A/N: Sparing Ring, Mako (1pt.), Iroh (2pt), Tahno (3pt.)
Team: Eel hounds
Words: 2105
"Girl's" Night
II
~Tahno~
Tahno looked up at the sign then back down at the card in his hand. "Yup, this is the Omashu room." He pocketed the card and walked in. The club was empty filled with empty tables and upturned chairs and Mako was about to turn around and leave when a man dressed in a pin-striped suite walked in.
"Are you the trombone player they sent over?" He asked glancing at his case.
Tahno nodded. "Yup."
"Good, I'm Liosh. We've lost seven trombone players in the last two months. They keep running off with my girls." He shook his head. "Look, I don't ask much but please don't run off with any of the girls." He chuckled. "Well, if you can figure out which ones are girls, there are so few left it might be a challenge."
"A challenge?" Tahno blinked. "How could finding a girl be hard? This place is a burlesque."
"Ah, the Omashu room is not just a burlesque. We are more risqué and cater to more than just the standard straight man on the street. I try to cater to all the tastes." He smiled. "And I don't judge. If a person can pay they can find something to enjoy. I hope you don't have to problem with that."
Tahno shook his head. "Nope, I just want to pay my rent at the end of the month."
"Good, good. Play well and leave my girls alone and you'll have no trouble keeping up with rent." Liosh smiled and handed him a stack of music. "Now practice up and be here not later than four. The show starts at seven sharp and I want you to meet the band first."
Tahno took the music and nodded. "I'll see you then."
.o.
Tahno sat in his chair and looked around the room now packed with people and smoke. He even thought he saw Asami sitting in booth way in the back. A drummer named Shey tapped Tahno's knee.
"Stop gawking new guy. It's show time."
Tahno nodded and started to play. The curtain slowly rose to reveal a woman draped in a black flapper with a shoulder length glove on one arm. She was practically dripping in gold, her hair was pulled into a long braid that wrapped around her waist and around the glove free arm. Tahno supposed it must have been a wig but he didn't care. Her plump red lips curled into a smile and she began to sing.
"The minute you walked in the joint
I could see you were a man of distinction"
Her voice was breathy and see moved around the stage with ease even in the sky high heals. Tahno watched as her gold and black painted eyes surveyed the crowed always pausing in same place.
"A real big spender
Good lookin' so refined
Say, wouldn't you like to know what's goin' on in my mind?"
Tahno took a chance and glanced over to where his goddess was looking. Sitting a few booths away from Asami and her friend was the young General Iroh looking regal in black suit. He seemed disinterested in the song and the songstress and even yawned a little.
"So let me get right to the point
I don't pop my cork for every man I see"
Tahno must have been staring too long because General Iroh noticed and winked at the trombone player. Tahno quickly turned back to his music. He glanced back at the singer and felt his heart sink. She was looking at Iroh with such a pleading look.
"Hey big spender,
Spend a little time with meee"
The song ended and she left the stage in favor of a new act, a sextuple of woman singing about offing they're less than staller lovers. As the song ended one of the waiters handed Tahno a note.
"The general would like your company when you have a break."
Tahno nodded and glanced at the song list. "Please tell the General I must decline, I'm needed all night."
He nodded. "Understood, I shall relay the message."
~Iroh~
Iroh sighed and leaned back and watched as the performer known as Velma Kelly sang partially to the crowd and mostly to him. He felt bad for her but he just wasn't interested. He was sure if he ever asked her to join him for a bite she'd show off a good personality to go with her legs but he didn't want to break her heart.
Lazily he looked around the room and spotted a new face in the bandstand. The trombone player was looking right at him, and he had beautiful eyes. Iroh winked and the musician turned back to his music. After Velma finished her song a new act began and Iroh asked a waiter to ask the musician to join him when he could. It was disappointing when the waiter came back with a decline.
"Well at least make sure this tip gets to him." Iroh said handing him a folded bill.
The waiter nodded. "I will sir, but if I may ask, the lovely Miss Kelly has been showering you with her attention for the past month. Why don't you-"
"Why don't I return it?" Iroh smiled bitterly. "Because I could never give a woman like her the attention that she craves. I love men and I don't want to pretend other wise."
The waiter nodded. "Understood Sir, I'll make sure this tip reaches Tahno, he's the new trombone player."
"Thank you." Iroh leaned against his fists and watched Tahno play. "Are you the same Tahno who used to bend water so beautifully? What else can you do beautifully?" Iroh bowed his head after watching Tahno's gaze on Velma as she came out to do her second song. "Does it even matter? You've got eyes for another."
