Disclaimer: No claims of ownership here, just playing around with characters that could've used more screentime.
As Good a Time as Any
The odd, narrow ships (designed for speed, and not for war) had arrived in the midmorning. He was the only one to recognize the flag's lotus emblem, waving merrily in the crisp sea breeze, the only one to remain perfectly calm as the mysterious boats landed on their shores.
He was also the only one scowling later that night, as the Grand Lotus Iroh of the Fire Nation regaled his Kanna with yet another spectacularly heroic tale starring her grandchildren and the Avatar. To their left, Omashu's King Bumi would add an anecdote or two of his own every now and then, when he wasn't busy amusing wide-eyed water Tribe children with his fantastically colored furred robes and trinkets and gemmite rings.
The waterbending master sat on Kanna's other side. Even from where he sat to her right, Pakku could see her blue eyes alight with pride at what her grandchildren had done for the Avatar. He had to admit, he was definitely awed by the extent of their accomplishments himself. But as of only yesterday, he had been the cause of her blue eyes brightening as though they were sixteen again.
Bah. He was being childishly jealous, and he knew it. He stood, excusing himself brusquely from the fire. He wouldn't let Kanna see him this way.
He found himself at the shores of the growing village - where ice met freezing cold water. Here, the lights from the tents and igloos were much dimmer. He sighed, watching his breath puff into soft white clouds in front of him. The sleek ships that arrived only this morning were to depart tomorrow evening, and he would be going with them. Iroh may have come with outstanding tales of the Avatar, but his main objective had been made clear. A call sent out by the Grand Lotus himself couldn't be ignored. If they were being assembled -finally - to interfere with this war, then he would have to go.
But…
From his pocket, he fished out a piece of ribbon of the highest quality Earth Kingdom silk, peddled from one of the stops they made en route to the South Pole. Attached to the silk was a pendant that gleamed in the moonlight. Smooth ivory, material native to the Fire Nation, rare because of a war that isolated economies like theirs, hand-carved with a simple, delicate design of two koi, circling around each other...
The crunch of footsteps upon snow alerted him that someone was coming, and he discreetly pocketed the necklace. He scowled; he wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone right now.
"You are acting like a child." Pakku barely spared the newcomer a glance, but his brows shot up a fraction more than they should've. He had been expecting Kanna, or even Iroh. But not...
"That's rich, coming from one at least five years my junior." He rolled his eyes, knowing he could see. "What's the matter, Water Tribe cuisine too exquisite for your taste, Jeong-Jeong?"
The scarred, former Fire Nation general huffed. "I happen to like your sea prunes. They're a lot like the ocean kumquats from back home." He walked up to stand next to the old waterbending master, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his charcoal grey parka. "Nice trinket in your pocket, there. Does she know?"
"Of course not."
"Of course not," he echoed, shaking his head. "Who would've thought that the great Master Pakku of the North, waterbending prodigy and reigning champion at Pai Sho, too much of a coward to give a girl a necklace."
Pakku gave him a dry sidelong glance. "I refuse to rise to your bait. At least one of us here has to act our age."
He only got a shrug in reply. "We already know that that won't be you."
A few moments of silence passed between the two - which Pakku spent quietly simmering, Jeong-Jeong in thought - before the necklace was fished out again. Jeong-Jeong glanced over and brushed off the urge to borrow it for a closer look. He already knew Pakku wouldn't hand something so precious over.
"You were always good with arts and crafts, weren't you?"
"I was always good at everything." Pakku sniffed, rolling his eyes."Especially at beating you and the Grand Lotus at Pai Sho."
"Oh, of course. And that is precisely why you are here, pouting like a petulant child, jealous of a man a decade your junior who managed to capture some wrinkled old lady's attention for a few hours."
Pakku turned icy eyes to his friend. "I would think that you had more honor than to insult a woman who isn't even present to hear this conversation, Jeong-Jeong." His eyes narrowed. Apologize, they seemed to say.
The old Fire Nation general raised his hands in apology. "My mistake."
The cool glare sent his way said he wasn't off the hook, but Pakku didn't seem to want to discuss it any further. Jeong-Jeong shook his head at his elder's stubbornness.
"The comet is due in about a month," he was saying, before he knew he'd opened his mouth. "If all goes well, we should be finished sooner rather than later."
"Still," he continued, "Don't you think you've waited long enough as it is?" He turned, arched a meaningful eyebrow at the necklace in Pakku's gnarled hands.
The waterbending master arched an eyebrow right back. "I've waited sixty years, Jeong-Jeong. What is another month or two?"
"You lost her to a man you never even knew, what's stopping that from happening again? She seems quite taken with the General." He goaded, his words meant to be mocking, but came across more teasing than anything. Pakku rolled his eyes. They both knew that Iroh would never try anything.
Jeong-Jeong turned his golden eyes toward the horizon. Pakku remained silent beside him.
"I am only saying, perhaps now is as good a time as any."
Still later into the night, Iroh stepped into the room provided for the White Lotus guests, admiring the beautiful architecture. The lovingly sculpted ice was a far cry from the small ring of battered tents that he'd seen a year ago, when he and his nephew had first invaded the barely-surviving village.
A beat later, the tigerseal hide at the door flapped open, letting a cold snap of wind and another elderly scarred firebending master in. Iroh raised his hand in a wave, but was beat to his greeting.
"Does your status as Crown Prince of the Fire Nation allow you to officiate a wedding ceremony, Iroh?"
Two bushy eyebrows shot up, followed by a wide grin and gleaming eyes. "I'm afraid not. However, I am certain King Bumi would step up to the responsibility if we ask..."
-end
Notes: Where was Piandao, you ask? I tried to make sense of this and put it into canon timeline but it didn't work. It probably didn't happen like this anyway, as I'm sure the White Lotus couldn't afford to send all of their highest ranking members to fetch their Waterbending master from the South Pole. Iroh probably went alone (if at all!) leaving Jeong-Jeong and Bumi to recruit other members from the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom respectively. Or something. Plus, I don't think Iroh or Bumi or qualified to officiate a Water Tribe ceremony…
But come on! Pakku and Kanna's spur-of-the-moment wedding, officiated by Bumi, with Jeong-Jeong as best man and Iroh as their witness. Tell me that isn't an awesome scene. Better than a Vegas wedding for sure.