At dawn, they were all gathered around in the docks. Tenzin and Pema had come out to greet them. Meelo, Ikki and Jinora were left at Air Temple Island as they were still sleeping. They were about to leave for the Air Temples as well with Commander Bumi. Bolin was still half asleep and Mako repeatedly tried get him to wake up but failed miserably. Nothing can ever get in the way of the boy's sleep. Asami was quiet as well, not having enough energy this early in the morning. The only ones who were truly up to speed it seems was Korra, Commander Bumi and the crew; Korra was excited to go home as she had been saying for the past few days and Commander Bumi was just being his usual self.
All their belongings had been piled up in the side and the crew had now brought them one by one into the ship. General Iroh was the only one who wasn't off the ship. Korra glanced up to find him walking around the ship giving out commands. He paused to listen to one of his officers and started talking again. The ship was bustling.
Iroh glanced up and met her gaze. The general excused himself for a moment and joined them off the ship. Korra noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual united forces uniform and instead swapped them for similar clothing but with predominant shade of red.
"Commander Bumi." Iroh greeted.
"I'm retired, General. Just Bumi, now." Bumi said. He raised his thick brows and asked "Going on vacation and still in formal attire, general?"
"It was the first thing I found this morning." The general said defensively.
"Right." He said disbelieving.
Iroh exhaled loudly and glanced back at the ship. "They're all getting a bit excited to finally leave Republic City."
"Well I'm with them." Korra said. "It should be nice to go home."
"I know what you mean." Iroh said. "Living in Republic City is nice, but nothing beats going back to the place you grew up." Korra nodded.
"Yeah."
Even Bumi, Pema and Tenzin agreed. There was no place like home. Korra noticed that her friends weren't really in the conversation anymore but remembered that Asami, Mako and Bolin grew up here in Republic City and had never really been away from home for a long period.
A few words were exchanged and the last farewells ensued. Tenzin even pulled Korra into a hug. "Well, good luck on your journey on the South Pole." Bumi said.
"Just make sure Korra doesn't get into trouble." Tenzin said quietly. Korra pouted.
"I'm not going to get into trouble. I am an adult."
"Yes, I'll make sure she's alright." Iroh answered looking at Korra. She smiled sweetly; nothing spells trouble more than a teenage avatar.
Korra followed as she saw General Iroh walking on board the ship and tried to locate him but failed. Her friends went after her feeling a bit unsure. The crew on the ship had asked if they wanted to see their rooms. They agreed and they were lead across the ship towards the inside. They went up a set of staircases and ended up in a hallway. "There are a series of bedrooms here. You can choose which ever you want to stay in except for that one." He said gesturing to the one with the closed door.
It was occupied.
Iroh had watched from the control room as team avatar waved at their friends at the port. He suddenly felt drained; his energy from this morning was gone. He excused himself from the captain and moved across the hallways and downstairs to go to his room. It had been a while since he had been on a holiday and he wanted to cherish this very much.
The past two years had been, for lack of better word, hell. He had been appointed as the general of the United Forces and prejudices due to his age had been twice the amount he thought he would have to face. Everyone thought that he would fail and give up. Iroh was less than half the age of the last general they thought was far too young for the job. Since he had started in the army years ago, Iroh quickly rose up the ranks; it wasn't impossible, just unheard of. He was honoured and proud to take the job, well, who would be crazy enough now to?
But he was lucky to get offered the position of general, he knew; he was young, yes but it hadn't really hurt that he had proficient fire bending skills, a prodigy they called him and had an excellent military record from the United Forces but also from the fire nation royal army. He constantly gets reminded about his accomplishments. But, Iroh didn't really think about it. He was reminded of supper at Air Temple Island last night. It was hard to take compliments sometimes but he knew he deserved it. Iroh did not dwell on his past accomplishments yet more on what it there else to achieve.
Iroh worked extremely hard to get where he was now. Figuratively and literally, he believed. A well deserved vacation, indeed.
