Spirit
Song 2
“Well, I lie and I'm easy
All of the time but I'm never sure why I need you
Pleased to meet you”
Zuko hummed along to the tune of the songs that blasted out from the cd player while packing his equipment for the night. It was 5pm on a Thursday, and just as the sun had plans to set, Zuko had his own fun to get to.
He pulled a black and red striped shirt over his pale baggy jeans, hoping that the cloth wouldn't stick to his sweat from the humid weather and warm stage lights.
Zuko paused for a moment wondering whether or not he was forgetting anything.
Keys. Wallet. Guitar. Pedal…
Something felt off.
He brought a hand up to scratch his head while thinking. The ends of his hair were singed and damaged.
“Damn it…” He cursed under his breath.
He hadn’t been able to control his bending lately. He couldn’t even understand why- It’s not like he was fire-bending excessively. He kept his temper under control too, though having to trim your hair every week could annoy anyone.
knock knock
“Yes uncle?”
With a loud creak his uncle Iroh opened the door halfway.
“The tea is almost ready, come out whenever you are finished.”
Iroh spoke calmly with a smile. He was used to the weekend routine.
Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Zuko went out with his band to a small venue in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se. In the day it was a dumpling shop, but at night if you walked into the alley right next to the store you would find a staircase that led down to “The Garage”.
Indie, metal, psychedelic, rock and roll, even country on some special days. If you liked music, you knew about the Garage, and in the busy nights of Ba Sing Se it became an almost too popular spot for the teenagers in the area.
Zuko had been playing there with his band for years now, and after collecting fans here and there, they became one of the most popular acts at the venue. Even headlining a few large events.
Zuko grabbed his stuff and followed his uncle out towards the veranda in the backyard. His uncle had been taking care of the backyard ever since they got the house. There were flowers and herbs for tea planted around the edges, and in the middle of the bright green grass was a pond that Zuko and he dug out themselves. It was calming and light. The perfect view to have tea.
They had a small and dingy house but the garden area made up for the chipping paint and old appliances. It was probably only undesirable by Zuko’s standards, but as time went on and he and his uncle put in work to keep it maintained and well kept, it felt like home.
As Zuko sat down his uncle brought the tea cups from the kitchen. Zuko held his cup in his hand gently, bringing it up to take a breath of the aroma.
“Today is lemongrass. I picked it just this morning.” Iroh chuckled.
“Thanks uncle…” It smelled of lemon and honey. As he took a few sips Zuko tried to center himself. Find the balance between his mind and his body. Maybe that would fix his bending problem.
Him and his uncle drank tea like this every sunset. Talking about each other's day, things they liked, things they hated. It was time for Zuko to release any stress that had been built up.
If ‘Prince Zuko’ could see himself now, he might just pass out.
–
Chinese Bombs
“Got a call to go to soho
The dragon said no”
Familiar faces lined the walls of the alley, but not as familiar as the faces of Mai, Ty Lee, and Kuzon, his bandmates.
“Sorry for being late… Traffic.”
“When isn’t there? The drivers in this area are so bad there's a crash everyday.” Mai sighs.
“You’re here now so that’s all that counts!” Ty Lee spoke with a wink.
Mai and Ty Lee were the only two friends in Ba Sing Se who knew him when he was a prince. They were also fire nation refugees. When all three of them realized that they had a common interest in rock they decided to form a band. They started as Mai the cool bassist, Ty the bubbly drummer, and Zuko…the guitar.
At least at that time he hadn’t thought up a good stage name yet.
“The boss said we're the second to last on the list so we can chill for most of the night.”
Then there was Kuzon. He was just 2 years older than the rest of the band. Which also made him the responsible one. Zuko first met him as the new hire at the Jasmine Dragon, his uncle's tea shop. They were looking for another guitarist, and it just so happened that they had a master right under their noses.
He was another refugee from the F.N, though he had been in Ba Sing Se for way longer than the other three. He never really talked about his past.
“I can take the extra time to fix your face.” Mai laughed grimly.
Zuko could only twitch his eyes in sarcastic amusement. He should’ve been used to the scar jokes by now, and on the surface they were pretty funny. Too bad they never landed just right .
“Ha ha.” He spoke monotonously.
Mai and Ty Lee dragged him down the stairs and down to the green room as Kuzon followed.
The Garage was a place where Zuko could open up. If his sunset tea-time was his way of relaxing, the band was his escape to have fun and forget about the things that plague his mind day to day. That included his scar.
Along with having fun Zuko also had a bad case of stage fright. When he covered up his scar he felt like a different person, and somehow by a miracle it helped curb his phobia.
As Mai precisely painted on the textured skin with various shades of blue and white he felt himself becoming more confident. More cocky. More…Zuko.
Or maybe more like Spirit.
–
Supermassive Black Hole
“Glaciers melting in the dead of night
And the superstars melt into the supermassive”
Kuzon’s low and calming voice echoed throughout the venue as he spoke.
“Hello everybody, hope you guys are having a great night.”
The large crowd that had slowly filled up the floor as the night passed cheered loudly at his words.
“For those who don’t know us we are Ashen Dawn. For those who do, you get a personal prize from me backstage…”
Zuko cringed at Kuzon’s flirtatious tone. He always started their set like this, and as his bones shivered at his friends' smooth words, the crowd swooned as if they had just found their new obsession.
When Kuzon was done with his short intro it was finally time for the real show to start. Zuko pushed his hair back revealing his now mystically half painted face and played the dissonant chord of the first song.
“Ooh, baby, don't you know I suffer…”
Hearing the cheers directed towards him sent a warm wave through Zuko’s body. He couldn’t tell whether or not his actions were out of character for him. Smiling and singing for people as if he was born for it.
There were a lot of things said about Ashen Dawn. How they had talented players, or how they made their sets cool and interactive. But the continuous statement that was made about them, was how much stage presence their vocalist had.
Though Zuko himself can’t seem to believe their words. It remains an unchangeable fact that once you saw him perform, you could never see a performance the same.
He strummed the strings as if they were an extension of his own body, letting the melody present itself in his expression. His basic outfit seemed to meld into something that fit whatever vibe he wanted.
Zuko teased the audience, sending bold glances to whoever caught his eye, and bending down to sing to the front row as if whatever lyrics he spoke were meant solely for them and them only.
It was these moments where he took the time to focus and listen to the rallies and cheers.
All of which cheered his name.
He was Spirit, and Spirit was him.
—
“You’re not staying for the after, Spirit?”
Kuzon was surrounded by a group of people by the end of the night, just barely having time to see the rest of the band off.
“Can’t. I have school.” Zuko responded.
He was burnt out from the performance, as ironic as it sounds. His already warm to the touch skin was burning from the stuffy venue and at the moment all he craved was a shower and sleep.
Over the growing number of people that enclosed Kuzon, Zuko shouted.
“Make sure to let Ty and Mai know that I left!”
As he saw the mob turn and lock eyes on him, he knew it was right then he had to make his exit.
So quickly home he went.
-
Teenage Dirtbag
“But she doesn’t know who I am"
His morning went just like any other.
He threw on his white dress shirt and uniform pants, not bothering to tuck the shirt in. He wore the school uniform everyday, even though it wasn’t required.
It felt easier to him.
His long shaggy hair hung down in front of his face hiding his features and his headphones drowned out any other sound that dared to pass through.
His school was in the middle ring of Ba Sing. A bit of a far commute but it was worth it. Nice amenities, good teachers, the whole ten yards. His uncle insisted that he go there.
Zuko’s seat was in the back of the class. He shuffled into the awkwardly small seat and raised the volume on his headsets higher, avoiding the gazes of anyone around. He slouched his back and wore an indifferent poker face.
It was like this where he felt he could get through the day. He did it everyday.
And just as he wanted, people kept their distance. Except for one guy.
Jet walked in with his troupe of idiots almost as if he was looking for trouble. Walking through the aisle to get to his seat right next to Zuko’s, he swung his bag over his shoulder aggressively hitting him square in the jaw.
“Oh.. didn’t see you there.” Jet uttered without a hint of sincerity.
There was nothing Zuko wanted more than to wipe Jet’s shit-stained grin off his face.
But he couldn’t.
He was a new Zuko. No outbursts and challenging people to fights. No anger. Just zen.
At least that’s what he tried to tell himself.
The morning seemed to move almost like clockwork in Zuko's mind.
He gets to school.
Jet gets on his nerves
And he enters class.
Sokka.
Despite wanting to be indifferent to everything relating to school, there was something about Sokka that Zuko couldn't ignore.
He was captain of the lacrosse team, member of 3 different clubs and best friends with the avatar. But it wasn't just those facts that made Zuko feel so weak towards him.
It was his eyes.
Bright blue like the sky, and they shined like a jewel. In Sokka’s eyes was a realm of light and aspiration. All things that Zuko lacked.
Zuko must’ve been obsessed with almost everything about Sokka.
And the thing that stung was that there was absolutely no universe where Sokka knew who he was. Even worse, the devoted aura that Sokka had was directed on someone who, in Zuko's mind, didn't deserve it.
Jet.
So as the days pass one thing remains.
Sokka will always remain as a one sided infatuation in Zuko's mind.