they're doing a pretty bad job of it!" snapped the doctor, then someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned to see a young nobleman, roughly Zuko's age. In his shadow stood a lanky, unhappy-looking kid. The noble gave both girls a dazzling smile.

Ty Lee rolled her eyes again. "What's up, Lǐ Qí?"

"I couldn't help but overhear your problem," he said in the cheery, irksome tone of one who had obviously been trying to hear every word he could, "and I think I've got just the solution you need!"

The younger noble arched her eyebrow. "Oh?"

Lǐ Qí grinned, and jerked his thumb at the boy in his shadow. "I could loan you Ku-Ji here for a few days — he does my schedule for me."

Song saw fire flare in the boy's eyes when the nobleman named him, and wondered.

"It's not up to us," Ty Lee said, after a moment. "We'll bring it up with His Lordship and get back to you."

Lǐ Qí flapped a hand, unconcerned. "Take all the time you need. Ku-Ji won't have plans. He's fairly bright for a colonist, but he doesn’t socialise much, you know?" In a stage whisper, he added, "He's afraid of girls; it's hilarious!" At this, the kid flushed angrily.

Ty Lee's eyes narrowed, but she didn't comment. "Fine. Can you go away now?"

"Very well, ladies, I shall leave you to your… whatever. C'mon, Ku-Ji," he said, flouncing off.

"It's Kouji," muttered the boy.

"Whatever."

"Jerk," Ty Lee muttered as they walked away.

"We should hire him," Song said. "He hates that jerk, anyone can see that."

"Oh, definitely. If we can convince Zuzu," was Ty Lee's doubtful reply.

"That's the easy part," Song said with a grin. "Just tell him that he's doing the poor kid a favour. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out a kid who's got to put up with that idiot every day."

"Good point." Ty Lee grinned back.

"And if Lǐ Qí was exaggerating, I'm sure we could find the kid work in the palace somewhere," the doctor went on, tossing her braid over her shoulder.

"Definitely," the younger girl agreed.

"Let's go talk to Zu," Song said, taking Ty Lee's hand.

"Lead the way," Ty Lee replied, carefully replacing the fabric she'd been looking at.

It took them several hours to get enough time with Zuko to pitch the idea of hiring someone to work his schedule for him — and at first, he didn't take it too well.

"I can handle my own schedule," he said, defensively.

"It isn't about the schedule," lied Song blithely.

"This kid is totally miserable where he is," Ty Lee went on. "You'll be doing him a favour."

"Lǐ Qí mispronounces his name and insults him to other people when he's standing right there," added Song.

Zuko scowled. "All right. Fine. I'll try this out."

The doctor hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Zuko."

"You're welcome," he murmured, hugging her back. He'd lost weight, she could tell through his robe.

Song drew back and smoothed down his hair. "Let's get some food, okay?"

"I don't have time," Zuko explained. "I have somewhere I need to be in five minutes."

Song glanced at Ty Lee for help, but the other girl shrugged. There was really no help for it, until they got the kid there. The doctor sighed and kissed the tip of Zuko's nose. "We'll bring him by tomorrow or the next day," she promised.

"All right. I'll find time to meet with him." He kissed her hand quickly and slipped off.

* * *

Kouji hovered outside the throne room door, uncertain. He'd agreed to this meeting without even pausing to think about it — Lǐ Qí was an annoying ass, and the boy was desperate enough for a new situation at this point that he would have gladly accepted a post moving nightsoil. However, he hadn't realised that he would have to actually meet the Firelord…

Nervously, he ran one hand through his hair and wondered if he had done the smart thing by wearing clothing that was distinctly Earth Kingdom in colour and style. Well, what was done was done.

The door was opened by a stiff, unpleasant-looking aide. "You have five minutes."

The twelve-year-old swallowed hard and nodded, then entered the room cautiously. At the proscribed distance, just as his parents had thumped into him as a kid, he bowed deeply to his monarch.

"Rise."

