fandomtownies | Covent Garden Flowers, Wednesday, 1/20

Entry tags:

Covent Garden Flowers, Wednesday, 1/20

Classes this semester were making Dinah think a lot. Is there proof of God? What is really definite mens rea? What was a (im)moral use of mental powers? Would love survive beyond death? That, and the roses were still being smug. So in response to the latest note, she wrote : I am against all agendas of flowers this week. I think they have it in for me. Still looking out for those spider-mums. But it's the roses I think we should be afraid of. Their prophesied time is coming. And we won't sleep when it gets here.

Covent Garden Flowers

Vida Boheme, prop.
Fresh flowers from nosegays to bouquets!
Delivery available upon request.

Covent Garden Flowers is open.

[and ocd-free.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Azula studied the flower shop before venturing in. It looked... quaint. It didn't have near enough reds or blues in her opinion.

Azula opened the door, the bell ringing to announce her arrival. She didn't mind it, she wasn't trying to hide her entrance. She stood on the threshold and with a raised eyebrow, said: "Hello, Dinah."

"Azula. Hey." Most of a week, and Dinah wasn't thoroughly pissed off any more. Still wary, though. She spritzed one of the suspect roses, keeping Azula in her direct line of sight. "Come on in."

She did. "You're up and about, injuries better?"

Nearly all of the bandages on Dinah's arms were off, showing still-healing skin, scabbed over but not infected, and she nodded carefully. "Concussion seems to be gone. My side's still sore, but it's better." She put the spritzer down, studying Azla as she crossed her arms. "Karla said she spoke to you. I didn't ask her to." Just to get that clear.

"Mmm... yes, Karla," she tipped her head to the side. "Uncouth and loud. And I didn't think you did. You're not the the type to let people to fight your battles."

The 'loud' part when Karla was mad Dinah couldn't deny, so she mildly said, "Hey. She's couth for where she's from." She cocked her head back at Azula. "And no, I'm not that type. Though I was pissed off enough to tell Priestly to feel free to yell at you. Which he probably will. There might be a couple other people who feel like they have something to say, too. But I told them they shouldn't."

She blew out a breath, niceties over, and said, "So. Now that I'm not ready to strangle you... what happened out there, on the beach?" Said levelly, without accusation.

Edited 2010-01-20 18:57 (UTC)

"Yes," she replied smoothly, "I'm sure she is." Azula smirked, "I suspected as much too. I imagine there would be a lecture, more shouting. I will tolerate it--" mainly because she isn't allowed to spill blood here, not that that has stopped her. "To a point."

"Only strangle? If I were you I'd have myself strapped to a tree and flogged." Azula placed her hands on the counter, palm down. Because there was no wiggle room around it and anything else would be disingenuous and an insult to Dinah: She spoke the truth. Zuko may claim she always lied but the truth can sometimes be useful. "You already know part of it. I was showing off and I lost my temper. It was unprofessional and unbecoming."

It was the truth but by no means was it an apology.

Yeah, Dinah noticed that too. And while it didn't piss her off, it did irritate her. I do not get royalty. Say you're sorry, what's the harm? Maybe not being sorry meant not lying about it, though. Which was also annoying.

"Yeah, it was. And it was the second time." Which was a huge issue to her. "This isn't a random thing for you. This is a pattern now. A dangerous one." In September Dinah would've been too intimidated to say this; but that was before robo-babies and winding up in the clinic. "I'll forgo flogging if you tell me you're gonna deal with it. And not just deny it."

"It's a little hard to deny with the evidence, yes?" She reached out to touch one of the flowers. Azula studied it, the shade of blue appealed to her. "I'm a realist. Although, I have denied it up until our little incident this... problem with my temper, though a recent occurrence is getting out of hand. I'm taking measures to remedy it."

Dinah cocked her head. "I'm relieved. I wasn't sure if you'd rationalize it away or not." She sighed, hating what she had to say next, for a lot of reasons. "I'm pretty sure that me studying with you, with the powers-- it's a bad idea. Until you're more--" Stable. Sane. In control. "Chilled out." She put a red tiger-lily next to the blue flower Azula was admiring, for contrast. "I hate quitting. But I set you off. Or the training does, I don't know. It's not good for either of us."

Yes, Azula liked that combination of colors.

Azula felt a brief stab of irritation. At herself, this was what you get when you lose control but it was one outcome Azula suspected Dinah would come to. "I'm annoyed but your logic is sound." This was a major setback, the time she spent invested on Dinah... But no, in any plan there will always be setbacks. The key is to roll with the punches. Like... "But you're still amenable to training with me?"

Dinah watched her, then slowly said, "Two things. One, we should have someone else there when we train. Or everyone I know will show up anyway to watch." She grimaced. "I don't want my sanity questioned, but you never lost it while we were doing normal training. And I graduate in May. I think if you really are getting help with your self-control, that it'd be okay for a few more months." She let out a breath. "Second thing. You tell me: why do you still want to train me? Seriously. Why do you want to take the risk?"

Azula listened to the terms with a raised eyebrow. "Who do you have in mind to monitor the training?" It better not be Karla, while she could be magnanimous outside of the battlefield, it was a different matter inside of it. As for the second question: "Why? The question is why not? I do not leave any tasks unfinished. I never let risks get away from my goal and you, Dinah. You're worthy to be trained. You have such potential. Do you think just anyone can do this?"

She turned her head slightly, the angry welt had now died down to a fading bruise expertly covered with make-up.

