milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

jocasta wiggs,
zuko

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Jocasta's been keeping herself to herself. She hasn't seen a few of her friends in a long time. Some of them she knows why, like Ennis, some of them she doesn't really, like Zuko. Others she misses desperately, like Raph.

But she Keeps Herself Occupied. Right now she's at the piano again, picking her fingers expertly over the keys to pull out a light, delicate ballet. The title she doesn't remember of hand, but it contains fairies, or sweets. Or something equally bad for your teeth.

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"That's one instrument I can't play."

That would be one of the missing friends. Isn't that nice.

"How are you, Jocasta? I've not seen you in ages."

It's a complex, piece, and she sees it through to a natural break, moving hand over hand until lkifting them triumphantly and smiling warmly at Zuko.

"Oh, very well, thank you, Zuko. We appear to have kept missing each other. How are you?"

"...better. I've... been here, I've just been unrecognizable. You didn't see a very large, black canine in here the last couple of weeks, did you?" he asks, asshe sits down on the bench beside her.

"Not that I remember..."

If she had, she would probably have tried to make friends with it.

"Is it yours?"

"... it was me."

"But..."

Jocasta's brows knit. There are two options here. Two reasons why someone who is usually one shape should be temporarily another.

One is infinitely more preferable than the other. So she looks up at him, maybe leaning away slightly. You know, just in case.

"Did you upset a wizard?"

Dear gods, let it be a wizard. A meddling, interfering, dreadfully unsporting wizard. Not the alternative. Not Zuko. Not someone sitting on the same bench as her.

"No," Zuko says. "I got bit by a werewolf. We're-- still trying to find a permanent fix," he adds a moment later. See, he's not furry NOW! That's good, right?

Sure, that's good. That's good. Which doesn't really explain why Jocasta's eyes are wide and worried. Why she shuffles along the bench just an inch before she stops herself.

Vampires, she can deal with. They're respectable. Werewolves, they're a completely different thing. One hears such stories.

"Oh," she blunders. "Oh, I am sorry. That's simply awful for you."

Zuko is a little concerned now. And staring. "You're not--"

Afraid of him.

Holy crap, is someone afraid of him now?

He's going to have a little trouble processing this. Nobody's scared of him because he can TOSS FIRE AT THEM, but you know, this wolfy thing and--

That's almost insulting.

"I'm a fairly benign wolf."

Jocasta knows more than a thousand ways of killing someone. The difference is, she has the good manners to know when it's polite not to do so. And so, she assumes, do Fire Princes.

Werewolves, according to popular opinion, do not.

"Um," she blusters out again. "Yes, yes of course you are."

She's still sharing a bench with it.

Him.

Zuko is getting the feeling that he just became ...

Well, less then a person.

There's a long stare, and then he just gets up. "Best find a new Thud partner, then."

Jocasta stares at him, confused, a little scared, but most of all, mortified at offending.

"Wait..."

"What?"

He is trying not to be snarlly, but it comes so naturally.

Her brain is firing conflicting messages at her from all directions. Werewolf. Friend. Prince. Not his fault. Propriety. Zuko.

"We don't..."

Why is this so hard?

"We can still play Thud."

"You don't...?"

Oh. Well. He looks at her a moment, trying not to grind his teeth, and says, "... is there something the matter? I mean, it's -- not exactly my idea of a party, this, but..."

He doesn't get why she's afraid. He's human, he's not eating people! He was downright docile!

Jocasta bites the inside of her lip, which is shaking a little in confusion.

And it never occurs to her to explain the root of her cultural prejudice. He knows about werewolves anyway, right?

"No," she lies. But it's a white lie. "No no, it's OK. There's nothing the matter. Really."

She'll just jolly well have to get over it.

Well, he knows that his mentor in guns and the modern world is one, and is a right nice man. So, yes, he knows about werewolves.

"...are you sure?" he asks, looking at her sideways.

"Oh yes," Jocasta nods overenthusiastically and forces a smile. "I'm sure. We can even try chess at some time if you want."