When he looked up, he saw a much less impressive figure than might have been expected, given the legends already springing up about Zuko Peacemaker (not everyone called him that, but the epithet had begun to stick). Instead of the imposing warrior the legends made him out to be, the Firelord was a thin, weary-looking teenager. "You must be Kouji."

"Yes, sir," Kouji replied, careful to be polite. Definitely shouldn't've worn the Earth Kingdom stuff, he thought. He'd mostly done it to piss Lǐ Qí off.

"I'm told you're good at schedules."

"Yes, sir," the boy said again. "It's… something of a gift."

Zuko nodded. "Are you interested in trying to maintain mine?"

Anything to get away from Lǐ Qí, Kouji thought. "Yes, sir!"

"All right, then." He stood up, walked over, and handed Kouji a piece of paper — his current schedule.

The boy looked down on it, and his grey eyes went wide. "…you have got to be kidding me," he blurted, forgetting whose presence he was in. "Did a blind hopping llama put this together?!"

"No, my aides did," the Firelord said, wryly. "Sometimes I think they have less brains put together than a blind hopping llama."

Kouji rubbed the back of his neck. "This is gonna be interesting," he said, but he was smiling. Finally, a challenge!

"I'm sure it will," the older boy replied. "Any questions?"

"Um… yeah, what's the order of importance, here?" He wrinkled his nose. "Lǐ Qí only goes to parties and stuff, so I don't have much basis for comparison."

"Security, intelligence, and economics are most important. After that, use your judgment."

"Yes, sir," replied Kouji, his mind already racing as he began plotting ways to make sense of the scrap of paper in his hands.

A page joined them in the room, summoned by an unseen bell. "Xìn Xī will show you to the office I've had set up for you, and tell you how to find my study when you're done."

Kouji remembered his manners then and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Lord Zuko."

"Of course," the older boy said. "I'll talk to you next time I have a minute."

The preteen followed the page out of the room and immediately got to work on the schedule. He took a break to eat around mid-afternoon when his stomach refused to be ignored any further, and had turned the mess into something coherent by nightfall.

The Firelord was in his study when he went there to drop it off, sitting in his chair, fighting through some kind of paperwork.

"Um… Lord Zuko?" Kouji said tentatively.

The teenager looked up. "Hey. Any luck?"

Kouji dared to grin at him. "I'm done."

Zuko arched his eyebrow. "Really? Let me see."

Cheerfully, Kouji passed it over.

The Firelord scanned it. One the plus side, as he saw it, he was no longer expected to be in multiple places at once. On the downside… "There's a lot of space in here." The rising tone on the last word almost made it a question.

The twelve-year-old came around to peek over Zuko's elbow and blinked. "Huh?"

"Like, here for example. There's a big empty space."

"…that's night," Kouji said. "You know, when people sleep?"

"Huh," said Zuko, as if this were a new concept. "What about this one?"

"Dinner. And that other one is lunch. And somebody told me you spend time in the gardens with someone, so that's that spot right there…" Kouji sounded uncertain now, and gave the Firelord a worried glance. Had he messed up somehow?

"All right," the Firelord said after a beat. "It's just… a little more blank space than I was expecting."

"You're used to being scheduled by blind hopping llamas, remember?" the boy replied.

"I know, I know. Still." Apparently, the young monarch was more expecting Kouji to find a way for him to avoid having to discover how to clone himself than to find him time to sleep.

"Did I mess up?" Kouji asked, worried now. No, no, no, I don't want to go back!

"No, no, I don't think so," said Zuko reassuringly. "I just… I'm a little surprised there's this much blank space."

Kouji made a small noise of disgust. "Lǐ Qí would pitch a fit if he was scheduled for more than three things a day."

The Firelord stared at him. "What, really?"

"Most noble kids are really lazy," the boy said with a shrug. "They're gonna be surprised when they actually have to take over the estates and stuff."

"Oh. Right, yeah," was the absent reply.

