"It's just a few bumps and bruises, nothing to fuss over," The young general waved as the dark-haired maiden dabbed his wound with a wet cloth.
"There's a bloody gash on your arm, General, and I'm the one who took you out in that thing so I can't help but feel slightly responsible!" Asami apologized, continuing to dab at it carefully.
"Well, I'm a rather reckless man, you saw me come back after we took down the equalists, I was hanging from the Avatar Aang statue with half my clothes burnt off because I punched a missile and lunged into the sea! When I was teaching you to pilot those planes, you came out unscathed! But I so much as test drive a satomobile and I wind up smashed into the wall, lucky to be alive!" Iroh explained as Asami covered her mouth from her giggles at him, trying to tie a bandage around his arm.
"Nonetheless, I'm quite sorry, Iroh," Asami told him, finishing tying the knot of the bandage around his arm, as he waved once again, dismissing her apologies. The kettle began to boil and Asami hopped up to set it to the other face of the stove to quel its steaming rage. She then grabbed two, porcelain teacups from the cupboard and set them on the counter, "So, General, what kind of tea do they fancy in the Fire Nation?"
"Oh, a wide array of flavors," Iroh answered with a smile, "My family in particular has a history with exotic teas, particularly my namesake. My mother and grandfather were rather fond of the beverage too, but as I used to say it's nothing but hot leaf juice."
"Oh, so you don't like tea, General?" Asami questioned, surprised.
"Oh no, tea is all fine and well, but I must confess I have more of a taste for coffee," Iroh admitted, straightening his collar with a smug grin on his face.
"Coffee?" Asami laughed, "It's so bitter! It tastes like someone ground up some burnt toast and threw it in a cup of hot water."
"Well, tea is literally a ground up leaf," Iroh stated matter-of-fact-ly, "Coffee is merely beans."
"Very well, Iroh, to each his own, I'll get you some of that bitter stuff," Asami joked, grabbing some coffee as she fetched herself a teabag. Iroh stared at her longingly, she was truly lovely and he loved to just stare at her graces and marvel at her wonder. He smiled at her like a fool, losing his militant composure, then shaking his head to get back on track, he had work to do, he didn't have time for romance, besides the Sato girl would never go for a Fire Nation prince, her mother was killed by a firebender. She kept fixing together the different caffeinated, hot beverages as his eyes never left her.
"You're here for business, Iroh. Learning to drive a satomobile will be a useful skill to the division," Iroh told himself, but he'd been visiting her every day for the past month, whether teaching her to pilot a plane, or she giving him a driving tutorial.
"You know, Mako told me to boil him tea for him once," Asami grumbled to him. He knew this song and dance with her, she was quite bitter about herself and her ex-boyfriend, despite how often she'd assured him that they were friends on good terms, he could tell things were a bit more complicated than she'd made them off to be.
"Well, he could have done it very quickly himself considering he's a firebender, I suppose," Iroh replied, knowing this was what she wanted to hear, as he'd heard this story before.
"Exactly! Who did he think he was?" Asami groaned as she came over, holding the cups and placing the coffee before Iroh and the tea before herself as she took a seat at the dainty, lace-covered table, "Cream or sugar, Iroh?"
"Cream, please," Iroh requested as she pouted and he squinted in confusion.
"You would. Keep the drink bitter," Asami grumbled.
"The cream is just so good in the coffee," Iroh commented.
"Well, sugar just adds so much flavor, makes it so sweet and delectable," Asami added.
"It soils the beverage, as my grandfather would say," Iroh stated.
"Well, at least I haven't abandon it completely," Asami teased snidely as he smiled at her again. Oh, how he was attracted to her, she had such a charm, such wit, she was clever and she was smart and she sure was gorgeous without a doubt. Iroh had to snap himself out of his doting reverie once more. When he returned to reality, he noticed her looking glum.
"Asami?" He asked, putting his hand over hers.
"These were my mother's china..." Asami muttered, "I miss her...and my father...terribly."
"I'm so sorry, Asami," Iroh spoke in a mumble, "I...you've told me...it was a firebender..."
"Iroh," Asami said comfortingly and sternly as she took his hand locked in with both of hers, "He was a bad man, he could have been a waterbender, an earthbender, or a nonbender, he just so happened to bend fire. That's not what made him a cruel man, it's what he did that made him that."
"So, you can still bear to be with me, despite this?" Iroh asked, gleaming into her deep, emerald eyes as her magenta lips smiled.
"Iroh..." Asami began, almost surprised by his hesitance and fear of bigotry, "Your grandfather, wasn't he close with Katara and Sokka?"
"Yes, they were practically family...Grandfather still calls on Katara often," Iroh rejoined with a fond smile, Asami still smiling at him.
"Well, everyone knows a firebender killed their mother as well," Asami explained as Iroh smiled at her, "It has nothing to do with your character, nor your people's, Iroh. You're one of the finest gentlemen I've ever had the honor of knowing," Asami told him as he flushed redder than her lipstick.
"Well, um...Miss Sato, you are nothing short of stunning, yourself..." Iroh complimented as Asami caressed his cheek.
"You're very sweet, General," Asami spoke, as she leaned into him and Iroh could smell her lilac-scented shampoo as he stroked her cascading locks of hair, holding her close, taking in every attribute about her, he was beginning to fear he may be falling in love with the owner of Future Industries. "Even if your coffee isn't."