Girl Talk

[Neva]

Something was going on around here, Neva was sure of it.

She’d taken some time to go and visit her family back in the Northern Water Tribe, after delaying the visit for so long. While she had her worries about returning home, Neva was more concerned about leaving Republic City. There were too many things that could go wrong in her absence. She wouldn’t be there to heal anyone, or simply check up on them. By the time word got to her that something was wrong, even her fastest route home wouldn’t be in time. Zuka assured her that everything would be fine; they could survive a week or so without her. When she got back, she’d been told, everything would be like how she left it.

Neva should have known better than to believe that.

From what she could see, nothing that terrible had happened. Everyone was alive--Kenji had been stabbed, but that was an easier fix and much less drastic than what Neva feared. She wouldn’t have thought twice about it, until she asked how everyone had been while she was gone. The too casual answers of ‘fine, everything went fine’ were what she got as a suspicious response.

That was strange, and Neva raised an eyebrow at it, but didn’t press. Since that, however, she’d kept her eyes open. It wasn’t hard to spot Zuka’s odd behavior. Neva didn’t know how to describe it other than off. Zuka had her secrets, but this went beyond her usual secretive manner. Now it was nearly skittish behavior, making excuses and avoiding some questions altogether. Not to mention that sometimes when Neva tried to find her, she was conveniently missing.

After a while of this Neva went to Teo, asking if he’d noticed how strange Zuka and Kenji had been acting. Teo had just shrugged, oblivious to all of it, far too wrapped up in his inventions to pay any attention to what was going on with their friends. But Neva knew she wasn’t crazy. She was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

It was a slow afternoon at the Blue Dragon, and Zuka happened to be there that day. Neva figured that now was the best time, especially with little (that she new of) that could distract Zuka or that she could use as an excuse to disappear. But, Neva knew that asking direct questions had so far given her no answers. So, she was going to have to rely on a bit of scheming to get this one to work.

Neva headed up to Zuka’s office, carrying papers that her friend needed in her hands. She reached the door and knocked, and then after a pause Neva stepped inside cheerily, “Here you go. Sorry to bring you more paperwork, but I can’t sign for you.”

[Zuka]

These past few weeks had been a whirlwind of crazy. It wasn’t the normal kind of crazy either, well, their normal kind of crazy but it was just as exciting...if not a little more so. Ever since the night at the bar Kenji and Zuka had finally acted on their feelings things had been going great. Now that everything was out in the open it was like a missing piece had fallen into place. The two of them had worked well together before (when they weren’t arguing) but now? It felt so natural. They still might argue and bicker and get on each others nerves but it was different.

Zuka didn’t know how to explain it, it just was.

The one thing they both did agree on was not to tell anyone. Despite their mutual attraction and that this was all long in coming they didn’t want to complicate things and if others knew it could do just that. It was just too dangerous and Kenji and Zuka kept their feelings secret from Teo and Neva.

That didn’t stop them from sneaking around however.

It was fun. Almost made her feel like she was sixteen again and sneaking off from one of her mothers functions to makeout with some servant boy.

The glances and looks when no one was looking. Pulling each other into a closet or empty room while the others were near by, Zuka going to Kenjis office, Kenji coming to see her at the Dragon and having to side step all of her employees and Neva. It was exciting but their sneaking and disappearances had started to gain attention.

Neva had been suspicious from the start, she didn’t seem to want to believe that the three of them could handle being left alone while she was out of town or that noting world shattering would happen. While Zuka wouldn’t call what happened world shattering Kenji’s and Zuka’s short answers to her questions only seemed to raise more for Neva and she had been trying to catch Zuka off guard and in the lie ever since.

Zuka always sidestepped the questions, deflecting them or just changing the subject. She wondered if Kenji had experienced the same. Neva might had tried but Kenji was such a master at deflecting that she wouldn’t get far. Maybe Teo? Teo hardly ever came out of his workshop and when he did he was usually so oblivious to things so she doubted that as well.