Kouji bit his lip and fell silent, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. What was he doing, badmouthing other nobles to the Firelord? He needed this appointment, just to get away from Lǐ Qí — and more importantly, keep from being sent home.

"Well, anyway. Thanks for putting me in one place at a time," said Zuko at last, putting the paper aside.

"It was my pleasure, my lord," Kouji replied.

Zuko almost smiled at him. A bit confused, the boy decided to bow again — after all, it couldn't hurt anything. "You don't have to do that," Zuko assured him. "Not in private, anyway."

"I… I don't?" Kouji asked, confused.

"Nope."

What does that mean? the preteen wondered. Am I hired? He hasn't brought up anything like contract terms — or does he even worry about that kind of thing? "A-all right…"

The Firelord almost smiled again, then turned back to whatever he'd been working on his desk.

Was that a dismissal? Confused, Kouji shifted again.

Zuko turned the paper he was reading upside down, then made a face when it proved just as illegible that way. He muttered something about mandating handwriting courses.

The boy blinked several times. He felt that Ozai's son was just as confusing as Ozai had been terrifying. Eventually, he decided that he'd been dismissed and padded toward the door.

Zuko didn't stop him.

The twelve-year-old closed the door behind him and then leaned against it, letting out a heavy sigh. "This place is confusing," he muttered.

After a long moment, Kouji elected to explore the palace. If he was going to be hired on here, it was best to know the place, right? Keeping one hand to the wall, he started walking.

After about ten minutes of this, a harried-looking nobleman pulled him aside, and told him to go to the library and retrieve a specific text on citizenship law for him. Surprised, Kouji glanced up at him. "A-all right," he said. Well, if the scheduling thing didn't work out, maybe he could be a page. "Um, where's the library?"

The nobleman had already wandered off, and couldn't answer him.

Kouji rolled his eyes and leaned on the wall, trying to get his bearings. After a moment, he nodded, and slipped down a hallway.

Sure enough, he made it to the library. Now to find that book… which was easier said then done. The palace library was the largest in the world, discounting the mythical spirit library of Wan Shi Tong. "Joy," muttered the young man before diving right in. Rather than finding his text, he instead stumbled on a small, fragile-looking boy, curled up asleep in a chair.

Kouji blinked, watching him curiously. He wasn't wearing red… or indeed, any of the colours of the four nations. Instead, the boy was wearing white. Was he mourning? Kouji wondered. Was he even Fire Nation? He looked a bit too fragile for that, to be honest.

The child twitched a little, curling in on himself.

Kouji jerked back, almost afraid he'd disturbed the other boy, who whimpered a little, twitching again.

Nightmare, Kouji realised. "Hey," he said softly.

The other boy jerked awake. His eyes widened when he saw Kouji, and he didn't say anything.

Is he scared of me? "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," Kouji said. "I was trying to find this book, but I don't know where anything here is…"

"O-okay," he stammered, then slid off his chair. "Wh-what book?"

The younger boy took a step back, since the white-clad one seemed to like distance, and told him the title.

"D-do you w-want me t-t'get it?"

"You don't have to," Kouji replied. "If you'd just tell me where it is, I'm sure I can find it myself."

"I-I'm n-not good at d-directions…"

"All right," the younger boy relented, "then you can get it."

The boy in white disappeared deeper into the library, and returned about ten minutes later with the scroll. "H-here…" He held it out, careful to keep his hand as far to the end as he could without dropping it.

Kouji accepted it, taking care not to get too close to the other boy. "Thank you." Taking a step back to make him comfortable, the twelve-year-old bowed.

The smaller boy bowed back.

He turned to go, and paused. "My name is Kouji."

"Y-Yì Suì," the other boy stammered out.

"It's nice to meet you." Kouji grinned at him, then went off to track down the noble and give him the text.

post is continued here.