"No one in mind yet," Dinah said, answering the first question. "If I can't find anyone, well." She shook her head, and looked at the welt on Azula's face, then winced. "I didn't know it would do that," she said. Then, more quietly, "Sorry for not realizing it would hurt you."

And that answer... was not at all reassuring. The attention had been flattering, back in the fall, but now that sounded much more ominous. "Potential." She leaned forward, looking at Azula hard. "You know how I'm going to use my abilities, if we keep training? You know what my goals are?"

"Then we must find someone, won't we?" Azula returned, not letting that little thing get in the way. Because they will find someone of that Azula was sure, if not... well... Azula was sure she can find ways.

"You once mentioned fighting crime, yes?" She remembered that. Azula softened the tone of her voice. "That it will be your lifelong goal to enforce your laws. You don't think being the best fighter in your corner in the world will help you in that goal? Particularly since you expressed a... distaste in taking a life. In my opinion if you dedicate yourself in stopping all manner of crimes without any loss of life you have to be fifty times better than any criminal around. And believe you, me, there will be opponents who will have no qualms in using everything to their advantage."

Dinah looked away, still torn, then nodded slowly. Then back at Azula. "There's nothing that will change that. Nothing that will make me want to back off." She studied Azula, and said, "So maybe I'll never reach my full potential, the way you see it. You okay with that?"

It was clear Azula won't be able to sway Dinah to her point of view but she could make sure that they would remain allies. Or, at least, reluctant to ever fight her fully.

"Am I trying to change your goals?" Azula questioned. "I have been helping you and for all intents and purposes our goals are not that different: You want to uphold the law of your land. I want to uphold the law of mine. There is no cross purposes there. Regardless of what occurred in the training field, I would hate for this to cause distance because of a foolish error in judgment."

Azula looked at Dinah, her tone of voice conciliatory, making her seem reasonable, willing to bend.

Except, of course, Azula still hadn't apologized. And it was more than an error in judgment; it was a twist in Azula's emotions, an ongoing flaw in control that she was going to fix. But not simple.

"I don't want to be enemies," Dinah said reluctantly. "And you are a good teacher." She was quiet, then said, "I'll say to you what I've said to other people around here. If it comes down to some threat on the Island-- someone else getting hurt, you losing control-- I'll do my best to stop you." She added, "Maybe I won't be able to. But I won't have to finish it. I have enough friends that I'd just have to slow you down." She relaxed and said, "But I really hope it never, ever comes to that. And if that's okay-- then yeah. One last try, here."

And if Azula went off again, Dinah was putting her through a wall.

"You won't have to worry about my intentionally hurting people on this island," Azula said and there was a hint of bitterness as she continued. "I've been restricted. Besides there is nothing to gain by spilling blood here."

"Even your unintentional stuff is a problem, Azula," Dinah said, frustration coloring her voice. "And what do you mean by 'restricted'?"

And could she get more creepy with the blood-spilling? Probably not.

"Restricted. Not allowed. Forbidden," she answered, enunciating each word. "Leashed."

"How's that work?" Dinah asked warily, then plucking the an orange-red alstroemeria blossom and twirling it between her fingers. "How would you be stopped?"

Azula smiled at Dinah, conversational. "Now why would I say?"

Dinah gave her a look back, and said conversationally, "As a gesture of good faith. And 'cause I doubt I can do whatever it is that's supposed to restrain you."

This was turning out to be quite a diplomatic meet. Negotiations, terms of agreement and gestures of good faith.

"Do you have the power to take away everything I care about?"

"No." Dinah watched her carefully, looking for signs of lies, and not seeing it. "Is that Zuzu's terms? If you get caught hurting someone?"

This was no lie but pure, unadorned truth.

"Not in so many words but the gist is the same." Also, there was that trial on her 18th year.

Which was, in a way, a weapon if Dinah wanted it to be. She didn't, though. But if Azula could break cover like that, Dinah could believe she was sincere.

"Okay." She gave Azula a considering look, and proposed, "No training for a month, maybe? Until after you've checked in with whoever you're training on self-control with. Then we go back to martial arts, with someone we can both trust as spotter." She tilted her head, then had to dryly ask, "And do you ever apologize? Or is there a rule about that, somewhere?"

Edited 2010-01-21 05:36 (UTC)

It chafed that she had to give up something of her own. But you have to sacrifice something in order to get something in return and it was an acceptable risk.

If Azula read Dinah right she was the 'honorable' type. They were boringly dependable.

Dinah's question prompted an eyeroll from Azula. "Of course, I do."

The question was did she ever apologize and mean it? Hardly ever. And only to one person.

"Right." Dinah gave her a sardonic look. Not gonna push, there. She considered, and handed one of the tiger-lily blossoms to Azula, unprompted. Maybe because she'd mentioned friends who betrayed her, and a brother who didn't trust her (with good reason) and an uncle she couldn't stand... and really. She didn't know where she rated in all that, but Azula had asked her to keep studying with her. But pushing for an apology she didn't want to give wouldn't help, and Dinah wasn't sure she'd believe it anyway. "Then I guess we're good."

Azula accepted the flower with a puzzled look. She accepted gifts without question, she was the Fire Nation princess but Dinah was not from her court nor her world.

"What's this for?" She asked, suspicious.

"For fun." Dinah's lips quirked. "For trying. With me, I mean. For new beginnings."

"I... see." She nodded, "Yes, of course. To new beginnings."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Covent Garden Flowers, Wednesday, 1/20

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject