The Fire Nation was always so dramatic, Lin thought to herself as the shadow of flame danced across her features. She took a sip of her wine and looked across the ballroom at one of her oldest friends, Ursa, laughing it up with another crowd of people whose names she probably didn't know.
Fire Lord Zuko spared no expense for this evening, celebrating his youngest daughter on her fortieth birthday in exactly the style she expected. The ballroom of the palace was lavishly decorated with crystal sculptures that reflected firelight brilliantly. The room itself would have been completely dark if not for the wall of flames on either side that illuminated the guests only just so, casting an air of mystery about the whole affair.
From the surprise reveal of the guest of honor, to the band appearing as if from nowhere in a cloud of smoke funneled in and removed in two quick motions by the sages themselves- this evening was perfectly tailored to the tastes of someone like Ursa who always had a sense of showmanship.
It was all a bit much for Lin, but she couldn't complain as the food had been excellent and the alcohol flowing. She had made a point to exit with Izumi, who was of a similar temperament, but the rules of royalty and a well-placed guilt trip about ditching out on her old friend kept her rooted to the ballroom floor. The royal family had the privilege of leaving a party at whatever time they desired. Mere mortals like Lin were expected to hang about as long as the honored royal guest was still making their rounds.
"That's about all we can take," Izumi had told her, sympathetically as she made her way to the exit with her husband in tow.
Lin gave her a pleading look, asking, "How long do you think she's going to keep this up?"
Behind Lin, Ursa was ceremoniously popping a bottle of champagne to a round of applause.
"She slept until mid-day," Izumi apologized, "I'm afraid she's just getting started."
Lin, who had spent the last three days jammed into a tiny cabin on a steamship just to be here looked defeated. Noting her expression, Izumi shrugged, reminding her, "She's your friend."
Lin sighed, just as Izumi moved in, kissing her on either cheek, "From one older sister to another, believe me when I wish you the best of luck!"
"Goodnight," Lin acquiesced, releasing Izumi to her husband and the outside world finally.
Swanky social events of this nature never held much appeal for Lin. She and Ursa were close, that much was true, but if she was barely going to see her- what was the point? She took another sip of wine, grumbling about Izumi's final comment. Grudgingly, she had to admit Ursa and Suyin did have some unfortunate overlap of personality. Lin shifted her weight with a sigh, smoothing out her dress with one hand while looking about the room for any sign of a clock- not an easy task in low light.
That's when she saw him. Kazuo stood, only a short distance away talking to a small circle of people, gesticulating wildly as he told a story that had the listeners in stitches. She hadn't expected to see him here, though his presence made perfect sense. All of the representatives of commons and lords were in attendance as a matter of course. Furthermore, Ursa harbored a light-hearted crush on this particular representative, hounding Lin for proxy details about their fly-by-night romance. When they first met, Lin suspected it had been a fluke- the result of perfect timing and vulnerability on her part that she should fall into bed with someone she hardly knew.
Then, two years later when he had returned to Republic City to campaign, it happened again. Since that time, they'd exchanged a handful of letters- all relatively professional given the nature of their relationship. Now, in the dimly lit ballroom, Lin averted her gaze, suddenly and perhaps irrationally fearful he might not even remember who she was.
She made a move to refill her glass, eyeing Ursa with the unconscious intent of persuading her to call it a night. Unfortunately, Lin's eager eyes didn't manage to catch Ursa's attention as she walked toward the bartender, but her path did cross dangerously close to Kazuo in the process.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him see her.
"Hello," he greeted, throwing his arms open in surprise as Lin attempted to step past him.
A bolt of anxiety went through her, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to face him, conjuring her most casual tone, "Hello, Representative."
He stared at her for a prolonged moment shaking his head imperceptibly, amused by her existence, "This is a surprise."
Lin nodded, "Yes, it has been awhile, hasn't it?"
"No, I mean- seeing you out of context like this," he explained, stepping closer to her as the group he had been chatting up closed ranks around the space he vacated.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Here," Kazuo clarified, "In the Fire Nation. I guess I'm just used to seeing you in Republic City."
"I do live there," Lin pointed out, somewhat dumbly.
Kazuo chuckled, "Did I catch you on the way to the bar? Here. Let me get that for you."
Lin opened her mouth to argue, but found her glass being plucked from her hand before the words formed. Kazuo disappeared into the crowd in the direction of the bar and Lin pursed her lips, fidgeting with her dress more purposefully than before. One hand reached up to check her hair, smoothing her full bangs to the side so they didn't fall in her eyes.
He emerged a moment later, a glass in each hand.
"Thank you," Lin greeted, taking her wine with a nod of her head. He smiled, clinking his glass with her own.
"To good fortune," he announced, taking a drink.
"I'm sorry?"
"Mine, I mean," he elaborated, "I definitely did not expect to see you tonight."
She sipped her drink in lieu of replying, cheeks flushing red.
"Are you here with someone?" he asked bluntly a moment later.
"Me?" Lin asked, unsure why she was dancing around the answer, "No….are you?"
He shook his head, leaning in conspiratorially, "this is technically a work event."
Lin gave him a weak smile of acknowledgement that caused him to shrug, "Nice work if you can get it."
Over his shoulder, Lin locked eyes with Ursa, whose mouth dropped open in excitement, mouthing exclamations from across the ballroom. Lin did her best to tick her head in the negative without him catching on.
He met her eyes and she caught up to him, "Yes, I suppose there are worse job requirements out there."
His smile spread, observing her with his penetrating gaze, "You don't think so, though."
"Pardon?"
"An obligatory party?" he continued, "You don't even have to be here and look like you wish you had left an hour ago."
Lin let go of a light laugh, having been identified so quickly, "Is it that obvious?"
Kazuo dithered, somewhat for show before admitting with a chuckle, "Yes."
She shrugged, lifting her eyebrows to indicate coy indifference to being found out and just as she lifted her glass for another sip he leaned in and suggested, "Let's get out of here."
Lin's eyes went wide and she stopped short of taking her drink, "That's against protocol."
"What?"
"Royal protocol," Lin specified, "I thought you might know."
"We can't leave the palace," Kazuo agreed, "but we don't have to stay in the ballroom."
Her face screwed up, incredulous at his insinuation, but he reached out and took her drink setting it on a nearby cocktail table before taking her hand and ticking his head in the direction of the exit, "Come on."
Against her better judgement, Lin allowed herself to be led away, quietly slipping through the crowd of social climbers and old monied fire nation families to make the way into the dark hallway of the palace. A flickering light was emanating from the restrooms in the hall, but Kazuo led her past that too- deeper into the cavernous hall so that she could barely see her own hand before her face.
"Where are we going?" she finally asked in a barbed whisper.
"I don't know," he admitted, continuing on until he reached out and felt a door handle, "here?" he asked somewhat flippantly, pulling it open.
"And where exactly is-" she was cut off with a kiss, hard and passionate. He pulled her through the doorway, closing it with one hand over her shoulder.
She still had no idea where she was, but cared exponentially less with every second that passed. As she stood, pressed between his body and the closed door, Lin wondered for a fleeting moment what it was about this man that had her rejecting the sensibilities she clung to so deeply in the daylight hours.
His hands running along her body was a sufficient answer, she decided, returning his enthusiasm in full finally. It didn't escape her notice that moments ago she had been ready to dodge conversation with him entirely, but now she was busying herself by pulling his tucked shirt free from his trousers.
Kazuo, for his part had moved to her neck, kissing her there with a low hum that made her gasp. One hand twisted in her hair while the other worked her skirt up over her hips, gripping her backside as he moved back to her mouth, kissing her fully.
She wasn't sure if he had urged it or if she had done it on instinct, but her right leg was around his hip in short order and she pushed her hips forward into him while attempting to slide her hand below his belt. It was no easy task and she fiddled with the buckle blindly for a moment before bending it back and whipping it through his belt loops in a fit of urgency. The metal of his discarded belt clanged against the far wall of the closet unceremoniously.