Neva finally seemed to stop with the questions and her prying and Zuka had been putting off getting work done at the Dragon up until then. Doing her best to avoid her friend but it finally got to a point where she couldn’t avoid her club anymore. When she came in today Zuka had been holed up in her office, going through stacks of paperwork. Checking vendor accounts and making sure their books all matched up. It was long, boring, tedious work but it had to be done. After a few hours Zuka heard a knock on her door and glanced up as she saw Neva walk in with a stack of papers in her arms. ’Thanks.” Zuka said with a large sigh as she sat up from her slightly hunched position and stretched back ’just set them there’ Zuka pointed to another stack on the upper right corner that she had yet to get through. Zuka was actually kind of glad to see Neva, welcoming the break from her work.

[Neva]

“No problem,” Neva answered, setting the papers down where Zuka had told her. While Neva was very good at not asking questions and prying where she shouldn’t, she felt this time around she could do that. They’d come far from when they’d first met and Zuka was no longer just her boss, but a friend. And friends pestered, mainly because they cared.

But Neva had stopped asking questions for a reason, and she couldn’t start that again now. Not yet. Best to carry on conversation as normal, and appear as though she’d dropped the curiosity. She had been very aware that Zuka hadn’t been around the Dragon as much lately, and the amount of paperwork on her desk attested to that. But she wasn’t going to comment on that either. Instead Neva looked at all the work on her desk and scrunched up her nose, “Fun day for you, huh? Need a drink?”

[Zuka]

”Fun day for you, huh?” Zuka pfft’d at that. ”So fun” she answered sarcastically. This was the worst part of the job, while Zuka was fine with numbers and all of that she just hated the paper work. Sitting still for hours was never something she had been good at, even when she had to for her mother it was torture Things were so much easier when the Dragon was a Triad club. A lot of orders they received were mostly under the table so it was less headache for her but..now that it was a ‘reputable’ club she had to do it all the right way.

Though, she always supposed she could pass this on to Neva but Neva did so much for her already and it wouldn’t be fair. Zuka had started this business knowing what it meant so she was just going to have to suck it up.

”Need a drink?”

A drink did sound good and she could use the break. Zuka glanced at Neva and then to the stack of papers on her desk. It didn’t look any smaller from when she first started and while taking a break wasn’t going to get it done any faster it would help her sanity. ”You know what? I just might”

[Neva]

“Say no more,” Neva answered. She knew where Zuka stashed her preferred liquor and retrieved it from its shelf, grabbing two glasses as well. Then she placed the bottle and glasses on the table between them. With business slow downstairs and the club fully staffed, Neva knew she could afford to hang around in the office for a while. And besides, as plenty of patrons had told her, it was bad luck to drink alone.

Neva poured them both drinks and then took a seat in the chair positioned in front of the desk. Then she leaned back, looking thoughtfully at the bottle for a moment. "Which reminds me, I need to get another bottle for my place."

She kept one on hand for the rough nights, originally for Zuka but now extended to Kenji, when either had gotten more roughed up than usual or just had a tough masked run that day. She'd learned that where healing went so far, alcohol at least numbed the rest of it. Some would argue it wasn't the best way, but Neva was here to make people feel better, and sometimes that did the trick.

Of course, drinking right now had its own purpose, but that would come into play later. Neva gestured to the paperwork with her free hand, “Regret changing the club’s business yet?”

[Zuka]

As Neva went to grab the bottle and glasses Zuka leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. Ugh, she was going to be seeing numbers in her sleep tonight. Once the drinks were poured and Zuka had her glass she took it gratefully and took a long, deep sip. ”Mm. That’s good stuff” Torch never ceased to make Zuka feel better. She drank other liquors but this is what she always turned to when she needed that something extra or a pick me up.

”Already?” Zuka asked at Neva’s mention of needing a new bottle at her place. It seemed like she had just gotten one not that long ago but she supposed there had been a good number of nights when it was needed. ”We might need to buy a case the way things have been going.” Activity had been picking up with the Triads and Kenji and her were going to Neva on a more regular basis these days.

