#namedhope

⋆˚  ✧. ┊┊ imma draw your muse;; [Closed] PleaseㅤDoㅤNotㅤRe.postㅤorㅤRe.use!

// im...too tired from a flu/cov. shot to do the detail for her jacket and other things- forgot to paint her tails- its fine. But eyyy enjoyyyyy also, hope . do you have music/podcasts on? How do you hear people properly? Do the headphones enhance sounds in the area and the ears help pick it up??? i have questions lol

@namedhope

           SHE KNEW BITS AND PIECES ABOUT HIM. not everything, of course, the personal lives of the fire nation's royalty weren't exactly media headlines... and even if they had been, her old village hadn't really honed in on the family too much. most of what she knew had been valeria's SCORN and MOCKERY. her sister always dreamed of having that crown in her own head of flame colored strands.         still, there wasn't a complete sense of obliviousness with who she was speaking towards. though it wouldn't prevent her from being indignant. her relationship with those of p o w e r didn't have too firm of grounding. beneath it all, there was still torment over what her sister had caused and the destiny hope had had to face without preparedness.                       the teen stood, touching at her chest in quiet reminder to herself of the power lurking inside. one she no longer knew how to unlock, tucked away now that the anger had been dealt with... and her sister lost into the wind.           "we carry that in common," she noted quietly, voice almost a lull, as though she didn't want to admit to the truth there. her past was more complex than she wanted to confront right then. yet, the dwelling was soon overrun by the invitation, and hope's heart leapt in immediate elation to potential sense of freedom. "...wait, r e a l l y? i've been needing out of here. pretty sure my entire existence now is just to help clean up messes. it's pretty much what my ability has been good for. i might as well use it.  and i can help in other ways, too."

Zuko didn’t miss the shift in her voice. That quiet crack in the middle of defiance. She said they had something in common, and she wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t just the visions or the weight of something unwanted inside them. It was the way they both stood, shoulders squared like shields, eyes sharper than anyone their age should’ve earned. He recognized it because he’d lived it.

His gaze tracked the subtle motion of her hand pressing to her chest, and though she didn’t explain it, he didn’t press. Everyone had their ghosts. Some didn’t like being named, but then her voice lit up. Just a flicker, but it was there; surprise, hope, maybe even gratitude buried beneath sarcasm. The sudden shift tugged at something in him. He hadn't meant to make her feel like she was just being dragged along for his sake.

Darkness.

That's what surrounded the elder before he could, finally, sense something underneath him. Something solid. Senses were slowly, and steadily, regained upon letting yellow splash into the ocean that hugged him. Yellow darted, attempting to study each and every detail available. It didn't even occur to him immediately that someone was right nearby, but once he did --

Sound of what seemed to be electricity dripped into the scene, and a gothic-looking blade in shape of a key summoned directly into his hand. It pointed towards her, and he fought off a wince in an attempt to move. "W - Where am I?" He outright demanded.

All he could think about was how her eyes softened when she caught him off guard, and how every time she smiled, it pulled something warm and unfamiliar from his chest. His hands fidgeted uselessly at his sides, one brushing over the back of his neck as he tried to summon something resembling composure.

Zuko cleared his throat, forcing himself to meet her eyes, and instantly regretted it because now he couldn’t look away. His voice came out a little rough and uncertain, like he wasn’t entirely sure how to make the words sound right.

“I was wondering if maybe you’d… want to go out sometime,” he wished he could that back and start over. “Not—uh—not like an official royal thing,” he added quickly, waving a hand as if he could swat away the awkwardness clinging to his words. “Just… dinner. Or tea. Or—” He stopped, realizing he was rambling, and exhaled through his nose with a faint, self-conscious laugh.

@namedhope liked for a starter from Caden!

Caden had seen a lot of interesting and wild things during his time as a Pack Operative. He had seen even more when he broke free and tried to start his own life, acting as an outlaw on the run, trying to always stay one step ahead of Calderon and anything they were tempted to throw his way. He was accustomed to things going wrong and was even comfortable with things going sideways, for lack of a better word.

He had thought he had seen everything, thought he had faced nearly everything that someone could throw at him. He thought he was nearly untouchable, invincible in a way. Was that a foolish way of thinking about everything? It likely was, but it was Caden was doing and he wasn't going to be changing that mindset.

But... to experience what he did while out on a hunt? It certainly threw him quite the curve ball.

