"So how was your family dinner?" Jissika asked as we floated in a bath made to mimic a hot spring complete with very convincing rocks and greenery.
This was fourth thing on our itinerary, after this we would get a hot spring for ourselves and then finish it off with the new full-service beauty parlor.
This luxurious spa also part of the Capitol's most expensive Onsen. Kyoshi is said to have graced this establishment while my namesake met up with conspirators to become Fire Lord Zuko's regent after Ozai and Azula's defeat.
This traditional hot spring also boasted of the greatest mud baths in the world.
In this private tub that typically fits ten people, Fire Lady Misao had become Fire Lady Regent, seduced a man of the southern water tribe, and somehow find the whereabouts of Prince Lu Ten who had not died, but had been taken prisoner by the Earth Kingdom while I can afford to rent it so I complain about the dinner party last night.
"Horrible, but I did get to make out with Iroh for almost fifteen minutes before Shu threw pebbles at us." I rub mud on my collarbone secretly hoping the mud could swallow me whole and not let me out until my wedding night. With all the stressing regarding wedding plans I can't fucking wait for the party to be over, so I can finally do something without causing a scandal.
"I bet Cuifen never got to do that." Ting-Ting painted herself a mustache with her index finger making me giggle.
"He wasn't sexually attracted to her, Ting-Ting. Didn't you hear him when we poured one out for the Gay Dragon." Asiaq reminded everyone while she added curled edges to Ting-Ting's mud-stache before using her water bending to wick away some of her sweat.
"I wasn't there, I was-" Ting-Ting said annoyed at having missed this confession before getting interrupted by Jissika.
"You were too busy fooling around with Lee." Jissika quipped and used her bending to add a goatee from across the tub.
Let it be known that we are not the serene and graceful women people will believe we are in the next decade.
"Oh, please don't act like we didn't cover for you when you and Tarrlok snuck off to the bathroom at Iroh's welcoming gala." Ting-Ting finally satisfied with her fake facial hair sat back and closed her eyes.
"This isn't about you two, I haven't even told you why my dinner party sucked." I would've pouted, but I was too relaxed to do so.
"Do tell." Ting-Ting said in a deep voice making us laugh once more.
"Kazaori called my father seven or eight times before we even started dessert. I am surprised we made it five courses without making Iroh run for the hills." I began my tale of the third worst dinner party I've been to.
"Yikes how did Princess Yue take it? Your mother isn't as sweet and docile as her namesake." Jissika grimaced.
Jissika had been there when my mother had frozen her wine and shattered it during one of Uncle Unalaq's visits to the Fire Nation. Ting-Ting had witnessed my mother throwing her t-strapped high heel at my father when we discovered that Ting-Ting's fun auntie was fucking my dad and Asiaq's dad, Sir Adlartok, had been the family's psychiatrist since I was a child.
"For a moment we thought she'd killed him when the vase Great Grandma Qing -that is grandfather's mother- gave them for Naoko's birth fell in the library. Then she froze her calming tea while I was outside with Iroh." It comes out too nonchalantly, I forgot not everyone has a mother with such a temper.
I feel guilty at thinking how nothing in my life would really change if my dad were to die. He was only around on major holidays, my debut and the occasional time when sending me away to bury whatever shameful thing I did. Mother only needed the nanny to care for us when she was working and sure we don't like physical displays of affection, but that's more of us being germaphobes than being snobs.
Did you know that I threaten this Onsen with a bad review if they don't sanitize everything according to regulations, that Naoko hates hand shaking because you don't know what they've touched and if he has to shake hands he always washes his hands after or that Hisa got rid of a lady-in-waiting because she didn't sneeze into her handkerchief and then didn't wash her hands?
Yeah, for some reason a healthy fear of germs is not the first thing that pops up when the gossips see that we don't like to hold hands or hug our significant others.
Oh, shit, this is not even related to what I am saying. My bad.
"And you say Iroh didn't run for his life?" Asiaq asked using her bending to remove Ting-Ting's fake facial hair before our time in the mud baths was up.
"He said he isn't going anywhere," I blush involuntarily, and it doesn't escape their notice. "I hope he feels the same when the engagement ball turns out to be a worse disaster. At least, Akira will be here for it."
This day couldn't get any better. There was no one chasing me around with a camera, no one dared to ask about which designer was making my wedding clothes and best of all no stoic secretary telling dictating my ever move. I will be getting my own secretary as my engagement progresses as well as my own security detail, so naturally I must enjoy what little freedom I have left.
"My lady, his grace is expecting you in his study." Mr. Ito bowed and led me to father's study as if I didn't know the way to everyone of his offices in each government building and every single one of our properties we own.
If you are curious, his office in the official family residence, a.k.a. Nakamura House on Chrysanthemum Park, it's in between the main hall and the library. The summer palace in Fire Fountain City has its own wing on the second floor and Nakamura Castle has it on Fire Lord's Pavilion, across from the Chrysanthemum Throne of the Nakamura Fire Lords.