Nevas next question brought a dry laugh from Zuka as she took another drink ”on days like today? I do. It was so much easier then.” Another sip who knew doing things ‘the right’ way was so much work” Zuka didn’t regret her time as a Triad…not all of it, there were a few things that would haunt her nor did she regret her decision now but it was so much more work for less of a pay off.

[Neva]

Neva gave a small laugh at Zuka's mention of them needing a case. Her nights more often than usual were spent taking care of her and Kenji, and while Neva didn't mind at all, she'd noticed the frequency of their visits. Whatever was going on in the Triads, it didn't seem to be slowing any time soon. "I don't know if that's a good thing, but you're not wrong."

She took a sip of her drink, knowing that she needed it, listening to Zuka answer her question. Her friend had a lot on her plate, and even when she diminished her workload, something always came up. Zuka was definitely a busy woman, and turning the Dragon into what it was now added even more work for her to do.

"I could have told you that one," Neva answered, giggling. She'd been fully supportive of the change when Zuka suggested it to her and had been happy to see it happen. She wasn't relieved--Neva was used to working among the Triads and so either way she could handle it. What was nice was to see Zuka removing herself from at least a little bit of danger. She had enough with all the Talon business. "But then I would have risked talking you out of it, and I couldn't have had that happen."

[Zuka]

”its not a bad idea” Zuka mused. ”I know there are nights when you need it just as much” it had to be hard for Neva, frustrating too. Constantly having to fix someone only to watch them go right back out and do it all over again and Zuka was sure there were nights when Neva had a couple to herself.

Zuka held her glass and gently swrilled the amber liquid around, shooting Neva a small look at her laugh and comment ”Yes, well. Its over and done with now. Theres no going back even if I wanted to” Zuka was sure she had burned most of those bridges when she stepped away. Some people were still friendly toward her but most saw her as a coward. Zuka didn’t mind thou. If only they knew how she got her revenge…

[Neva]

Her small joke definitely hadn't gone the way she'd intended. Sometimes Neva forgot that, even when things looked simple on the outside, it took a lot to get to that point. There was a lot Zuka had to give up, probably some things she missed, too. She'd made the choice in clear conscience, but that hadn't meant it had been easy. Nor did it mean she had no regrets. Neva didn't know if Zuka ever regretted walking away, though it wouldn't surprise her if the thought crossed her mind.

"I'm sorry," Neva apologized, meaning it wholeheartedly. "I know you made a lot of sacrifices. That took a lot of strength to do, and no matter what anyone says I know how hard you worked to get to where you are."

She ran her finger along the edge of her glass as she continued, "And whether they like it or not, you've still come out on top, and then some. Which honestly, they should have seen coming."

[Zuka]

At Nevas apology Zuka waved it off. She didn’t mean to make it sound like that, it had come out harsher than she intended. But, she appreciated Neva’s kind words none the less. ”Didn’t mean to snap, I think the numbers have gone to my brain.” Maybe she had been sitting in here too long ”I’d much rather this go to my head.” Zuka held up her glass a little and threw back the rest of her drink, swallowing it all in one go. There, that should help her relax a little more and to really make sure Zuka sat up and reached across the table holding out her glass so Neva could pour her another since the bottle was closest to her.

[Neva]

As Zuka held the glass out to her Neva responded by picking up the bottle and filling it once again. Then she set it back down and sipped her own drink. While she could use a couple herself, Neva knew she needed to keep her head on straight. Fog her head with liquor, and she'd act too fast and then she'd get hit with another one of Zuka's walls. Soon she could test what she wanted, but she still had to wait a little while longer. And then hope that Zuka didn't kill her.

"Fine with me, as long as I don't get in trouble for drinking on the clock," Neva said, taking another sip. "I think I took inventory three times before I came up here. I'm not good with slow days."

Neva had lots of patience and she knew how to employ it, but when she was on her feet she liked to keep moving. So when the rush was over and the crowd thinned, she often found herself looking for anything to do to spend her time. "At least when it's busy there is always something happening, you know?"

