Training session with a lost girl | OPAL

Opal couldn't help but blush even more, still looking down. "T-thanks..." she managed to stutter in the end, swallowing and trying to regain her calm. She bit her lower lip, sighing, before she spoke up again "I'm fine with my name and it didn't bother me when I had to join the silent sisters, but now... I can't help but wonder if the person I'll have to marry will be ashamed of having to marry a bastard... not many people would be happy for such thing where I come from... She spoke up still looking down, lost in her own thoughts, before she realized she was still talking to a perfect stranger and blushed even more "I-I'm sorry... I didn't want to bother you with such thoughts..."

Zuko lowered his gaze too as Opal spoke. At that point he had fully understand who he was talking to, and Opal had the right to know who he was; even if the whole situation would result a bit awkward. Awkward for both of them. Maybe much more for Opal, who was opening so much with him.

"You don't bother." Zuko raised his hands sightly as she apologized to him "Actually... I... I share your same thoughts. I mean..." he didn't know how to actually say it, all or nothing! "My name is Zuko Vaith. I think I am your future husband." he said it in one breath moving a hand to smooth his hair.

Opal froze where she was: her eyes open wide and directed toward Zuko, her mouth slightly disclosed, her face suddenly as white as fresh fallen snow. For a long moment she even forgot how to breath, while her heart beat furiously and painfully in her chest. Processing what he had jus said resulted almost painful: did she hear correctly? This... this was the man she was supposed to... she couldn't even finish the phrase. For such a meeting she would have needed a lot more preparation, she was supposed to meet him with the prince, not on her own, and she was supposed to make a better impression, not being such a mess... She had said too much, what could he think now of her? But it wasn't just that... until that moment the idea of the wedding, of a fiancee... had seemed incredibly far and surreal. She still couldn't see herself as a bride, as a wife... and now , instead, she suddenly had to deal with how real all of this was... She wasn't sure she could handle that... In that moment a statue would have looked more alive than her...

Opal hadn't replied to him yet; she was standing in front of him, without talking or showing any kind emotion. From what he knew she could have had an heart attack, or worse she could pass out from any moment!

"I'm sorry..." Zuko took a few steps towards her, stretching his arms to her in case she would fall "I didn't mean to meet you in such circumstances..." he had reached her, touching gently her shoulder. Their first meeting should have been at the presence of the prince and not for a weird coincidence!
He didn't know how much that coincidence could have ruined what their families had been planning for weeks, or his relationship with his future bride.

Only when he touched her lightly she came back to her sense, finally able to breath again: she took in a big breath, jolting and shivering a the sudden contact. Finally her cheeks regained color too, just... quite too much: she felt her face burning for how much she was blushing. She immediately bowed her head, looking down, feeling ashamed and uneasy "I-I'm the one who should apologize... I shouldn't have... wondered around and... talked so much..." she felt like she was chocking on her own words, and she was still shivering lightly. What could he think of her? She had feared his judgment before she even knew what face this mysterious husband could have, now more than ever was afraid she had made a fool of himself...

Zuko immediately moved away the hand from her shoulder as Opal started to breath again -wasn't she breathing before?- and finally regaining some color. For a moment he had been really worried that he had to carry her back to her rooms! Then explain what had happened to the prince. A trouble in less for both of them.

"It was just an... accident..." he smiled gently at her, obviously it wasn't neither his or her fault that meeting, they were just at the wrong moment in the wrong place.
"This could be our secret if you don't want to tell to the prince." At that point he wondered if she was more worried for the royals reaction that she wandered alone in the palace, or for his reaction to have finally meet her and the whole awkward accident.

Yes, it was just an accident... she didn't think this would manage to upset Soma, at least for what he had seen of him... but she didn't know much of him, so she wasn't sure at all. At his proposal she shook lightly her head, she wasn't good with lies, it would have just made it worse "It's... it's fine..." she smiled lightly but se still kept here eyes down, she couldn't manage to look at him now. It wasn't just the fact that they had met by accident, that was awkward but she could live with that. The point was, she had just told him all her fears, she had openly exposed herself, telling him her doubts that now had just grown even more: what could he think of her? Of what she said? Did her words upset him? Did he find her ridiculous? "I'm sorry, you must think I'm such a fool..." she whispered in the end, still looking down

Zuko smiled sightly as Opal denied his proposal, she was still a devoted sister and he was sure that the prince wouldn't be upset for such a thing -at least he hoped-
Opal, on the other hand, seemed still worried for something, and he kinda knew what could bother her. Her last words just confirmed what he was thinking, however he had hoped till the end to be wrong. He wasn't good when it came to console people, imagine with her!

"No, no..." he blinked at her last words smiling sightly "I don't think you're a fool, you were talking in good faith."

Opal smiled slightly to Zuko at his words, peeping a "Thank you..." she was thankful he was being nice, but in that moment... somehow nice wasn't enough. She swallowed before she rose her glance and stared at him, a gentle even if a bit tense smile on her lips, but in her eyes there was urgency, worry... "I don't mean to be unpolite" she started, showing a little more confidence... or at least the ability to overcome a bit her shyness "But I did inadvertently told you stuffs it would have been wiser keep for myself, at least for the moment. But since I can't go back and change what I said, I do need to know" she took a big breath, traying to gather some courage, looking terribly fragile in that moment "I know this wedding is an imposition, I know it was Lady Martell's plan" she just wasn't able to call her mother "But I need to know... Is me being a Sand a problem to you?"