Magicbending Eleven

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:37:35 GMT

Title: Magicbending
Authors: Eleanor and Puck
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Crossover
Summary: Haru, Teo, and Zuko are accidentally Portkeyed to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hilarity Ensues.
Warning: Takes place after the Firebending Masters. Includes some of my personal crackship because I refuse to let it go. Ever. To that effect, the events of Just One Night are considered canon to this fic. Some parts of the story are from necessity lifted directly from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Neither of us is precisely thrilled about it, but it had to be done. There are several events where the Avatar characters' presence will not interfere with the actual outcome. The point is not to demonstrate to the Potter cast that they are doing it wrong, but to show how the Avatar cast would adapt to this strange new world.
Note: This was started before the events of The Boiling Rock. Therefore those two episodes have no effect on this fic. As you were.

Continued from here.

The situation at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was deteriorating rapidly. As it turned out, a large number of the students had lost family members to the escaped convicts from Azkaban, and found themselves the targets of any number of borderline-rude queries from their classmates. This severely annoyed all four of the "transfer" students, especially Haru, who was finding his temper was rather explosive these days. The next DA meeting couldn't come fast enough.

Zuko had long since had the Room of Requirement provide him with a new pair of swords —though weighing the risks had convinced him it was slightly less dangerous to leave them behind when he went to class. When the time for the meeting came, he went to the room early to drill and blow some steam.

Teo had beaten him there and was nestled in a corner of the room with a sketchbook, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"Hey," he said, before having the room set him up a closed-off area in case he decided to work with fire.

"Hello, Zu," the distracted young man said absently, turning back to his book and making some strokes with his brush.

Zuko considered asking what he was drawing, then discarded the motion. He'd just distract the younger boy. He withdrew behind his barrier.

Less than an hour later, a heavy fist pounded on the barrier. "Open up, Zuko!" It was Haru. "We need to talk lesson plan!"

The barrier silently let Haru through.

The young earthbender had tied his hair back at the nape of his neck and was wearing sparring clothes rather than the school uniform or his normal clothing. His wand had been thrust through the belt at his left hip; on his right was a small bag. The earthbender arched an eyebrow at him.

Zuko was holding his swords. There was faint cloud of smoke behind him. "So, how're we gonna work this?"

"First, we're going to find a vent so nobody notices the smoke. Second, we should probably find out who has combat training among them — Teo tells me that some of the Muggleborn students he knows were enrolled in after-school martial-arts classes, and so they would know something of hand-to-hand," Haru said, considering.

Zuko nodded. "Right. Ty Lee takes those, and you take the others?"

"The ones who want to learn weaponless combat, yes. You get the wanna-be swordsmen." Haru glanced over his shoulder. "And if you can, convince Teo to get some learning on this subject. He won't listen to me."

Zuko nodded. "All right."

The older bender looked relieved. "You should put the practise area away. The kids'll be gathering in a few minutes."

"Got it." The prince closed his eyes, and the barrier sunk back into the rest of the room. "I like this room. Very useful."

"We can't take it back with us," Haru teased.

Zuko shot him a look. "I know."

The other man smirked. "A sense of humour, Zu. Grow you one." He then moved to one side of the wall and began to stretch.

The younger bender muttered something rude under his breath, and went to sit next to Teo and wait for the other kids. The youngest "transfer" greeted Zuko distractedly, making another note in his book.

"What're you working on?" he asked after a moment.

"New glider," Teo replied, looking up at him. "Had to leave my old one back home."

The older boy nodded. "Right."

"Wish I could bring a broom back." The boy sighed. "Not that I'd be able to use it." Deliberately, he bent over his book and made a few more strokes.

"Is that why you're not participating like Haru wants you to?" Zuko asked, quietly.

Teo went very still. Then, just as quietly, he said, "What would be the point?"

"We don't know how long we're going to be here," the prince pointed out. "It could be months, years. Every little bit helps. And you're smart, I'm sure you can adapt at least some of it."

"I've already adapted everything I can," Teo admitted. "I didn't learn to kick up on the back wheels to show off."