If you haven't noticed my family's crest is actually a golden chrysanthemum on a blood red standard and Iroh's family crest is a dragon, although it used to be a peony before Fire Lord Chaeryu's father changed it to avoid confusion with the Keosho clan.
"Your grace, Lady Misao is here." The Butler bowed to my father, to me and then left my father's home office.
"You wanted to speak to me, father." Ordinarily I wouldn't call him father, I would call him daddy as the only times I see him is to butter him up so I can have a raise in my allowance, do something scandalously modern like driving, or not get banished to the Southern Water Tribe nor some other spirits forsaken place like its sister tribe. If you haven't caught on, I fucking loathe cold weather.
"Sit, Mimi. As you know your impending nuptials to his highness are going to be taking front and center of every news outlet and since this might ruin the public's perception of you, your mother and I won't be making this public until you successfully give birth to a Prince and cement you position as Prince Iroh's consort," He said matter-of-a-fact and as more as some sort of business transaction instead the domestic felicity of his youngest child. The youngest child he claims to love so much.
"Your mother and I will be filing for a divorce. That is what he should've said instead of telling me that I am a piece of their chess game and until I have served my purpose he and my mother can finally be done making each other miserable.
"Do Naoko and Hisa know you and mama are divorcing?" I ask tentatively. They might use me to break the news before dinner -my parents very well know that I can't keep secrets- or they left me out of the loop due to some gemsbok bullshit.
"Yes, they were told a week ago, but your mother and I decided that we would wait until we could let you down easy on account of you still behaving more of like a child than an adult." He pours himself some fancy liquor that tastes like cinnamon and remembers to pour one for me.
"Oh, and is there someone already gunning for the post of Duchess of Shuhon?" I ask not bothering to hide the spitefulness I pretend I don't have. I take a sip and consider coming out to him, so I can ruin his relationship with Kazaori. While he may not be homophobic, he would be incredibly angry to know his mistress seduced his naïve daughter as well as perfect son.
He sighs and remembers that he has encouraged this sort of behavior when done with class and to anyone we don't like.
"Yes, although it will be a few years until I make our relationship public, so as not to taint any corporation, crown and medical thesis associated with our name." My father explains. He keeps it as vague as possible in order to pacify me and make sure his mistress is safe from me should I decide to do something as stupid as confronting her.
"Then I should tell you that I used to be in a relationship with Kazaori, former Ember Island Actress, two years ago and I ended things with her because she fucked Naoko when she realized our relationship was not going to last." There is a satisfaction at seeing him briefly loose composure over knowing his mistress has made her way through his golden child and the daughter he sees himself in. He was lucky that Hisa had no interest in women and that Shu was too besotted with my sister to every betray her in such a way.
"You are making this up, there is no way you would know who she is, and you can't be attracted to women when you are marrying a man." He says thinking this another one of my little acts where I make up some outrageous lie and he dismantles it.
"No, I am not. Homosexuality is when you are attracted to people of your same sex, bisexuality is when you are attracted to people of both sexes. Kazaori is bisexual, as am I and funny enough, so is Iroh." I don't think I should've given my dad ammunition, but I can't take back the words I have just said.
"Does your mother know you are?" He doesn't dare to say the words bisexual, gay, degenerate, or whatever word popped into his head.
"Yes, although she doesn't want me to publicly out myself and Iroh can't either due to the whole its illegal in three out of six countries thing." I continue nursing my drink, I'll have to make sure to tell Iroh its one of my favorites.
"How did you meet her, given your record, you were in at least four different provinces and three countries that year." He doesn't ask how long you have known you were bisexual. As for that, it was when I was sixteen and struggled between having a crush on Lin Beifong -I have a thing for uniforms and confidence- and Master Tenzin -I also have a thing for serious gentlemen who get flustered easily- simultaneously. Sir Adlartok then reassured me that Avatar Kyoshi loved both men and women and there was nothing wrong if I did too.
"I met Kazaori when Akira and I went to Ember Island for the summer and she was at this wonderful parade to celebrate the anniversary of the repealing of the Homosexual Acts. She sought me out at the Hospital when we came back to Fire Fountain City. You should ask her how she met Naoko the next time you see her; he wouldn't tell me when they started fucking each other. I should warn you; she is quite determined to be one of us that one."
My father unlike my mother had a quiet sort of anger. He simmered like a water boiling on the stove and yet he didn't do anything more than just scowl at me. He would never raise a hand against anyone, and he didn't like using his fists or fire if he could resolve it with words and a glare.
"How do you know Kazaori is my mistress?" He asked, the mahogany desk turning darker under his palms. I will begin perspiring if this meeting gets any longer. Mama at least keeps my makeup from running when she's pissed.