Zuko has never been one for fakery; he's never been good at detecting it, though, so he sits down and shrugs. "Have you played Wizard's Chess?" Ron taught him that!

Jocasta follows him with her eyes when he sits, then forces herself to relax. Assassins training means she can watch his every move subtly.

"Wizard's chess?" she looks a little confused, and shakes her head. "I don't know any wizards, I'm afraid. I just play normal chess."

Watch his every move! You'll only find the natural grace of a Firebender there-- enhanced, maybe, with a certain lupine agility. "No? It's basically chess, but a little more.. animated. I'll have to show you some day."

"Animated?"

Her mouth twitches again. Natural curiosity winning through the faked ease. "You mean the pieces move?"

"Oh yes. You take a piece and you really take a piece."

Zuko may be a prince with a rod shoved up his nethers, but sometimes, he is able to be a seventeen year old boy.

Jocasta's rather amused by this concept.

"Oh, wonderful! That must be jolly good fun."

Zuko grins. This is better then the -- weirdness! "It is. You want to get a set from Bar? We can play."

Jocasta nods. "Very well."

She get over the awkwardness. As long as she doesn't have to touch him or anything.

Sitting straighter, she closes the piano gently and moves to stand. "Do you have a preferred side?"

"No," Zuko says, and rises. "I'll go get the set -- go get a seat at the couches?"

Chess is good. And noncontact!

Everyone's happy! Er... ish.

Jocasta grins and heads couchwards, straightening out the centre cushion for the board and sitting neatly at one end, turned towards the centre.

Chess. Chess they can cope with.

Chess indeed. Zuko sets up the board and the fierce looking pieces and -- well, she can pick white or black as she pleases, and from there, goes first.

And of course, the ensuing violence will be fun. Y' know, exploding chess pieces are awesome...

...and Zuko does have his uncle's mind for strategy... it's just he doesn't think straight entirely under stress. A game like chess allows him to think things over and acutally use his mind.

Jocasta has no natural talent for strategy. Her ability is mostly physical. But she does know most of the main gambits and plays, so plays like that, with the dexterity of someone who's been playing the game most of her short life.

The violence makes her laugh, but she's often studying it a little too hard, almost critically.

It's awfully crude.

It's very crude! Even Zuko knows that. But it's still fun watching pieces explode in very big ways.

"Why are you looking at them like that?" he asks, as a pawn gets the axe.

Oops, caught!

Jocasta bites her lip, embarassed, and laughs softly. "No reason," she says. "Just the way that rook swings the axe. It's not very realistic."

And she can't even use an axe.

"And the pawns dual sword technique is pretty shoddy. Guess that's why they're pawns!" Zuko chuckles.

"Oh it's terrible," she agrees, with a giggle. "They could easily break the swipe."

"I could have broken that swipe when I was seven with a knife!" Zuko laughs, and moves another piece. This one doesn't lead to anything exploding. Darn.

"I'd be insulted if guards tried that on me," she agrees. "And shocked if it caught a first year out."

Jocasta glances at his move, ponders it for a second, and moves elsewhere, ignoring the fact that she could take it easily.

Or could she? DUN DUN DUN -- who can tell?

Zuko moves again, watching things move tward endgame; pieces march oer the fallen. Kings are guarded. He's totally entertained.

And Jocasta is as well.

She missed this, she did. And she's having fun, which is fantastic.

And she's almost forgotten about... that other thing.

There is check and check again-- till checkmate and a victor goes away--

--until the pieces are reset for another game. Because there is another game. There's always another game.

"Want to play Thud after?"

"Certainly," says Jocasta. "Although I'm almost sad the trolls don't actually pummel the dwarfs."

Zuko has the Thoughtful Look.

"Well, why couldn't they? This is just an enchanted chess board. Why couldn't you make an enchanted Thud board?"

"Me personally?" Jocasta laughs.

"I didn't even know wizards have an interest in chess. It doesn't seem the sort of thing they'd do."

"Well..." he considers. "I'll look into it! And I'll get back to you."

After this game of chess, and a couple of Thud...

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