He climbed on his bed and his head rested on the soft pillows. His room was how he had left it. There were old letters still scattered on his desk. Once again, he was indebted to Avatar Korra. If it wasn't for her, he would probably still be on another ship, thinking about all the paperwork he still had to do. Avatar Korra was an interesting person he noted. She wasn't how you'd first picture an avatar, calm and spiritual someone like the previous Avatar. Iroh thought maybe it was because Miss Korra was from the Water Tribes, raised differently from Avatar Aang whom was raised by monks in the air temples.
Or maybe it was because of her age. She was a teenager and most of the people who spoke about him had really only remembered Aang as man in his early twenties so Aang's description seemed to contrast so much from Avatar Korra. She had a strong personality and was very hard-headed. But she also had a side to her that was gentle and shy, as he remembered from meeting her a few days earlier at the port.
Iroh was gently lulled into sleep; his last thoughts were of Korra saving him during Amon's attack nearly six months ago.
A few hours later, Team avatar had gone to the mess hall, no doubt they were all gathered by Bolin whose those thoughts were of food. He captain welcomed them and asked one of the cooks to get them food.
"We're going to have a small ball here tonight." The captain said enthusiastically. "It's custom on the ship."
"If you ask me, it's simply an excuse to have a party." The man beside him snorted.
"Shush you, no one asked your opinion." One of the younger men said. "Do you want to party or not?"
"Of course, I do." He said huffily.
"Well, quit your yapping and don't argue then."
"So, there's going to be food and dancing?" Korra asked.
"Food, dancing and of course a few drinks." He said cheekily.
"Yeah!" Bolin cheered.
"Of course none of those for under aged kids," The captain added as an afterthought.
"Aw." Bolin pouted.
"Sorry Bo, you'll just have to wait a year more." Asami said.
Bolin continued to sulk as they talked about what else to expect for the night. The captain was keen to keeping the details to himself as he remained mum about the subject. Asami and Bolin began a conversation on what to wear. Was it a formal occasion with fancy dresses? The captain gave a negative replied and explained that while it was encouraged to wear your best set of clothes he reassured them they wouldn't be kicked out if they showed up in normal gear. Korra had one proper dress that was considered appropriate to wear. The only other pieces of clothing she had was some formal thick dresses that were more or less parkas; it was too cold in the South Pole to where silks.
Korra looked around and found that almost everyone else in the ship was eating with them. They served noodles and some vegetable soup for lunch. Korra and her friends were sitting in the middle of a long table. The seats on the ends were filling up as more and more came to the mess hall for their breaks. Mako and Asami were eating their food and Bolin had strike up another conversation with the captain. She felt that someone was missing before it hit her.
"Where's the general?" Korra said out loud. The Captain looked around to try and locate him.
"Where is Prince Iroh?" He asked. "Does anyone know?"
There was a chorus of 'no' all around the hall. Since no one really had a proper answer, some of the men began to make jokes. "He can't have fallen off the ship, right?" There were a few chuckles.
A man stood up and gasped loudly in mock horror. "We left Prince Iroh in Republic City."
"No, he was on board the ship. I think I saw him getting pampered and handsome for the ball tonight." One of them said. There was a roar of laughter.
Even Korra herself laughed at this.
"Or maybe he's trying to get a nap but can't because his crew is too damn noisy." Iroh said coming in from the door. Most of them had the decency to hide their snickering.
"Sleep is for the weak." One of them yelled.
Iroh had a fierce look and replied, "I'll try to remember that when I get you to post the graveyard shift."
The man looked stricken and smiled sweetly at the prince. "Now, your highness, it was only a joke."
"Besides, I don't need to the extra help. Didn't you get the notice; I'm a very handsome man." Iroh was kidding of course.
The captain nodded. "Yes and very modest too..."
Hallways were already deserted and the sun had already set by the time Korra left her room. Korra looked through her friends' room and found their doors shut. She reflected that they probably weren't finished getting ready yet so she left on her own. Not minding her surroundings as much, Korra was a bit surprised when she suddenly found herself just outside the dining hall. It sounded as though most people were already inside. She was thinking about waiting for her friends for a little while but dismissed it because General Iroh had already seen her. Instead, she went inside and approached him.