"Oh, servant gossip, and Akira's boyfriend, Jin, told me she had left the Royal Theater for the Shuhon Island Society of Performing Arts. Also, the ring you gave her is almost the same to the one on the ruby chrysanthemum parure that belonged to great-aunt Misao." I say facetiously making him more incensed.
"Leave, we will speak about this when you aren't feeling practically vindictive." He pressed the button on his desk that summons the footman to open the door, but I leave before they have a chance to open it.
"I do hope it's not that one, I was looking forward to wearing it on my engagement gala next week."
The part I am going to miss the most about my nursing and midwifery career will be interacting with babies daily.
Lucky for me, Hisa had two children, Prince Xian Feng and Princess Xian Li, or as we refer to them A'Feng and A'Li to avoid using the shared first character in their names as well as keeping with mainland linguistic customs they are being raised with. Even though the Mainland language has become the Common Tongue, every country and region kept with their own languages and customs while still using the common tongue for business and whatnot.
And since I can't wait for pre-dinner cocktails and Hisa must return to Omashu in less than forty-eight hours, I figure this is my best chance to ask her if she knew about the divorce. I would ask mama, but she isn't home yet.
The universe thinks this is a clever idea as Eun is here with her toddler as well.
Four-year-old A'Feng had decided his cousin Botan, Naoko and Eun's three-year-old, was too young to play with and practiced his bending with the Kyoshi Warrior who served as his personal guard.
Hisa has just fed, burped, and hopefully changed A'Li's diaper, so she can't run.
"Yes, they'll expect you to have your first child within the first year of your marriage." Hisa answers before I even ask her anything. She assumed this was about my wifely duties, which I already knew about.
"I knew that." I hand over A'Li back to her nurse. Sure, I know I will enjoy sex with my husband, but pregnancy and childbirth sound horrible and life threatening. Then there's the issue that my child could be a non bender like me and Commander Bumi, fire bender like Iroh, water bender like mama and Lady Katara or an air bender like late Avatar Aang. I don't want to be stressing about this just yet, so fuck you Hisa for reminding me about that.
A'Li, Hisa's ten-month-old baby daughter, was the cutest baby I had the pleasure to meet and up until a month ago I delivered babies for a living. If only I could magically acquire a baby that fulfills everyone's expectations without putting one foot in the grave.
She was also my only living niece and what with it being such a hassle for Hisa and Shu to take their kids out of their country, I valued the couple days I saw her since her birth. Yeah, because royal babies are very vulnerable of not making it past infancy due to either natural causes or infanticide by people angry at the government.
"Oh, yes, and she is not kidding. Your grandmother ordered a chambermaid to poke holes in all your brother's condoms before we left for our honeymoon." Eun said covering her three-year-old son's ears before kissing his forehead when he fussed over not being included.
That explained why Baby Osen, who sadly lived for only three months due to complications of being born months before her due date, had been born within the first seven months of Eun and Naoko's marriage. There was also the other baby girl she had miscarried when Botan was one year old and my brother cheated on her with my then girlfriend.
I won't ask how she found out which chambermaid did it. Her daughter's death made it difficult for them to even speak about her.
"Yes, I am aware of very aware of that. I think every memoir written by a woman mentions that." If I sound annoyed by this, it is because I am. "But that is not what I want to talk about."
"What's on your mind?" Eun asks before calling Botan's nanny. Eun despite her tendency to believe all the hubris Countess Hao says is a genuinely good person, which is why the bitchy Countess took her under her wing when all other society ladies ridiculed her for her background.
"This isn't related to anything regarding the fact that I will be reduced to a royal baby maker in a year, this is about mom and dad. Did you two already know they were going to divorce?" I muster all the seriousness I can while Botan offers me a cookie before his nanny scoops him up.
Their faces say it all. They have known and agreed to keep me in the dark.
"Mimi, sweetheart, I can explain." My mother, the most terrifying woman to ever grace high society since the death of Fire Lady Mai, said as she stood in the threshold of the garden.
An Onsen, is a traditional Japanese hot spring bath literally 'hot water spring.' Some Onsens have mud baths made with the ore mud in them.
As you have noticed I tried to explain why there are Mandarin Chinese in the series while the Water Tribes are Innuit, the Fire Nation Japanese and Ba Sing Se Korean. Long story short, Mandarin Chinese is the Common Tongue, and almost everyone is bilingual.
I think I should make a family tree for the Nakamura family, but I haven't decided how many sisters Ichiro has.
Also Story Idea time: The Scandalous Lady M. where Ozai's twenty-something second wife, Marchioness of Fire Fountain, Heiress of Shuhon Island, and Mimi's namesake overthrows Ozai and becomes Zuko's regent because her coup failed because her husband was defeated.
I know I already have many WIPs, but I am too impatient to wait until one fic is finished what with 2020 being full of plot twists.
(Also, I made some mistakes on Jen LuXian, but I'll get around to it once I finish some last-minute edits in the fic.)