Eleven watches with a held breath and a growing stitch in his side as the lightning connects and surges through Zuko's body. But his friend is still moving and moments later, the lightning exits through his fingers, back into the sky as Zuko continues to breathe.
Eleven drops, legs numb, and clutches his side, hissing through his teeth as the stitch in his side flares with every breath.
"Thank the Goddess," he says heavily, fingers shaking from the rush of adrenaline. "For a moment, I thought I'd killed you. ..But you did it. I'm so glad."
His heart was drumming a mile a minute while his mind seemed to be working twice as fast. It felt like plunging head first into an icy cold ocean, it felt like he could bend lava right out of the ground - it felt like he had a shot against Azula.
"That was great!" Whirling around to see Eleven on the ground Zuko blinked, confused but positively thrumming with energy.
Concerned, Zuko stepped a bit closer, bouncing a little as he walked off the residual energy from the current of electricity that passed through him.
"I've only done it once before," he sounded downright excited. "My father–" Zuko caught himself and stopped, shaking his head. He didn't want to bring up Ozai and ruin the high from all that power. He deserved to feel this good. That had not been easy.
"My sister can bend lightning too. If I'm going to face her like Moran says, I have to practice redirecting it."
Eleven folded his legs, feeling the stitch begin to ease into a dull ache. Zuko was fine.
"Moran had a vision of you fighting your sister?" he asked, brows furrowing. "That sounds awful.."
Far from being an expert in having siblings however, there were one or two people that came close to what he thought it might be like. Even Five obviously cared for his a great deal.
"Yeah." Zuko shrugged tensely and stooped to offer a hand to help Eleven back to his feet.
"Pretty standard for my family," if Eleven knew his father, maybe he would understand. "I have to be ready for Azula, she's a firebending prodigy." Stating that fact never came without a degree of bitterness as he thought about his father, and how much Ozai had preferred his younger sister to Zuko because of that fact.
"Thank you for helping me. Do you think you can go again?"
Eleven took his hand and let him pull him to his feet.
He hesitated to agree, but now that he'd seen Zuko do it and seemingly without trouble..
"I could," he said, nodding. "So your sister is a firebender and a.. lightning.. bender? Is the political situation really so terrible in your family?"
"Lighting is energy, just like fire," he began, keener to discuss this than his sister and the political situation. "My grandfather could bend heat," Zuko shrugged. "It's all energy." This was the first time he'd broken it down like that, even for himself, and again he was thankful he had the chance to meet the Masters before being dragged into this world. Everything else in his life was up in the air and unresolved, but he felt like he was a better bender, with a firmer understanding of the art, than he'd ever been at home.
"My family's complicated. My father's trying to conquer the world and my sister's his biggest supporter." He shrugs again and gets ready for Eleven to try again. "Anyway, let's get back to work."
Realizing there isn't a way to move on without elaborating, Zuko sighed heavily through his nose, flames wicking from his nostrils.
"My grandfather was the one who started it - he led the Fire Nation astray. The nations used to exist together peacefully, but Firelord Sozin became obsessed with making the whole world Fire Nation."
Eleven's face fell, speechless for several long moments. Just selfishness? To cause so much conflict and suffering. He bit his lip and dropped his eyes to the ground. His fingers curled into fists.
"I'm trying to help Aang, the Avatar stop it, however, I can." Aang who made it through the Beacon successfully. Zuko hoped with his whole heart the Avatar was back in the right world doing the work he couldn't.
"From what Moran saw in his vision, my guess is that means fighting Azula, my sister. She's a firebending prodigy. I have to be ready for her, that's why I came to you." Eleven and Azula were like night and day, except in this one, very crucial way - the way that made him feel outmatched the most.
The Avatar. He'd heard Zuko mention that before- a title that seems similar to Luminary, in that world. It was truly a shame he'd never had a chance to meet him. But that made Zuko one of Aang's companions.
Eleven loosed a breath, and with it, the tension he'd been holding onto.
"You have to win," he nodded. "Then, if you become king, you can stop the attacks, right?"
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branchandroot
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Date: 2021-12-08 04:37 am (UTC)Eleven drops, legs numb, and clutches his side, hissing through his teeth as the stitch in his side flares with every breath.
"Thank the Goddess," he says heavily, fingers shaking from the rush of adrenaline. "For a moment, I thought I'd killed you. ..But you did it. I'm so glad."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-08 05:08 am (UTC)"That was great!" Whirling around to see Eleven on the ground Zuko blinked, confused but positively thrumming with energy.
"What happened?"
no subject
Date: 2021-12-08 05:12 am (UTC)Eleven took in a breath, winced, then leaned back to try and stretch out. "But I'm really glad you're all right."
He rubbed his hand over his face, still coming down from the rush of frenetic energy. "I've never seen anyone do that before."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-08 05:21 am (UTC)"I've only done it once before," he sounded downright excited. "My father–" Zuko caught himself and stopped, shaking his head. He didn't want to bring up Ozai and ruin the high from all that power. He deserved to feel this good. That had not been easy.
"My sister can bend lightning too. If I'm going to face her like Moran says, I have to practice redirecting it."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-22 10:22 pm (UTC)"Moran had a vision of you fighting your sister?" he asked, brows furrowing. "That sounds awful.."
Far from being an expert in having siblings however, there were one or two people that came close to what he thought it might be like. Even Five obviously cared for his a great deal.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-28 11:19 pm (UTC)"Pretty standard for my family," if Eleven knew his father, maybe he would understand. "I have to be ready for Azula, she's a firebending prodigy." Stating that fact never came without a degree of bitterness as he thought about his father, and how much Ozai had preferred his younger sister to Zuko because of that fact.
"Thank you for helping me. Do you think you can go again?"
no subject
Date: 2021-12-30 11:03 pm (UTC)He hesitated to agree, but now that he'd seen Zuko do it and seemingly without trouble..
"I could," he said, nodding. "So your sister is a firebender and a.. lightning.. bender? Is the political situation really so terrible in your family?"
no subject
Date: 2022-01-03 12:12 am (UTC)"My family's complicated. My father's trying to conquer the world and my sister's his biggest supporter." He shrugs again and gets ready for Eleven to try again. "Anyway, let's get back to work."
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Date: 2022-01-09 01:48 am (UTC)Eleven stared, not quite following through. Anyway, like it's some minor detail. That it was Zuko's family.
"Conquer.. why?"
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Date: 2022-01-09 11:09 pm (UTC)"My grandfather was the one who started it - he led the Fire Nation astray. The nations used to exist together peacefully, but Firelord Sozin became obsessed with making the whole world Fire Nation."
no subject
Date: 2022-01-10 09:57 pm (UTC)"I don't understand. Was the Fire Nation suffering in some way?"
no subject
Date: 2022-01-17 09:43 pm (UTC)"The Fire Nation invaded the rest of my world to conquer it. We weren't suffering, Firelord Sozin was selfish."
no subject
Date: 2022-01-22 02:23 am (UTC)"So you're trying to stop it?"
no subject
Date: 2022-01-24 04:44 am (UTC)"From what Moran saw in his vision, my guess is that means fighting Azula, my sister. She's a firebending prodigy. I have to be ready for her, that's why I came to you." Eleven and Azula were like night and day, except in this one, very crucial way - the way that made him feel outmatched the most.
no subject
Date: 2022-01-28 12:37 am (UTC)Eleven loosed a breath, and with it, the tension he'd been holding onto.
"You have to win," he nodded. "Then, if you become king, you can stop the attacks, right?"