She felt him laugh into her mouth, "That's so fucking hot." His sentiment was punctuated by a tug on her undergarments, pulling them down in one quick motion before slipping his hand between her legs. His fingers slid against her, frictionless, building the electricity between them. She bit her lip to keep from moaning, pushing her hips forward again until her whole body shuddered with orgasm.
Her hands made quick work of the buttons on his pants, shoving them down to grip him finally, pulling him toward her. He aided her efforts, guiding himself inside her. They paused then, heavy breathing the only sound in their silent corner of the palace. He kissed her slowly, sensual before pulling back to meet her eyes.
"Aren't you glad you didn't leave?"
Heart pounding, she nodded mutely, unable to tear her eyes away from his. He smiled, triumphant, pushing into her slowly. She blinked, head falling back slightly as he did it again. He kissed her neck, reaching down to grip her other thigh, hoisting her left leg over his hip and pinning her to the door where their bodies met.
He drove into her hard and quick then and their weight against the door made it shake unmistakably. In the distance, Lin could hear echoes of the live band filtering down the hallway. If she had been capable of coherent thought she would have been able to appreciate the muffling effect the music had on their lovemaking. The door banged rhythmically now and Lin's ability to contain her moans degraded into something more like punctuated whimpers as Kazuo hummed against her neck, telling her how irresistable she was, how he knew he would be fucking her tonight the moment he laid eyes on her, how he knew she wanted him to.
Lin moaned the affirmative to his assertions, panting hard now as she twisted her hands in his hair, clinging to his body for dear life. He pushed into her quicker, and quicker, until finally he thrust forward, tension peaking, pressing himself against her for a prolonged moment as he came inside her. His shoulders dropped, momentarily weak and catching his breath. Grip loosened, Lin slid down the door an inch before her feet met the floor again and she let out a long sigh. She could feel him smile against her neck, pecking her lightly before pulling back.
Their eyes met in the dark and a small laugh escaped them both, the kind of giggle that follows an awkward story told among strangers. They each busied themselves dressing then, not exchanging a word, until Kazuo attempted to buckle his belt which was hopelessly bent. Somehow, that made Lin blush with embarrassment, but she reached forward, setting it right with her bending once again.
"Thanks," he commended, clasping it closed finally.
She nodded, smoothing her hair in vain, suddenly acutely aware of the fact that when all was said and done, she had only ever met this man two other times. Her hand reached out to find the doorknob, "Well," she began, watching him smooth out his own hair in the dark, "I guess I should be getting back."
His hands halted in their work, and he looked at her, perplexed, "What?"
"It was nice running into you," she told him, genuinely.
He let out a laugh then, much louder than she would have liked and she shot forward- stopping herself short of covering his mouth, "please lower your voice," she demanded in a hiss.
"Lin, are you serious?"
She blinked at him expectantly which earned another light laugh from him. He thrust his hand forward grasping hers and speaking formally, "Hi, I'm Kaz. I was just inside you a moment ago."
She deflated a little at his sarcasm, sighing, "Well, forgive me, but I usually just leave your hotel room while you're sleeping. I don't know how to make a graceful exit from a-" she glanced around, "a….are we in broom closet? Spirits."
He cocked his head to one side, "Admittedly, not the most romantic setting."
She agreed with a shake of her head, "No."
"Why don't you come to my place then, I'm just down the street."
Lin's mouth dropped open in shock, eyes darting to his crotch briefly, "Already?"
His eyebrows jumped, following her logic and he laughed again, "No, no! After the party. You're not going back to Republic City tonight are you?"
"Oh!" Lin exclaimed, pressing one hand against her eyes, abashed, "No, I'm not. I could- yes- I might be free to come by later."
He could hardly contain his amusement at how flustered she had become now that the act of intimacy was behind them. She didn't miss the humor in his eyes as he watched her navigate their post-coital conversation and she decided to cut it down, leveling with him finally, "Look, I'm not good at this sort of thing. I just- I'm going to go out there and get my drink."
Kazuo gave her a tight nod and Lin returned it, opening the closet door finally to make her way back to the party.