"Welcome, Miss Korra." Iroh greeted.
"Hi." Korra replied.
"Your dress looks wonderful tonight." Iroh said and blushed. "Sorry. I mean you look wonderful."
"Thank you." She said. "You look wonderful as well. Actually, you look normal."
Iroh had a small smile and chuckled. He quickly excused himself and was suddenly missing from her view as he disappeared in the crowd.
Korra shook her head and walked on towards Asami who just arrived with Mako and Bolin. She noticed some of the people were staring at her. Was the dress really that nice? Asami smiled at her and Mako stayed silent. He eventually walked towards Bolin who started a conversation with Yan. She and Asami were left alone to talk.
"Something fancy for the ball, Asami?" Korra said.
She waved her had dismissively. "I always wear something fancy." Korra grinned and laughed. "We haven't been to a party in a few months and it's about time we get to wear dresses again."
Korra smiled. "And you're wearing your usual color, red; you'll fit right in with everyone else here."
"What about you, one decent dress, huh?" Asami said smirking.
"Better than my coming of age dress." Korra muttered under her breathe.
"What was that?" Asami asked.
She shook her head and smiled. "Nothing, I'm just talking to myself."
"Come on." Asami beckoned.
The huge table of buffet was lined against one of the walls of the room and the girls began to pick on the food. Lunch seemed like days ago and the food was absolutely scrumptious. It had consisted mostly of fire nation cuisine, something both of them had only tried briefly if at all. Afterwards, they went to get some drinks, eager to get some alcohol. Well, Asami was. Korra didn't really like their drinks here. It was either too strong or too mild. She had never really tried much after her first experience at that pub Bolin managed to get them into, illegally one might add. Korra preferred the wine and the beers she used to sneak in to the compound, the finest delicacies from the Earth Kingdom. She immediately grabbed a glass of cider which was honestly the only thing she could stand.
Some girls had joined them at the table and they were quickly sucked into a discussion. Korra listened politely and occasionally offered some strong points but otherwise kept quiet. They were talking about something she really didn't know much about, Jun-Ro, some famous male singer from the North Pole. A few weeks ago, posters could be seen and people were talking all about Jin-Ro's concert in Republic City. But Korra wasn't really into music as much as everybody else so she just politely kept up with the conversation.
A few minutes later, she felt someone tap on her shoulder and tuned around to find Iroh standing behind her.
"Korra, would you like to dance?" Iroh asked.
"Sure."
Korra stood up from the table. Thankfully, the girls didn't really notice that she left the table, still fully absorbed in their conversation. Iroh led her towards the centre of the room where most couples had been dancing. Korra rested her hand on his shoulder and the other still laid on Iroh's hand. They swayed to the rhythm of the music.
"So, have you been enjoying the evening?"
"Yes, the food's absolutely great."
"The food, that's it?" He exclaimed. Korra tried to explain herself but Iroh stopped her. "I'm joking. The cooks are amazing, honestly."
She nodded. "I have to agree." Korra noted, "There's only fire nation cuisine, though."
"These people are strict on tradition." Iroh explained. "Especially for First Night's Ball, it's usually strictly a fire nation themed party."
The song had continued on and they had danced through silently. The song ended but Korra didn't really feel like leaving Iroh yet. Iroh did not give an indication for them to shop dancing and the next song started playing. Korra had let Iroh guide her through the dance as she didn't really know the steps.
"What have you been doing earlier? You suddenly went missing after we talked when I just got here and you were probably here way before that."
"A few customary drinks, a few conversations and waiting for you to arrive." He lowered his voice at the last few words.
"You waited for me?" Korra said surprised.
"Yes." He admitted. "You're more or less the guest of honour tonight."
"I thought you said this was a traditional thing on this ship."
"It is. But, tonight's party is special because the avatar is here." Iroh said. "I think she's late though. The avatar may have ditched her party."
Korra laughed and played along with his joke. "That's just rude. I guess that's why the General left early though because he was too disappointed she wasn't here."