~Mako~
"He's not interested in me because he likes men?" Mako glanced at his reflection and pouted his red lacquered lips. "I knew I had gotten good at this drag thing but not that good."
Tal patted Mako's shoulder sympathetically. "The tragedy of a well done paint job, only straight men want you." He sighed. "Sadly that's not the only bad news."
"The man I've been pining over for way too long isn't attracted to me because he thinks I'm a woman. What more bad news could there be?"
"The young General seems to be smitten with our new Trombone player Tahno."
"Tahno? The former probending player?"
Tal nodded. "I think so. It looks like him."
Mako stood up and straightened his new dress well, I can check while I'm out there. Mako forced a smile on his face. "After all the show must go on."
He walked over to the curtain and paused. He had started moonlighting as a drag queen a few years ago to help make ends meet and had found a release he didn't get anywhere else. He enjoyed the freedom of the stage and stiletto heals, and even though his heart was breaking just a little he would not let that take away his love of the stage.
Mako walked out on to the stage and looked right at Iroh, preying he might see through the make up.
"Never know how much I love you, never know how much I care." Mako glanced at the band and sure enough there was Tahno playing his trombone looking right at him. "When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bare." Tahno's blue eyes made him look like a puppy dog. Mako glanced back at Iroh. "You give me fever."
Through the whole song Mako glanced between the two men. One that barely noticed him and one that barely looked away. Mako shook his head as he walked off the stage at the end of the song.
"You ok?" Tal asked offering him a glass of water. "Liosh noticed you seem a little melancholy in that last song."
Mako nodded. "Well figuring it all out will do that to you. Iroh is smitten with Tahno, I think Tahno is smitten with me."
"And you are smitten with the General."
Mako nodded. "Yes, a true and proper love triangle we got brewing over here."
"So what are you going to do?"
Mako held his hands up. "What can I do?"
Tal shook his head. "Darling you are a queen, what can't you do? You want that General? Go get him."
Mako raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting doing that act?"
Tal nodded. "As I live and breath there's never been a better night for it."
Mako nodded and smiled. "I need to get things ready back here. Make sure Liosh knows what we're doing."
.o.
Mako stepped on to the stage wearing a long black wrap dress and held in one hand a chai with a pile of clothes on it. He set them down on one part of the stage and walked over to the conductor. He kneeled down.
"I want you to play Feeling Good." He asked in a whisper.
The conductor nodded as Liosh jumped up on the stage to address the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time ever! I present our Queen Velma Kelly in dissolution of an illusion. Hit it!" He jumped off the stage as Mako faced the curtain.
"Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Reeds driftin' on by
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
I'm feeling good"
The brassy song began to play and Mako turned to face the audience. As the instrumentation played he pulled the glove off his right hand with his teeth.
"Fish in the sea
You know how I feel
River running free"
You know how I feel
Blossom on the tree
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good"
He undid his dress and let it fall to the ground revealing an elaborate corset and lingerie. A few of the men whistled as the fabric hit the floor.
"Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean"
Mako walked out of one shoe and then the other.
"Sleep in peace when the day is done, that's what I mean
And this old world is a new world"
He undid the guarder belt then sat down on the chair.
"And a bold world
For me
For me"
As the interlude played, Mako pulled his silk stockings off and grabbed the pair of trousers and pulled them on.
"Stars when you shine
You know how I feel"
He undid the corset reveling his sculpted torso.
"Scent of the pine
You know how I feel"
The bra went next much to the gasps of the audience.
"Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel"
He pulled off the wig and the wig cap in one motion while ruffling his hair with his free and still gloved hand. Even now he refused to strip that away and bare that scar.
"It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
It's a new life
For me"
He pulled on a white button up and changed his voice so now he sang in a deep baritone. He kept his eyes locked onto Iroh who looked absolutely shocked.
"And I'm feeling good
I'm feeling good
I'm feeling so good
I feel so goooooooood"
Mako held the last note before defiantly sitting back down in the chair surrounded by all his discarded clothes. For a moment there was quiet and then the room erupted into applause. Mako bowed picked up part of his costume while a stage hand grabbed the rest and walked back stage barefoot and feeling extremely happy with himself.
In a matter of minutes Tal was back there. "I have two messages for you. One is from the General asking you to join him, and the other is from Tahno who also wants to buy you a drink. So which one will you choose?"
Mako paused a moment then grinned. "Well I don't see why we can't all share. After all there's more than enough of me to go around."