bright star

@starcherished send:

“ You’re trembling. Is it because my hands are too cold, or because you like this too much? ” / from yuka

Zuko didn't pull away. The feeling of his hands was nothing compared to the fire burning in his chest, a fire that hadn't burned in… a long time.

He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a moment in an attempt to compose himself… even though the blush on his face was evident. "…Both," he admitted, his voice lower and more timid than usual.

yuka was blushing, too. after all, she had only meant to think that, not say it out loud. his confession had her heart thudding in her chest. his hand that caught hers was so warm, she was tempted to let him. she gave him a soft smile and a squeeze to his hand. maybe it was a bit too affectionate for a court healer to act with the fire lord, but she found him endearing in the moment.

the shake of her head was gentle. " no, that's okay. the massage oils are warming, so my hands won't be too cold for much longer. "

“You aren’t blameless in this.”

“You don’t have to keep it all in.”

“Not everyone is out to hurt you.”

“You’re too good for someone like me.”

“You’re hiding secrets from me… why?”

“You’ve got the saddest soul I’ve ever seen.”

“The shadows are safer than the harsh glare.”

“I’ll keep you safe… the way they should have.”

“I didn’t need you here. I didn’t want you here.”

“No, I don’t think you love me… but you used to.”

“They’ll never apologize. You have to know that.”

“Don’t you think you’ve been alone long enough?”

“Why can’t you be honest with yourself for once?”

“If you really didn’t care, then why did you come?”

“You have too many scars for someone so young.”

“There’s nothing you have to hide from me. Share.”

“I’ve already lived too much for someone so young.”

“Don’t look at me with those sad eyes. I can’t bear it.”

“You never even had the chance to be a kid, did you?”

“I don’t want your apologies. they don’t mean anything.”

“Forgiveness is earned. And you have a long way to go.”

“You’re allowed to step into the light. You’re allowed to live.”

“Don’t talk to me about loyalty… not after what you’ve done.”

“I keep trying to atone… but, it just never seems to be enough.”

“You think solitude keeps you safe. It doesn’t. It keeps you lonely.”

“I’ll leave if you want me to. Will you just hear me out first? Please?”

“After all you’ve been through, how do you still find it in your heart to care?”

“You’re still breathing, but if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were a ghost.”

“I don’t want you to know. I don’t want you to see the awful, tainted parts of me.”

“What happened was horrible, and cruel, and unfair. You’re allowed to be angry.”

“There’s nothing wrong with lashing out sometimes. It’s better than holding it all in.”

“This world’s a dismal place. It chews up all happiness it finds and spits it out bitter.”

“I love you, And you don’t need to say it back, or even reciprocate. I just needed you to know.”

“I’ve always done everything by myself, survived by myself. I don’t see why that would change.”

“You don’t get to disappear, then come back like nothing happened. Life moved on without you.”

“They say you’re not supposed to hold grudges, but I don’t believe that. It keeps you from making the same mistake twice.”

He had seen Katara heal with waterbending, but this… this was truly extraordinary… and he knew well that waterbenders were… powerful.

When she asked him if he was interested in gardening, he exhaled through his nose and a faint smile played on his lips as he gazed at the fire lilies.

"More or less…" he admitted simply, his voice firm but gentle. "My mother was an herbalist and loved taking care of plants… she taught me a lot. But I don't have a green thumb like her… but I do my best to keep her passion alive within the palace." He said with a voice full of affection… all for his mother.

yuka lightly brushed the tips of her fingers over a fire lily's petals, watching as it bent gracefully under her touch, while she listened to zuko's response. she didn't know much about the fire nation's history--even recent history--as she had always been taught to regard them as 'the enemy.' as he was speaking about his mother in the past tense, she assumed the previous fire lady had moved on to the spirit world.

" she must have had a gentle, patient heart. plants respond best under the care of people like that. " she didn't intend to say more, but her constantly overthinking mind made her realize something... yuka's eyes snapped up to meet his, her cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment. she lifted her hands and shook them just a little. " ah-- i mean, not to say that you aren't gentle and patient just because you're having to put in mort effort to keep the plants healthy. i mean i hardly know you but i've heard a lot of good things, and you're handsome like the rumors say, so the other rumors are probably true t-- " she cut herself off as her brain replayed what she had said, and her mismatched eyes widened.

RP Related

What first drew you to your muse?

