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[prodigalfirelord]

The doors to the council chambers slammed shut on another long day of politicking.

" - and send that word to the colonies immediately." A messenger moved swiftly on his way, as the Fire Nation's generals followed their Fire Lord from his council chambers.

One attempted to take the council beyond its chambers. "My lord, I still wonder if you understand -"

"General Hso." The Fire Lord did his best to favor his general with an understated and not at all bored out of his mind smile. "My respect for your knowledge of Earth Desert trade routes surpasses all others, but I think I've absorbed all I can on the subject for today. Until we reconvene."

He bowed, and the general reluctantly bowed in return. Zuko was playing the dance, soothing the egos, managing not to yawn through the council meetings - which, in times of peace, were so dull that attending them felt like running headlong into a battle. He'd thought, once, in his callow youth - all five years ago - that in peacetime, the council wouldn't have much to talk about. Hso was not even the most talkative one to prove him wrong.

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[boobhat]

"My lord," said one of Zuko's servants, walking into the room, reluctantly. "Hiccup of Berk has come to visit you. He's waiting outside. Shall I let him in?"

[prodigalfirelord]

Oh excellent - something NOT dull to attend to. Hopefully away from the palace.

"No, don't bother, I'm sure we won't be staying long."

Zuko strode from the palace to the main courtyard. The palace guards were all standing just that much more on edge, the way they did when an armored warrior (even a small, scrawny one) flew over their external defenses on an actual, completely not extinct dragon. It was probably a testament to his guards' dedication that they never allowed themselves to become complacent with visitors on dragonback.

Zuko himself was more than a little complacent, especially since Toothless cut such a distinct figure on the lotus-tiled courtyard. The dragon was always easier to spot than the man who came to call, and in fact, Zuko saw no immediate sight of his scrawny Viking friend.

"Don't tell me it's just you this time," he snarked as he strode over to Toothless, wry as ever with the dragon. Servants followed him, as had become palace ritual, with offerings of fish. "Do you just not get enough to eat on Berk, or do you just like how my servants hand it over better?"

[boobhat]

The dragon chuffed out a noise that almost sounded like agreement and then eagerly started eating the fish.

"You say it like he doesn't have someone hand-feeding him back home. He already has a servant, as far as he's concerned."

The voice echoed slightly and was a little tinny but that was because he'd only just landed and still had his helmet on. He'd been fussing over Toothless first and shifting the gears in his prosthetic so that the thinner attachment he used with Toothless' rig was folded away and the one he used to walk replaced it.

The young man that stood there couldn't be Hiccup, could he? He was almost a head taller than Hiccup had been and considerably more well-muscled. Hiccup had come a long way in how much muscle he had on him since he'd called out to Zuko from the roof that one day in the City on Stacy several years ago, but he'd never had this much before. This young man that couldn't possibly be Hiccup was lean but actually cut a substantial figure.

Except...every other detail about the young man's appearance screamed that it was the Viking. The armor had the Berk crest on it, the skull on the one shoulder matched the skull on Toothless' tail-fin, and the sword he was carrying was the one he'd forged under the instruction of Sokka and Master Piandao.

Then there was the leg, which was pretty much the same as it had been when Zuko'd seen him several months before.

Apparently, someone had hit a growth spurt. (And also decided a good use of his time was making more outfits.)

Hiccup took off his helmet, fussing with his hair to straighten it and grinning at Zuko the moment his face was visible.

Speaking of said face, his jaw was looking as if it had lost the last of its childish roundness, and his stubble was a bit more visible.

"Do I get a snack?" he asked, clutching the helmet under his arm. "You always give him a snack but you never ask if I want a snack; I always have to raid your kitchens myself. Half the time I think you do it that way just so you can enjoy how indignant your servants get over it."

[prodigalfirelord]

Zuko had overlooked the helmeted figure at first, taking him for an oddly-armored guard of his. Much too tall to be Hiccup. Except not, apparently.

He'd known Hiccup would keep training on his own, and he approved of how much he clearly HAD kept at it. But that was Hiccup, determined and - when he knew how to do something - eventually successful at it.

He looked good - but Zuko wasn't going to let him hear that without at least a bit of ribbing first.

"You look like you could use a razor instead. Nobody around here's going to take you seriously unless you give that -" he gestured vaguely at the lightly stubbled jaw - " some shape."

Zuko, naturally, had the fresh clean shave of a man who had people he paid so well that he trusted them to hold a blade to his neck, and hadn't yet decided in what style to let his facial hair grow.

"I'm going to put a limit on the amount of people you're allowed to horrify in my palace one day."

And he was going to . . . well, not quite horrify, but certainly surprise them by grabbing Hiccup for a good manly hug. This never failed to surprise the servants. Their Fire Lord was not a cold man. He was much more human, certainly, than his father had been, but he had never become a touchy person. He and the woman who had only recently become his ex-betrothed had not made a couple prone to public sentiment. Only family received this warm a welcome from the Fire Lord.

The stories of the ship where Fire Lord Zuko and this no-longer-scrawny barbarian had met, the planets they'd fought together on, might never do justice to the actual adventures that had forged such closeness.

[boobhat]

"See, the problem there is if I don't let it grow out no one's going to take me seriously back home," Hiccup said with a great deal of amusement. "The Viking way of keeping your beard groomed is letting it grow so wild the only way to control it is braiding it."

Speaking of braids, he was now sporting a few in his hair.

That was when Zuko went in to hug him and Hiccup grinned.

"Ah, thaaat's the stuff," Hiccup said, giving him a Vikingly hug back. Vikings didn't go in for that manly one-armed stuff, oh no. The times they did hug - and those times were more frequent for Hiccup since he was more predisposed to hugging - they did the warm, open, full body ones that nearly lifted you off of the ground. "Sorry, I haven't been by lately. Had a few consecutive missions on the ship where they needed fliers and things have gotten a lil' interesting back home."

Only then did he let go, even though he still held on to Zuko's shoulder warmly.

"But I'm free for now and apparently, there're are a few little fires on other worlds that need to be put out. Short missions they want pairs or small groups on. I wanted to see if you were interested."

Something he could've done just over the comms but then he couldn't have seen Zuko in person.

[prodigalfirelord]

Maybe one of these days, Hiccup would actually get tall enough to lift Zuko off the ground. Though Zuko had grown quite tall himself, so maybe not.

"Well, I don't know, I'm very busy, you know. Fire Lording. Holding councils. Learning all about desert trade routes."

Sounds fascinating, right?

"When do we leave?"

The sarcasm in Zuko's voice was quickly replaced with urgency. Urgency that hissed "get me out of here" in an undertone antagonized by boredom.

[boobhat]

"We leave right after you go get your stuff and tell all your people to not wreck the house while you're gone."

[prodigalfirelord]

"You."

Zuko pointed to a servant, who stepped forward.

"My stuff. Now."

The servant scurried off, to fetch the supplies that their Fire Lord always kept packed, a bag known only around the palace as The Supplies.

The Fire Lord liked to be able to adventure in a hurry. The servant returned shortly to help Zuko out of his ponderous outer robe, under which he wore his more sensible clothes, and to help him sling his adventuring supplies (including no less than three swords) into place.

Dressed for adventure, without having to get any of it himself, Zuko smirked at Hiccup. "You were incorrect."

[boobhat]

"Okay, so you had to have your stuff brought to you. I'm sorry, I just can never get used to backwards land, a magical place where the temperature is hot instead of cold enough to give your liver frostbite, and where stuff you need to get magically always comes to you."

He tugged at his collar uncomfortably.

"Speaking of the heat, gimme a second. I'm baking in my armor here."

He started unclasping his armor and dropping it to the floor of the courtyard, which was a somewhat lengthy affair but it looked well-practiced. Then he pulled the woolen tunic underneath over his head. The thinner, sleeveless shirt underneath it was stuck to it, so he accidentally pulled that off, too, and stood there shirtless as he tried to separate the two.

He had actual abs now. Not hugely well defined ones, but actual abs.

"After we get briefed, the mission Stacy wanted us to go on is somewhere tropical anyway," he said, pulling the sleeveless shirt back on and putting his armor on over it.

[prodigalfirelord]

One of the less iron-disciplined servants behind Zuko tittered. Zuko glanced over his shoulder, but they'd all composed themselves in time.

"So, which of my servants' benefit was that for?" he joked. He would have tittered along with the servants - well, no, he never tittered, but he would have maybe devoted a little attention to appreciating the shirtlessness if he wasn't the Fire Lord, seriousness incarnate, and also himself.

Nevertheless, he did appreciate, a little bit. Just enough to acknowledge that his tremendously awkward friend had had a good year. But then, everyone looked better to him, now that he was newly single. Noticing people not Mai at all was new to him, much less noticing old friends after good years.

"Tropical on what planet?" he asked. Maybe they'd been there before.

[boobhat]

"Oh, come on, like you Fire Nation people don't use any excuse possible to throw off your clothes. One time when I was at the market with Aang and Sokka I saw a guy strip and try to fight another guy for insulting his peppers. I'm just following the local folkways is all," Hiccup said with great amusement as he stuffed his heavier tunic in Toothless' saddlebag and pulled his helmet on again.

Jumping onto Toothless and readjusting his automail so a new attachment flipped down and slotted the pedal on the harness, he scooted up to make room for Zuko in the saddle. It was always easier to 'port in and out when airborne in Zuko's world - there was some kind of spirit-induced interference that always went on.

"Uh, I think it's called Edenia? Dunno what the mission parameters are but Stacy said our skillsets would be well-adapted. We'll get the full story on the ship. She said it was only a level five. We'll probably see some fighting, but nothing crazy."

[prodigalfirelord]

"You're not following the local folkways. You're abusing the custom. Unless you wanted to just casually have an Agni Kai with someone before we leave."

Ribbing Hiccup was an old, comforting rhythm. Zuko sometimes suspected it was an unspoken custom that Fire Lords weren't supposed to have senses of humor, which worked out well, because there was so little he found humorous, particularly in the day-to-day running of his kingdom. But even if he had found a thing to crack wise about, none of his generals would have appreciated it. Hiccup would, but Hiccup was so rarely around.

But he was here now, with the promise of an adventure, and Zuko was smiling as he slung himself into the saddle.

"My lord," one of the guards stepped forward, the captain of his honor guard. "Shouldn't we go with you?"

She asked this every time the barbarian dragonrider came to spirit their Fire Lord away, and every time, Zuko gave the same answer. "For now, honorably guard my home."

The captain bowed. "As you command, Fire Lord Zuko."

[boobhat]

Hiccup, naturally, didn't let that one lie.

"You'd think they'd figure out they're gonna get the same answer to that question every time they ask..."

With that, Toothless sprang into the air and flew them away. When they were high up in the air, Hiccup tapped the holographic brand on his hand, the portal opened, and away they went to the ship - and onward to adventure.

[boobhat]

So the mission turned out to be one Toothless had to stay behind for.

This was because it was definitely a duo mission. A mission for two. A tête-à-tête, so to speak.

...because it was at a well known couple's resort on the paradise planet Edenia.

Apparently, people were leaving the resort and later having strokes. Forensic examination had shown evidence of memory alteration. There was some kind of scheme going on there, someone preying on the vacationers when their guards were down. High-ranking GIA officials were being targeted as well as civilians in a variety of fields that occasionally intersected with government work. It was thought that certain parts of their memory were being taken and the memory erasure of it being taken was done to hide this fact - but was leading to catastrophic and sometimes fatal effects.

The GIA thought the best course of action, given the unknown threat, was to send in some non-GIA operatives. Two crew members from Trans 9 capable of uncovering and dismantling whatever illegal operation was going on.

Instead of going full stealth - because of the risk of being discovered - the tactical teams on the Trans 9 decided the best option was sending in two crew members pretending to be a couple and spying much more surreptitiously during their stay. Stacy had decided the two of them were the best possible duo to send in.

Or, rather, the best possible couple to send in.

"Ah, honored guests from the Transmigration 9. Welcome, welcome! Er...are the armor and weapons really necessary?"

"I promise they won't be put to use," said Hiccup. "It's just for a sense of security, you know? After the war, it's a hard habit to break."

"Ah, of course, of course. Naturally, we want you to feel comfortable. All services and facilities are open for you and are completely on the house. For any of the reserved services, please just contact the concierge and we'll fit you in. We hope you have a very pleasurable stay."

"Thank you, we will. Did you hear that, pookie bear?" Hiccup said to Zuko with a grin. "Everything's on the house."

He was enjoying this just a little too much, especially where the fake endearments were concerned.

[prodigalfirelord]

"Loud and clear, pepper lamb."

It was all Zuko could do to keep from snickering. He cleared his throat for an attempt at professionalism. "Yes, we intend to . . . have a very pleasurable experience."

The desk clerk gave the couple a blank stare before her smile snapped into place. "Well then, you've come to the right place! Please enjoy your stay."

"Right this way, Majesty." A bellhop bowed to Zuko. "Lightning Rider."

"That title stuck?" Zuko whispered to Hiccup, as they followed the bellhop to their room.

[boobhat]

"I rode an ion storm and dropped it on the head of an Ohm general. Of course it stuck," Hiccup said, as they were led through the door.

"Niiice."

It was actually a very, very nice room. Set of rooms, actually - apparently, they were being shown a little favoritism but that was a thing that happened when you saved the multiverse.

The balcony opened up to a glorious view of Edenia's indigo sky and endless anti-grav gardens.

[prodigalfirelord]

"Very."

They stashed their stuff, tipped the bellhop, and sent him on his way. Zuko strolled out to the balcony to lean on the railing, getting a full view of the romantically dim sky and the floating gardens.

He had to give the resort credit. This was definitely the sort of place he'd have brought someone for a romantic retreat - if he had anyone to bring.

"If I was looking for important people off their guard, to mess with their memories, this is definitely where I'd start looking."

He kept leaning over the railing, his gaze sliding past the floating gardens and onto the path made by the other balconies below them. A regular highway for a spritely, athletic assassin.

He turned away from the balcony, striding back into the main room. "We should do some reconnaissance, get a feel for the layout of the building. Do you see a vent anywhere?"

Exploring the resort, in his case, meant exploring the resort's vents.

[boobhat]

Hiccup moved along the walls, then climbed up on a bedside table to tap at a panel that most would've missed, pushing and prodding at it until it slid open. It revealed a tiny, tiny grated system of vents that were no larger than a quarter.

"...I'm thinking they didn't use that way to attack the guests." He tapped the vent closed. "But they could have used any number of ways. No tech suppression here, so hover technology would be usable. And if they're just using life sign monitoring - which can be spoofed - and relying on telepaths as crime deterrence, with no other monitoring systems, anyone could do anything to anyone and get away with it as long as they managed to fool the life sign sensors and had a telepathic block in place. And as long as they didn't trip off the weapons sensors. We're lucky our weapons are so low tech, anything on the level of projectile weapons and up would be detected and banned."

Hiccup wasn't exactly a prodigy with technology but he'd picked up more than basics in his time on Trans 9.

[prodigalfirelord]

"So we wait until nightfall and scope out the building."

Zuko sprawled on a couch, neglecting to wonder if night fell on this planet.

[boobhat]

"Or," Hiccup said, holding up a finger and using his 'I know this sounds crazy...' voice, "we could go out there and talk to people. We can get some information out of the staff, see if any guests have noticed anything unusual during their stay, keep an eye on people and see if any are acting like they've had their brains scrambled. We can check out the building while doing it."

He added, "And then we can scope out the building after nightfall."

[prodigalfirelord]

That's a lot of 'we' Zuko heard.

"You let me know how that 'talking to people' goes."

Not his strong suit, after all.

"Call me when something needs to be set on fire."

[boobhat]

"Oh, right, okay, so you stay here in the room while I go out and be the guy wandering around by himself in a couple's resort, asking weird questions. Good plan."

Eyeroll commencing in three, two, one - we have lift off.

"That's not going to draw any attention at all."

[prodigalfirelord]

It dawned on Zuko that Hiccup was right. They were masquerading as a couple, at a couples' resort, and typically people at couples' resorts didn't go a lot of places without each other.

Which meant that even if he wasn't going to participate in the questioning, he had to be there for it.

"Just what I wanted to do. Spend my evening mingling with happy couples."

Other peoples' affection was going to grate on him even more now that he was without an actual significant other of his own to complain to about other peoples' public displays of affection.

[boobhat]

"Hey, it's not that bad. You get to spend your evening mingling with happy couples while drinking those drinks made from the fruit with the tiny umbrellas. We get drinks with tiny umbrellas out of this."

It was the little things that made living worthwhile.

[prodigalfirelord]

Zuko's sigh made it clear exactly what he thought of drinks with the tiny umbrellas.

Still -

"Still better than listening to Hso talk about trade routes."

A quick concealment of small weapons later, the two were leaning against a bar, sipping (or in Zuko's case, holding) fruity drinks, and holding hands. Appearances had to be upkept.

"All right, lamby toes." Zuko made a show of lifting his drink to his lips without actually consuming any of it. His eyes swept the room full of couples lost in their own private worlds. "Who do you want to befriend first?"