[ Zuko gives a single, sharp nod at her Thank You. That was more than he expected. But as she starts moving toward the bathroom, he leads the way first. He's not even aware that it's a matter of "where does he want her," how it comes off, despite how he's planned this... His thinking is knowing that Azula likes baths and pampering and probably misses the servants doing that kind of stuff for her, and so what else would she like when first getting home? Instant gratification, right? He's thinking about what she wants, what she likes, how she feels, just not in the immediate sense of her feeling it then, in the moment she's meant to enjoy it. It's more fixed, conceptually. But if the living room didn't show this lopsided consideration, the bathroom may...
Which is part of why he beats her to it, walking a couple fast strides ahead of her toward the bathroom, door left ajar with lights turned off inside and the sound of water running within, which he cuts ahead of her to turn off, partway shutting the door behind him as he does, but quickly dips back out to let her in. But even while walking up, through the crack in the door from a closer angle as she approaches, candlelight can be seen in the reflection of the mirror. He stops at the doorway once he exits again, completely unnecessary to usher her there like he is, but here they are — and he opens the door for her fully now, pressing it open with his palm flat against the center: revealing cascades of dancing flames, seemingly. He's taken about as many (unscented! he wavered about that but thought it out well!) tea candles as he felt he safely could, and dappled their small bathroom in these tiny lights. They're scattered all over the sink countertop, the back of the toilet, all down the sides of the foot of the bathtub, even a couple strategically placed on the floor... So plus the effect the reflection makes of the many little flames dancing in the mirror, being in the cramped room (that's now probably a cramped room with a fire hazard, truth be told?) has quite the visual impact. What's more than the candlelight surrounding it, though, the bathwater in the full tub is not clear, but a creamy white, freshly stirred up to make it even and opaque when he slipped in to shut the water off. Zuko had tried to think back on beauty shit they did in the palace, wanted to capture some lost luxury from home, even if they no longer have the budget of royalty, either of them... So he took to the Internet on milk baths, which turned out to be surprisingly affordable. He even floated a few random flower blossoms in there (after testing which types float best and leaving the soggy failures in the tiny trashcan by the toilet, because, y'know, they clearly have no shortage of flowers now, though he thankfully left them all out in the other rooms otherwise...) for an added effect. Over. The. Top.
He's also set aside a fresh towel and washcloths and all Azula's beauty products in a neat little pile by the bathside. He doesn't know what's what in her cosmetic routine, but he figured... he'd make it seem extra available to her, at least... He'd never cared for all this pampering as much as everyone else in the royal family, found it all very overwhelming with the pressure to relax and felt overstimulated by the smells and all the oils and lotions left weird tactile sensations on his skin and was just kinda bothered by the intimacy of massages and was always too restless to sit around lounging in hot baths the way that, say, Azula and Iroh could get into... Not for any shortage of trying, being raised with such luxury as the norm — it was just usually other people doing this side of things because it was their job to. But even though it's something he doesn't care for personally, he took a lot of thought and feeling arranging this for her himself now. It's not like they'd had much of this kind of life since being spirited away. Certainly when Azula had nice bathtimes now, she arranged them herself, like anyone else without servants might — and knowing that, Zuko was clearly a little over-eager to do it for her.
Frankly, these past few hours spent on this project really made him appreciate their palace servants a lot more in hindsight. One luxury they seldom had, though, because of servants ready to wait on them hand and foot at all moments, was an option he offered her now: Privacy. He hadn't waited for her to answer "How are you" when he'd asked as soon as she'd entered, but he did care to know, just too focused and eager about the rest of all this, so he asks it another way now, his tone tempered, face soft: ]
no subject
Which is part of why he beats her to it, walking a couple fast strides ahead of her toward the bathroom, door left ajar with lights turned off inside and the sound of water running within, which he cuts ahead of her to turn off, partway shutting the door behind him as he does, but quickly dips back out to let her in. But even while walking up, through the crack in the door from a closer angle as she approaches, candlelight can be seen in the reflection of the mirror. He stops at the doorway once he exits again, completely unnecessary to usher her there like he is, but here they are — and he opens the door for her fully now, pressing it open with his palm flat against the center: revealing cascades of dancing flames, seemingly. He's taken about as many (unscented! he wavered about that but thought it out well!) tea candles as he felt he safely could, and dappled their small bathroom in these tiny lights. They're scattered all over the sink countertop, the back of the toilet, all down the sides of the foot of the bathtub, even a couple strategically placed on the floor... So plus the effect the reflection makes of the many little flames dancing in the mirror, being in the cramped room (that's now probably a cramped room with a fire hazard, truth be told?) has quite the visual impact. What's more than the candlelight surrounding it, though, the bathwater in the full tub is not clear, but a creamy white, freshly stirred up to make it even and opaque when he slipped in to shut the water off. Zuko had tried to think back on beauty shit they did in the palace, wanted to capture some lost luxury from home, even if they no longer have the budget of royalty, either of them... So he took to the Internet on milk baths, which turned out to be surprisingly affordable. He even floated a few random flower blossoms in there (after testing which types float best and leaving the soggy failures in the tiny trashcan by the toilet, because, y'know, they clearly have no shortage of flowers now, though he thankfully left them all out in the other rooms otherwise...) for an added effect. Over. The. Top.
He's also set aside a fresh towel and washcloths and all Azula's beauty products in a neat little pile by the bathside. He doesn't know what's what in her cosmetic routine, but he figured... he'd make it seem extra available to her, at least... He'd never cared for all this pampering as much as everyone else in the royal family, found it all very overwhelming with the pressure to relax and felt overstimulated by the smells and all the oils and lotions left weird tactile sensations on his skin and was just kinda bothered by the intimacy of massages and was always too restless to sit around lounging in hot baths the way that, say, Azula and Iroh could get into... Not for any shortage of trying, being raised with such luxury as the norm — it was just usually other people doing this side of things because it was their job to. But even though it's something he doesn't care for personally, he took a lot of thought and feeling arranging this for her himself now. It's not like they'd had much of this kind of life since being spirited away. Certainly when Azula had nice bathtimes now, she arranged them herself, like anyone else without servants might — and knowing that, Zuko was clearly a little over-eager to do it for her.
Frankly, these past few hours spent on this project really made him appreciate their palace servants a lot more in hindsight. One luxury they seldom had, though, because of servants ready to wait on them hand and foot at all moments, was an option he offered her now: Privacy. He hadn't waited for her to answer "How are you" when he'd asked as soon as she'd entered, but he did care to know, just too focused and eager about the rest of all this, so he asks it another way now, his tone tempered, face soft: ]
...Do you want to be alone?