"I think I passed him earlier carrying a full bottle of whiskey, no doubt he's drinking out his heartache." Iroh said sadly. He definitely knew how to stay in character, Korra thought.
Korra giggled and Iroh took the opportunity to spin them around.
They continued to dance with each other without interruption and their conversation kept flowing. They began to talk about random and trivial topics. A couple was dancing close to them and from what Korra had seen; they seemed to be intoxicated. Korra pointed this out and Iroh had explained that the two people had known each other since they were children.
"So they like each other but they didn't tell each other." Korra summarized.
Iroh nodded. "Precisely, the only way it seems for them to interact romantically is for both of them to get drunk."
"That's a bit sad." She frowned.
"Yeah." He replied.
The music suddenly stopped and they both looked around to see why only to find out that it had ended. Korra seemed confused.
"We danced through two songs." She stated.
"I think it was four songs." He said.
They both laughed. It had been wonderful four songs, Korra thought to herself.
On the other side of the room, two people were looking curiously at the prince and his companion swaying to the music played by the band. Captain Lito was observing them closely as he was quite fascinated that Prince Iroh had actually chosen to interact with someone during a party. Iroh wasn't the type of person that chose to be the life of the party. He was quiet but could easily start an interesting conversation as quickly as he could pull out a fire whip. He was naturally quiet and serious.
"He's got the looks but lacks any charm." The Captain said remembering the small jest they told earlier that day.
His companion snorted, "On the ladies, anyway. He knows just about how to get anyone to do what and how he wants it. He's a politician in the making."
His companion nodded in agreement. Yes, Prince Iroh was going to be a fine leader of the nation some day. "He was born to be one."
"Well, he seems to have charmed Miss Avatar." He gestured to the couple whom were talking seemed to be talking quietly. He noticed that General Iroh had a big smile on his face and the avatar was laughing at whatever the prince just said.
A select few from the group were clearly drunk. They began telling old stories and someone had to start on those old legends. They had told the oldest and most repeated tales in the world. None of these were new to anyone. Korra had of course willingly included herself in the conversation having her own batch from her native South Pole. She had creepy ones and funny ones and the crew became very interested about the story of the lone soldier that haunted an old frozen war ship. After a while, the crew's taste had shifted to more comical tales, stories bordering ridiculousness and quite simply, a bunch of jokes.
"They say that sometimes the spirit of the dragon of the west comes back to the human world and possess his name sake crown prince Iroh of the Fire nation and the becomes joyous man instead of a grouchy old man in a young man's body."
There was another roar of laughter from the crew.
"Funny." Iroh who was just sitting across Korra sat. Korra noticed that he had a small smile anyway.
"I'm guessing the dragon of the west's spirit isn't among us yet." Korra smirked.
"Really witty." Iroh said sarcastically and glared at her. This made her laugh even more.
Some of the men had decided to retire for the night and had left earlier on deciding they were too drunk to go on. Their comrades told them that's what you get for getting pissed to early in the night and laughed as they grumbled a little. Team avatar had remained behind longer with Bolin sneaking a few drinks now that most people had stopped watching him.
Asami was sitting at one of the tables surrounded by soldiers. They were heard giggling every once in a while and most would deduce that they were talking gossip. Yan, one of the crew members she passed a drink to earlier had approached them and asked for a dance with the girl wearing the pink dress. She blushed and nodded and was whisked away into the dance floor. Asami had a wide smile on her face as the rest of girls kept shooting the couple looks as a new song had just come on. She flicked her focus towards Mako who seemed to be trying to drag his brother away from the drinks. Asami stood up and approached them intending to help. Korra excused herself from the ship's resident healers after having noticed Asami waving for her.
Together, they all helped Bolin up to their rooms or really help Mako in carrying Bolin. Korra opened the door to his room and Mako dropped his brother in the bed. Asami had moved beside the bed and moved the blanket to cover Bolin and move his pillow in an attempt to make him a bit more comfortable.
"I'm going to bed." Asami yawned. "Good night."