"How do you know what you can adapt unless you learn it?" Zuko replied.

"Common sense," the younger boy replied. "The kicks are no good to me, and punches really only work if someone gets in range — and by then, I'll have gotten them with the chair."

"Not true. Suppose you're captured. You'll have a few extra tricks up your sleeve if they separate you from your chair. No one will expect it."

Teo hesitated. "Well…"

"And my point about not knowing how long we're going to be here still stands," Zuko added. "Better know too much and never have to use it than not know enough when you need it."

"I guess so," said Teo, setting his brush down.

Satisfied that he'd convinced the younger boy, the prince turned back to watching the door and waiting for the other members of the DA.

As the students began filtering in in ones and twos — all had agreed that large groups were likely to get them caught faster — Teo quickly blew the ink dry and closed his sketchbook firmly.

Zuko stood and leaned against the wall, watching and trying to guess which ones would come to him. Ty Lee was one of the last ones in, her head together with Ginny, the two girls giggling about something.

After a few minutes, Potter called the meeting to order. He really hadn't got much better at public speaking when he knew that people might not like what they had to say. "Um, we're going to be doing things a little bit differently today," he said hesitantly.

"Different how?" Smith called from the back of the group. Zuko frowned. He didn't much like the blond Hufflepuff.

"Um…"

Haru spoke now. "Surprise tactics."

"What d'you mean?" Ginny asked, curious. Ty Lee had kept the plan a secret from her friend, apparently.

The older man shrugged carelessly. "You all tend to… rely on your wands a little bit too much," he said, carefully picking his words despite his uncaring demeanour. "So what happens if you lose your wand in the middle of a fight?"

"I break the other guy's nose," Ginny said, shrugging.

"D'you know how to do that without breaking your hand, too?" Ty Lee asked.

"Dunno, never had to try it."

"But you've got the right idea," Haru said encouragingly. "Physical combat can turn up incredibly useful in a tight spot, especially if you know what you're doing and how do it without hurting yourself. Ty Lee, want to demonstrate?" He held out his right arm.

Rather than reply in words, she bounced over to him, almost impossibly fast, and struck a few key points on the extended arm.

The class murmured as Haru's arm fell limply to his side. "Ty Lee," he said then, "happens to be an expert in a soft form of martial-arts. It's very good for disabling one's opponent without killing them."

"By hitting points and blocking his chi, I can paralyze him or take away his ability to b— use magic." She'd never exactly tried that, but she was sure it would work the same. "Or both!"

Haru noted the contemplative look on Granger's face and tried not to swear. She'd noticed the near-slip. "It's this very skill that has made Ty Lee more than a formidable opponent on our island." He smiled fondly at his girlfriend, then returned his attention to the club. "However, it's also an advanced skill, acquired after years of practise." His arm still wasn't working.

"It only works for about ten or fifteen minutes. But it does work."

The earthbender smiled ruefully. "This is only one of the lessons you lot will have a choice of receiving, however. Zuko here has committed himself to teaching you swordplay, and I know enough basic hand-to-hand to be able to work with whoever isn't ready for Ty Lee's lessons yet."

"Are you two going to demonstrate, too?" Smith called out.

"You may ask any Slytherin you see about my demonstration," Haru said sweetly, but his eyes had gone hard. "As for the other — Zuko?"

The Room helpfully provided a target, which Zuko cut into several pieces in a series of quick, sweeping motions with his broadswords.

Haru turned back to Smith, one eyebrow raised. "Enough of a demonstration for you?"

"...Yes."

"Any other questions?"

There were none. Relieved, Haru got the club separated into three groups — those who had any sort of hand-to-hand training went to Ty Lee, so she could figure out their skill levels. The remainder were divided between Haru and Zuko; the earthbender noted with interest that Potter had gone with those who wanted to learn to use bladed weaponry.

To the sword-weilders' general disappointment, Zuko shoved weighted wooden blades at them.