Like a lot of his hunts, it was supposed to be fairly simple and straightforward. Go after a target that was a known contractor within Calderon, gather some info, and use that to his advantage later. Something he had done countless number of times. But as he was throwing the man to the ground, revolver about to enter his holster, a light flashed behind him. The canine glanced over his shoulder, ears flicking slightly at the new noise as he saw what looked to be some sort of flicker of a single light across the room.

At the same time, he felt his cybernetic eye begin flickering, began changing in a way, seeming to be running diagnostics of something that wasn't there. The light began to glow more brightly, his cybernetic eye flickering more and more as Caden began backing away down the hall from which h came. By that point though, it was far too late. He wasn't even able to let out a yelp as everything flashed at once and he was... gone. Ina puff of smoke almost.

And where he ended up? How the hell could he say that?

He landed face first in an open grass field, larger trees seeming to surround him with buildings seeming to sprout off in the distance. He growled lowly and got to a knee, brushing his coat and his fur off as best he could before he heard the click sound of a revolver chambering a round. Whoever was beside him had seemingly taken his revolver and now he was in a really bad spot.

He cast a few glances to the side, not daring to move from his crouched position and slowly raised his hands as a way to show he wasn't a threat.

❝Stranger... I ain't got no quarrel with ya'... if ya' would be so kind to lower my own revolver, I would greatly appreciate it,❞ he whispered in a low, gruff voice, trying to still see who had been so bold to nab his revolver from where he had landed. But the only features he could make out was blue. Blue... hair. Eyes. Or something. He couldn't tell and he wasn't about to move and cause himself to die at the hands of his own revolver.

Failure.

The word was lodged in Kendo's head like a rusty nail. Twisting and tightening. Everything went WRONG today.

Well...not everything.

At least the Baron had been defeated, that was considered a major success for the island. Between himself and his sister, it was a bit of an unfair match, but it felt good to be the one to end the canine's greedy bullshit. He is sure the Outlaws would be jealous, but they could do what they like with his body. Turn him into an ugly throw rug if they must, he does not give a single care. That wasn't important.

What his brain continued to linger on was Daigo. His brother finally had done it earlier that day. His nonstop and dangerous pursuit had landed him in the spirit realm. Daigo claimed to be a 'savior’, but in Kendo's mind, he is a pompous idiot messing with powers beyond his control.

And now that very idiot had taken the zero-point blades into the spirit realm without any forethought about what that could mean for everyone here on the island. For this whole reality. For his eldest brother's own safety. Their disconnect may rival the largest chasm (does...does he hate him...?), but he never wanted his brother to hurt himself OR their world as they know it.

As brilliant as his older brother can be, he sure can be so dense. The warrior had an extremely BAD feeling in the pit of his stomach that refused to fade away. Or perhaps he confused it with how he felt about his brother and his dark experiments. It's a sense he doesn't quite understand or know how to read, but...Something awful is beginning to build and it'll be...bad. Very bad.

He would be shocked and would gladly eat his past scoldings against Daigo if he came out of that portal as himself and successful.

But the reality is...that won't be the case. There was something in his EYES behind that mask. Something not quite right. He theorizes that Daigo's ego will get the best of him and his aspirations won't turn out in his favor in the slightest.

Call him a pessimist, but he doesn't trust his brother's intuition at all.

And then his thoughts soon lingered on Hope and Jones' as well. Because of today's massive failure, the powerful blades are within a realm where the most dangerous could get their hands on it. With such power at their disposal, it could mean something far worse than what the Demon Lord has in store. This will complicate things for the duo, and the older man will be unhappy that they slipped away ONCE again.

And it continued to linger on Jade as well. His eldest sister, usually so full of warmth and a smile so bright, did not end this day on that very note at all. For obvious reasons. Her favorite person in the world is now lost to the literal void. Her screams of panic to stop their brother remained on repeat within his head, and it made his heart tear into two.

Everything was so loud right now in his head. His chest was HOT with lava and anger. How in the world is he supposed to fix this. He doesn't know, HE DOESN'T KNOW!

But the creak of the door and Hope’s appearance tore him out his thoughts briefly. He exhaled. Inhaled. As if he was remembering how to breathe. He was found with his hands gripped tightly at his temples while he sat out on the porch.

"...I'm...I'm so sorry." He is breathy as he attempted to CALM the fire for her, and his gaze slowly met Hope's with genuine concern and softness. It was not his intention to keep her awake, but he knew lying in bed with his thoughts would be far too much to bear in this moment. Not even Hope's presence would've been able to help distract him from what had happened.

Hands fell back to his lap, and he STARED down to the wood panel below.