Zuko tilted his head as she spoke still smoothing his hairs down; was she being a Sand a problem? No. Probably that fact was at the bottom of his list of reason he didn't want to marry her: like being a nun or her accident. The first, only, big reason was that it was an order of his older brother and he couldn't disobey him; or maybe he wasn't brave enough to go against his will. Other than that, no. Sand wasn't a problem for him.

"No..." he shock his head "Being a Sand has never been the problem..."

The problem... not a problem, the problem... That simply stated that, even if it wasn't her surname and her origins, there still was some problem. She kept looking down, a gentle smile frozen on her lips while she felt an overwhelming sadness invading her, making her feel sick... She had no power over this, she couldn't change what the Martells had already arranged... She just didn't know what to do... If she would have become a silent sister nobody would have asked about her past, nobody would have questioned... she would have lived a simple, spartan life, but she would have known what her place was... she could live with that, but could she now live with this? Did she really have to become the wife of this total stranger?

In that moment, she wanted to cry. Instead, forcing herself to smile brighter, she simply stated with a slightly shaking voice "Well... I can see the sept from here, I'll be able to reach it on my own now... thank you..." she bowed her head a bit as to make her 'thank you' stronger, then she started moving away. That was probably coward on her account, just run away now, but she didn't know what to say, what to do...

Zuko passed an hand through his hair, what had he done? He shouldn't have said that. Not in that way. Not those words. He should have just stood in silence and not even talk with her in the first time. But he couldn't change the past -how many things he would have changed- and by then the damage was done.

He raised his look to meet hers as she thanked him and started walking away. He followed her with his gaze unsure if stopping her or let her go. Unsure on what to say or do. Unsure about their future.
"Wait!" he called her after a few seconds of hesitation "I... I... the... the problem is not you..." he mumbled trying to figure out what to say "The... the marriage was an imposition also for me..." at that point things could only get worse or just become awkward.

She was already walking away, ready to submerge herself into pray and hoping to manage no to cry, when the boy's voice reached her again. She stopped and slowly turned around, more for a courtesy matter than for an actual will to keep talking. His words, though, actually did hit her. So, at least, she herself wasn't the problem... After a moment of silence she gulped and replied
"I'm sorry. I wish I could give you back your freedom, but it's not in my power to do so. I never wished to be a bother for someone else..." she didn't need to say how she got no choice or saying in the matter, it was known and obvious. She looked down: was this really all she could hope for in her life? Sharing an unwanted fate with a boy who saw her presence next to him as a problem?

"Although..." se frowned lightly, still looking down, an uncommon idea forming in her mind... "We won't need to think of our marriage for many months... until then..." she rose her glance looking at him "Until then please forget who I will be to you. If the imposition is the problem, please give me the chance to be just me. And who knows, maybe you'll be able to find my company less bothersome than you'd think. She didn't dare talk about liking on friendship, let alone love. But she did want to find a friend, she did need company, she did hope that the man she had to spend the rest of her life with would be someone who at the very list liked her...

Zuko's gaze was still on Opal; hoping on a hand that she would juts ignore him, but on the other hand that she would stop and clear the situation before the 'official' meeting. However he blinked in surprise as she slowly turned to him, sightly hit by her words. At that point he didn't know what else to say, so he just stood in silence wondering when she would continue her walk towards the sept. His look on the ground and arms crossed, when suddenly Opal spoke again. Zuko raised his look, sighly surprised: the chance to be just her...

"I understand your point..." he said slowly smoothing his hair "It won't be easy to separate you from your future you..." he lowered his look "However your proposal does seem reasonable; if you also pledge to follow it..." the last part was more like a whisper, but still listenable to Opal. It wouldn't be easy to think at Opal just a friend, an acquaintance; but she was right: there were a lot of months before the wedding, why ruin all that time hating each others and their cruel fate?!

She held her breath as he started talking, as he mentioned how it wouldn't be easy to separate her from the future she was connected to she feared he would reject her proposal... and with it she herself. Opal looked down, biting her lower lip, but her gaze run again over him as he continued. After the first surprise she smiled, a heartfelt smile "I do".

She nodded as a way to greet him an thank him, getting ready once more to walk toward the sept, but once again she stopped and turned toward him "I... Now I know where the sept is, but I still don't really know the place... if that's not a bother to you, maybe you could show me around, sooner or later..." she suggested shyly, he voice just loud enough for him to hear it...

A hint of a smile appeared on Zuko's face, knowing that somehow also Opal would act different with him made him relieved. A problem less to think till their marriage.
He moved his look to her as she got ready to leave again, bowing his head as to greet her, when Opal spoke again.
"Show you around?" he blinked in surprise, he surely wasn't expecting that kind of proposal from her "I... I guess we could..." he smiled sightly at her smoothing his hair down.

This time she simply smiled and nodded before she actually turned and directed quickly herself into the sept. As she sat down in the sept and started to pray she finally started to calm down, her heart re-starting to beat normally. Se didn't know what to think about that meeting, and in the end she just decided to focus on her prayers...