"Do you want to explain missing limbs to Madam Pomfrey?" Haru head a scornful Teo demand before he busied himself with his trainees, and laughed to himself. Trust Teo to think up excuses on the quick.

Potter almost forgot to call the meeting to a halt an hour and a half later. After everyone had been shooed off to the showers, Haru stretched like Zuko's cat. "Not bad," he said with a slight smile. "We should probably switch it out every meeting, though — the spells are pretty useful too."

"Yeah," Ty Lee said, stretching out herself.

Teo groaned. "I've never been this stiff before."

"It'll be worse in the morning," Zuko assured him, before setting up a barrier to disappear behind again.

Teo groaned and dragged himself out,

Haru just shook his head. "Poor kid."

"Could be worse. One of my boys almost dislocated his shoulder," Ty Lee informed him.

That hadn't been what Haru meant, but he chose to let Ty Lee believe it. "I suppose you're right."

She bounced over and hugged him. "Are you sleeping here again tonight, or have you moved back into your dorm?"

"I refuse to go back to that bed of vipers," Haru replied.

"You can't stay here forever," she pointed out. "Sooner or later, Professor Snape'll find out and pitch a fit."

"Watch me," the earthbender muttered, putting both arms around her.

She sighed, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Well, he'll be pissy. And he's been in a worse mood than usual lately, I dunno if you've noticed."

"Well, he does have to give Potter 'Remedial Potions'," Haru pointed out. The quote marks were audible.

"Yeah. Ginny says she doesn't know what's really going on. She thinks her brother Ron might, but he never says when she asks."

"Well, whatever it is, he probably needs it. Since I don't think Snape is offering from the goodness of his heart."

"Not where Potter's concerned, anyway," Ty Lee agreed.

Haru sighed and pressed a kiss into her hair. "Sometimes I think the politics back home are a lot more straightforward than the ones here."

"You've never been in our court," she said, dryly. "'Specially with the rumors about Zuzu's grandfather's death..."

"Believe me, I've heard a good many of them," Haru replied. "Quite a few people in the Earth Kingdom were dreading the reign of Firelord Iroh. Imagine the surprise."

"Azula says her mom was involved," the acrobat said quietly, after glancing over to Zuko's barrier to make sure he couldn't hear.

"Azula is a psychopath, darling," Haru said. "I feel like some fresh air. Come on."

"...Okay."

Ty Lee followed Haru back outside. "You think he heard that?" she asked, worriedly.

"Yes. I do," Haru said softly.

"...Oh. Oops..."

"Yeah. I'd… really rather not talk about that. Not until he's ready to."

Ty Lee nodded emphatically. "Especially if what Zuli told me about why is true."

"'Women of the Fire Court are vipers'," Haru said softly, shaking his head. "Or maybe whoever came up with that proverb threatened the child of one of the Fire Nobles."

"That's kind of what happened," she agreed, tugging at the end of her braid. "I kinda really hope she was lying."

"Azula always lies," Haru muttered. "Except when she doesn't." They'd come upon the lake, and Haru abruptly let go of Ty Lee's hand and, heedless of the cold weather, threw himself in.

"Haru—" she started, tempted to dive in after him.

He emerged quickly with a yell that would have awakened the dead. "Oh, I needed that."

"Get out of there, it's freezing," she protested, wading a few feet in to try and tug him out.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He drew himself out and shivered. "I think I'll just go jump in the lake whenever I get mad."

"Good way to freeze," she pointed out, but didn't try otherwise to dissuade him. "Let's get inside, you need to change."

"I hid my clothes," he commented.

"Well, go unhide them and change," she said, pushing him gently towards the castle.

"Yes, love," he said in his best 'henpecked' voice, and stole a kiss.

She was happy to let it be taken. "I'm heading to bed. I'll see you at breakfast?"

"Of course."

She kissed him one more time, then headed off to her dorm.

Haru watched her go, then headed back for the Room of Requirement to boot Zuko out and get some sleep.