Mako and Korra retuned the greeting and watched as she exited the room. They were more or less left alone again. Mako and Korra remained still not saying anything to each other. Korra decided that she should head to her room as well. So she went towards the same way as Asami did a few moments ago but noticed that Mako had followed her. Korra had managed to avoid a confrontation with Mako for the past couple of days but now they were alone.
Mako exhaled quite loudly.
Here we go.
It seems that they just couldn't stop fighting. "Stop talking to the General so much."
"What?" She demanded. "Why would I do that?"
"You really shouldn't get involved with him, Korra." He said angrily.
"What is your problem with Iroh?" She said exasperated. "He hasn't done anything to ignite suspicion."
"He's interested in you." He shouted accusingly.
"I doubt that." Korra said. "Besides, even if he was it isn't any of your concern, Mako. Don't you have your own relationship to fix?"
"I don't know why it's any of your business." Mako huffed. "We broke up, remember?"
"Yes, we are over. But then why the hell are you acting like it isn't?" She screamed.
Mako growled then left. She was alone.
Korra turned around furious. What gave him the right? She trailed down the corridor walking away from the rooms. She didn't want to run into anyone at the moment else she'd probably blow up on them. Korra just didn't understand why he was so angry. Mako was the one who terminated the relationship so why was he so pissed at her.
Korra felt the cold air hit her skin and saw that the door to the balcony was open. She peered outside and saw someone sitting there. General was sitting in the dark; the only source of light was from a fire in the distant deck. He was alone.
"Do you mind?" Her voice sounded so quiet.
"Miss Korra." Iroh said. "Of course not."
"Thanks."
They could still both hear the boisterous laughter of the half-drunk crew downstairs but they were mostly drowned out by the waves in the ocean.
Iroh had heard Korra and Iroh shouting from the halls and was debating on stepping in but decided against it. For some reason, he thought they were arguing about him. Mako, the fire bender boy, was quite unhappy about his presence but he didn't really understand why. Was he not polite enough? Did he offend him somehow? Iroh had been asking himself these questions for a while now but couldn't really come up with a decent reason for Mako's dislike of him.
"Have you ever been in a relationship Iroh?"
"No." He chuckled. "Relationships are hard to maintain, especially when one has many responsibilities."
"It makes me wonder how world leaders even have families."
"Not everyone has a perfect relationship." Iroh regretfully said. Korra looked up at him with a small smile. The general thought that someone like her definitely did not deserve a bad relationship. "But some of them try. I did say it was hard; I didn't mean it was impossible."
She smiled at him.
Iroh had learned from Bolin that Korra and Mako had previously had a relationship. He deduced that maybe Mako had thought that Iroh had an interest in Korra and was jealous. But he didn't have a reason to be, right? No, Iroh was not concerned about getting himself involved in relationships at the moment. Not when he had too much on his shoulders.
The avatar was exhausted when she reached her bed that night. After all the drama, as she liked to call it, today, she really needed to rest. Although, someone seems to disagree because as soon as Korra lost consciousness, she was transported to somewhere she didn't know and caught some people she didn't know in a conversation about something she didn't know.
"…time to act now." A woman said furiously.
"I know what they are doing is horrible beyond doubt." Another replied. Korra thought it sounded like a male.
"So why do you hesitate?" She demanded.
Korra couldn't see them properly. She heard something large smash about six feet from where she was, from the same direction were the voices were coming.
"We can't wage war." The male voice said exasperated.
"They create disputes on our lands but we cannot respond?" The woman inquired, her voice rising. "We cannot defend what is ours?"
The man did not retort. Korra was silently screaming at the man imploring him to argue with the woman that war wasn't the answer. She realized she didn't even know what this was about but she didn't care. They were talking about war that could potentially kill another.
Korra suddenly realized that they had stopped talking.
The woman was hissing, "It is eavesdropping."
Korra heard a piercing scream before she woke up at the dead of the night breathing heavily.
A/N We'll this is extremely long and a bit harder to write. Man, a week? I'm satisfied dude. School's back by the way so the updates should be less frequent now, unfortunately. A-levels come first on my list.
