Avatar Spirit Dot Net Drabble Contest entry. Criteria was:
Right & Wrong
Bop it! (I want action! Not a long dissertation on the moralities of glaring at a hummingbird.)
Twist it! (I want something unexpected! I don't want a lead up into a predictable end.)
Pull it! (My leg, I mean. Give me some humor. Don't make it silly, but make it serious AND funny. This is not something a lot of people can pull off well, but please at least try. If you just can't, it's okay. This is the least important of the three.)
Word limit is 1500.
Proper Behavior
Zuko was upset, but that was nothing new.
Although, to tell the truth, Iroh couldn't help but wonder if the whole point of the exercise was just to further harass Zuko. It was possible that Admiral Zhao was behind all of this, and hoped that by waylaying Zuko with this additional responsibility, it would keep the Prince from continuing his pursuit of the Avatar. The conspiracy might even go all the way to the top, to the Fire Lord himself, as a plot by Ozai to keep his son from ever redeeming himself and returning home to claim his birthright.
Okay, maybe Zuko had the right to be a bit angry, this time. Although, Iroh was still a bit put out by way Zuko ranted at him on the deck of the ship, in front of the whole crew.
Normally, Iroh was willing to take Zuko's verbal abuse. The boy had a good reason to be dissatisfied with his life, and the emotional damage his father had done to him seemed designed to turn Zuko into an abusive person himself. Whenever the Prince got a good rant going, Iroh would simply stay quiet, and wait for Zuko to calm down and regret his actions. Sometimes Iroh had to subtly guide his nephew back to a reasonable emotional state, but Zuko was still a good boy at heart, and usually managed to calm down on his own. Eventually. It never took him more than a week.
Usually, however, Zuko reserved his worse tantrums for when he and his uncle were alone. To explode at Iroh in front of everyone, actively seeking to undermine his reputation with their fellow sailors, was too much.
His nephew had been so hurtful, Iroh was reminded of Azula.
That was never a good thing.
More than anything, Iroh wanted to go back to his nephew, to show him the error of his ways, or at least give the boy a cup of calming tea so that his education could be restarted. The boy still needed help in telling right from wrong, and Iroh was willing to give him whatever aid he needed. However, Iroh's own educational needs were currently standing in the way.
Supposed educational needs.
"I have come," the Dragon of the West intoned. "Perhaps if we get started, and keep the pace brisk, we might satisfy my obligation in just this one session?"
The instructor crossed her arms in front of her and glared. "Your sentence was specifically listed as a minimum of five sessions, General. Part of the nature of the program is to observe, over time, the degree to which you internalize the lessons."
"But my nephew has been tasked with chasing the Avatar, and to come back here every week would-" He was cut off by a hostile motion from the instructor.
"General, you are a member of the Royal Family, and a respected former member of our military, so I would hope that you, of all people, would understand the importance of the Law. Especially the aspects of it that instruct us about fair treatment of our countrymen."
"June was actually born in the Earth Kingdom-"
"But she was still a legally registered bounty hunter in the Fire Nation colonies. Our laws protect her, including those that detail the proper treatment she can expect from men of the Fire Nation. For example, the way she described your groping could legally be considered an assault."
"I assure you, I know the difference between right and wrong."
The instructor actually smirked derisively at him. "That's what we're going to correct, General. Your first class in Sexual Harassment and Equality Awareness begins now."
END
