A/N: I wrote this for my atlaland bingo card, filling in the prompt of "this is my town." I'm not sure where the idea came from, but I'm glad it did because I've been rushing to finish my bingo card. Anyway, I think it stemmed from the idea that Iroh knew exactly what to tell Zuko to help him defeat Zhao in the third episode of season one, The Southern Air Temple. Now while it may be that Iroh is just that awesome (which he is), this came from the idea of what if he had some help with it...
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.
Warnings: Set pre-canon, spoilers concerning Jeong Jeong and the Order of the White Lotus. Also, I have no idea how to play pai sho.
Teaching
By: Nuit Songeur
It had been over a pai sho table, Iroh carefully deliberating over the tactics of his White Jade strategy.
"Staying long?" Jeong Jeong asked, not looking up. Iroh shook his head.
"I think Zuko wants to leave first thing in the morning. Doesn't normally like staying in populated docks." Jeong Jeong grunted.
"I can empathize." They were silent for a few moments, Jeong Jeong making a quick move that was accentuated by the mute clacking of the tiles. Iroh continued scratching his chin.
"I think he's still pretty sensitive about people seeing his scar," Iroh mused. His opponent issued another grunt.
"Doesn't he know? Beauty is on the inside."
"It's been a while since you've been around teenagers, Sifu," Iroh pointed out.
"How long has it been anyway? Three months?"
"Almost a year," Iroh corrected.
"How's his training coming along?" Iroh hesitated, hand paused in midair before moving.
"He's improving, not as fast as I would like, but there's progress." Jeong Jeong quickly took his turn, arching an eyebrow at the retired general.
"He's teaching you patience." Iroh sighed, his sixty plus years of weariness manifesting into his frustration over Zuko's lessons.
"He tries, so much. But he just doesn't getit. Sometimes he takes days before being able to perform something new."
"He's trying, Iroh. He listens to you. What more could you want?" Iroh sighed, finally taking his turn.
"I don't know." Jeong Jeong fell silent for two more turns before speaking.
"How many students have you had?" Iroh was confused.
"What do you mean?"
"How many did you teach before Zuko?"
"Just Lu Ten." Jeong Jeong moved again, cutting through Iroh's White Jade advances.
"When you've had as many as I've had, then you can complain."
Iroh chuckled, quickly changing to his Black Dragon and Dark Lady defense.
"He reminds me of his mother," Jeong Jeong remarked, finally looking up.
"How's that?" Iroh asked, glancing at the candle stick sitting on the table. It kept winking in and out of the darkness, casting odd shadows on Jeong Jeong's face. Iroh wondered how late it had gotten.
"It took Ursa awhile to bloom, to understand the basics of Firebending. But she never stopped trying. She learned Blue Fire, all on her own, years before my other students." Jeong Jeong's eyes became unfocused. "She was my best." Iroh threw him a smirk.
"Speaking of Blue Fire, Ozai is hiring specialists to train the Princess how to bend Blue flames." Jeong Jeong scoffed, shaking his head.
"That child… she reminds me so much of Zhao. Who is he hiring, by chance?" Iroh's eyebrows shot up in grim amusement.
"You remember? The Sisters?" A look of horror passed over the Old Teacher's face. He shook his head again and focused his attention back on the game board, muttering to himself something about conspiracies and scandals. They were silent for a while again, and Iroh's mind wandered. He definitely was not looking forward to scouring the North Pole again in the morning. He had never been a fan of the cold.
"Teach him the basics again," Jeong Jeong said suddenly, making his last move to win the game. Iroh was too stunned by the sudden comment to be disappointed in his loss.
"What?"
"Drill him in the basics, again. He'll hate it, but if he gets into another Agni Kai, he'll be much better off than trying to remember his advanced forms. Especially with Zhao."
"What happened with Zhao?" It was Jeong Jeong's turn to smirk as he greedily collected his winnings.
"I didn't tell you? He failed his basic training examinations. Twice."
There you are! I hope you enjoyed!
-NuitSongeur