[Zuka]

As soon as her glass was refilled Zuka took another drink and then lightly set the glass on the arm of her chair while she held it around the opening to keep it from falling. As much as she would love to say ‘screw it’ and blow this all off and just enjoy the drinking Zuka knew better and knew she would have to pace herself.

”I think this time I can give you a pass” Zuka joked as Neva’s comment. It wasn’t like Neva was sneaking off to drink, even if she was Zuka probably wouldn’t say anything unless it became a problem. But, it wasn’t a problem and Zuka was enjoying the company. Neva next comment made Zuka give a sympathetic look. She knew that feeling all to well, when she was working Zuka wanted to work and standing around was always torture. If there was nothing to do then Zuka would find something to do

”It can be hard, but thankfully the club is rarely ever slow.” The Blue Dragon had always been popular so downtime was usually far and few between. Usually just during the lunch hours. She let out a large sigh and reclined back, it was nice to sit here without having to worry about a hundred and one questions. ”Sooo…anything new and exciting? Its been a while since we’ve really got to talk” With Nevas pestering and Zuka avoiding her they had a bit of catching up to do.

[Neva]

Neva hummed to herself, thinking about that. She couldn’t say anything exciting had happened, but new, well maybe a little. Even if it wasn’t anything good, she had to keep the conversation going.

“Nothing that crazy lately,” Neva answered, lightly tapping her fingers against her glass. “Got my first letter from home since I’ve been back and I can honestly say...it’s good to be back in Republic City.”

She took a drink after that comment, one that she never thought she’d actually make, ever. But since she’d gone back home, Neva realized a few things that put her life in perspective for her. And while she loved her family, it was best for her to remain here, away from it. Going home had shown her things were never going to be what they had been, and it wasn’t worth trying to pretend like everything was the same. It had only forced her to deal with things that, truthfully, she really didn’t want to. Part of her knew that she couldn’t bear to think about just how much their seemingly close-knit family had fallen apart, either.

“Home just...isn’t really home to me anymore. I think I knew that before I left, but the trip solidified that for me.” Neva gave a small shrug. “So even though I know they’re going to ask me about when I’ll visit next, I think I’ll be putting it off for a while. Again.”

[Zuka]

Zuka sympathized with Neva on the home front. She knew all too well how it felt to have your family constantly trying to get you to come back. The letters, the phone calls, guilt trips, fights…all of it. Feena was a master at it all but Zuka had learned from a early age to tune it out but that still didn’t mean she didn’t think about it or feel bad now and then.

She gave a large sigh ”I know what you mean” she took another drink ”you’re happy to go home and then once you get there you remember why you left to begin with.” This was a heavy subject and really right now Zuka didn’t want to think about her home, it was hard enough to ignore it with Zula being here. ”But, we both managed to get out and that’s something to celebrate.” Zuka lifted her glass in Neva’s general direction ’To..” Zuka paused as she searched for the right words. ’To never getting sucked back in” It wasn’t what she really wanted to say but it was close enough. Maybe she should have ate something before she started drinking because she was starting to feel a little floaty

[Neva]

Neva smiled, raising her glass in the toast and then drinking what was left in her glass. She'd drank enough times with Zuka to know the alcohol was starting to set in. Neva poured herself a bit more and sipped it, trying to think of something more lighthearted to talk about. She hated to be depressing and bring the mood down. After a bit of thought she said, "I've been trying to get Teo out of his workshop a little more, but that's going about as well as you'd imagine. I'm waiting for the day I have to extinguish him or something."

That would be a scene for sure. Neva shook her head at the thought. Even he kept her on her toes, in his own ways. "But I think as much as I try, it's going to take a long time to win this one."

She sipped her drink, thinking to herself. While she needed to keep the conversation going, she could jump straight into her test. But, Neva would play fair. She'd give Zuka the chance to tell her first, and if that didn't work, then it was onto her attempt to get her to spill. She tipped her head and asked simply, "What about you? Anything new?"