Do you have any verses you want to write but haven't fully figured out yet?

What's your favorite icon of your muse?

How do you feel you and your muse are similar?

Are there any parts of canon that you ignore for your muse?

Is there any fanon you embrace for your muse?

Is there any fanon about your muse that you can't stand?

What's a song that reminds you of your muse?

Do you have any old muses you'd like to bring back?

What's the hardest part about writing your muse?

What's the easiest part about writing your muse?

Are there any more muses you want to play?

Do you have a preference between platonic or romantic relationships?

Personal

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Which is worse, stepping on a lego or stubbing your toe?

Do you prefer sweet or salty flavors?

Share an interesting fact about yourself.

If you could pick an animal to freely shapeshift into, what would you pick?

Do you enjoy spicy food?

What's your favorite movie?

What's your favorite TV show?

What's your favorite video game?

How well do you handle horror?

“Whoa, lady.” His hands came up in an automatic, protective gesture to cover his chest. “These are not for you.”

@starcherished asked: 🍷 Send 🍷 for my muse's reaction to yours appearing at their door, drunk. (no longer accepting)

— Lady, no you are not trying to heal ANYONE while like that. — Tagah said, his voice firm. He didn't know the water bender for a long time but he knew mixing drinking and bending was a bad, VERY bad idea. — How about we lay down and get some sleep?

again feel free to switch around sender and receiver in these after pasting!

1)  sender takes receiver’s hands because receiver is cold,  rubbing and blowing warmth into them. 

2)  sender washes receiver’s hair while they take a shower together. 

3)  sender brings receiver a potted plant rather than a bouquet so it will last longer. 

4)  sender brings receiver a bouquet of flowers (feel free to specify what kind) 

5)  our muses are walking somewhere together and sender casually takes receiver’s hand,  bringing it up to kiss the back before simply holding it the rest of the way. 

6)  receiver is getting dressed and,  unprompted,  sender helps them zip up, attach a necklace, tie a tie, etc. 

7)  sender shows up at receiver’s door with homemade food to comfort them or because they aren’t feeling well. 

8)  sender remembered something receiver mentioned they liked and brings it or something related to it as a gift.

9)  sender randomly gives something to receiver that reminded sender of them (feel free to specify)

10)  our muses are talking and sender wordlessly reaches over to fix receiver’s hair without breaking concentration.  

11)  receiver has had a hard day and comes home to sender drawing up a bath and preparing their favorite comforting beverage. 

12)  receiver has had some task they needed to get done around their home and they find sender doing it for them unprompted. 

13)  sender wordlessly picks something out of the fabric of receiver’s clothing and then smooths it over while they’re having a conversation. 

14)  sender soothingly runs their fingers through receiver’s hair while they talk or are in a group setting. 

15)  sender brushes receiver’s hair out and fixes it for them. 

16)  sender places their hand on receiver’s thigh while they’re talking or in a group setting.  

17)  sender offers their arm for receiver to take while they walk. 

18)  sender slips their arm through receiver’s while they walk.  

19)  sender places their coat around receiver after realizing they’re cold. 

He had never seen waterbending used on plants… well, Katara had told him about it during one of her visit with Aang, but he had never seen it in person. Surely that would have intrigued him.

"But the swamp is full of water, and the trees themselves hold a lot of it… this tree is sturdy, built to withstand the hot, dry temperatures of the Fire Nation. But please, go ahead," he said softly, stepping back to give her some space. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned lightly on a nearby stone bench as he watched.

" that works in our favor, actually, " she started in response. with graceful coaxing of her hands, yuka drew water from the nearby pond and brought it around her hands, much like she would if she were healing a person. " since they need less water to grow, it shouldn't be too hard for me to encourage it to. "

yuka closed her eyes briefly, feeling for that tether between her chi and the water within the tree. once she found it, she focused on it, opening her eyes so she could watch the water around her hands seep into the tree. soon, little green sprouts began to appear growing out of the ends of the branches that had been cut. they grew and grew, longer and larger, until they fleshed out into mature branches, and leaves began to unfurl around them.

soon, the fire lilies were properly shaded by the new growth yuka had caused, and she removed her hands from the tree, guiding the extra water back to the pond. her hands planted on her hips as she looked up at her work, a small but proud smile tipping the corners of her mouth. looking to the fire lord, she said, " like this, the fire lilies should start to heal, and they'll flourish again. "