Zuko wants to offer what hospitality he can- but Jet’s been burned too many times, by too many people, and a wounded animal often goes back to its den to lick its wounds, even against all sense. Especially against all sense, when Jet’s involved. So the mother of the Firelord’s heir does not wind down his time in the royal palace, attended and worshipped and coddled to bring about health and comfort for bearer and child. He lives on barren platforms in the trees, dependent on his two friends’ hunting skills for food and open to the dangers of the wilderness and weather.
If they ‘hunt’ little caches that spring up just out of sight of the nearly abandoned tree-village, no one’s to say. Longshot still takes down muledeer and ground-rabbits, and Zuko assumes that Jet assumes Smellerbee’s using her less-notorious face to beg or steal rice and winter vegetables from local townsfolk.
Sometimes Jet is visible on the edge of this platform or another, though mostly he doesn’t risk the travel. His belly sticks out, round and big, and his cheeks aren’t as hollow as they might be.
Zuko has to take comfort in that.
The Blue Spirit cannot haunt these woods very often- there is duty to attend to, and tradition states that if this child will not be his heir, then his attentions should lie elsewhere so long as he fulfills his monetary obligations. The new Firelord has a reputation for bending, breaking, and otherwise realigning tradition- but he has to be present to do that, and he can only borrow Appa for stealth missions so many times in a week.
Mai knows he’s torn- if she is irritated, she doesn’t show it, nor rub salt in the wounds. In all other matters she’s willing to snap and yawn, to poke holes in his political theory and make him think about just how far his constituents will let him stray. In this, she is not silent- that would be worse than her anger. But she is the one who outlined his options, even the nasty ones, even the nice ones.
He thinks she’s counting this under the ‘things Zuko tortures himself with when he really doesn’t have to, but of course he has to, because if he didn’t he wouldn’t be Zuko’ category. When he comes back to the palace and falls into bed, she touches his hair, his back.
Late!late!Bonus!fic- After The War 9/?
If they ‘hunt’ little caches that spring up just out of sight of the nearly abandoned tree-village, no one’s to say. Longshot still takes down muledeer and ground-rabbits, and Zuko assumes that Jet assumes Smellerbee’s using her less-notorious face to beg or steal rice and winter vegetables from local townsfolk.
Sometimes Jet is visible on the edge of this platform or another, though mostly he doesn’t risk the travel. His belly sticks out, round and big, and his cheeks aren’t as hollow as they might be.
Zuko has to take comfort in that.
The Blue Spirit cannot haunt these woods very often- there is duty to attend to, and tradition states that if this child will not be his heir, then his attentions should lie elsewhere so long as he fulfills his monetary obligations. The new Firelord has a reputation for bending, breaking, and otherwise realigning tradition- but he has to be present to do that, and he can only borrow Appa for stealth missions so many times in a week.
Mai knows he’s torn- if she is irritated, she doesn’t show it, nor rub salt in the wounds. In all other matters she’s willing to snap and yawn, to poke holes in his political theory and make him think about just how far his constituents will let him stray. In this, she is not silent- that would be worse than her anger. But she is the one who outlined his options, even the nasty ones, even the nice ones.
He thinks she’s counting this under the ‘things Zuko tortures himself with when he really doesn’t have to, but of course he has to, because if he didn’t he wouldn’t be Zuko’ category. When he comes back to the palace and falls into bed, she touches his hair, his back.
She’s had hostages to fortune, too.